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64 Indian Gaming March 2013
ASK THE EXPERTS
Spotlight on the Guest Experience
Steve Degraffenreid, General ManagerGrand Casino and Resort in Shawnee, OKwww.grandshawnee.com
Grand Casino features morethan 1,800 Vegas-style games in abeautiful 125,000 sq. ft. facility.Patrons enjoy the newest, Vegas-style slots as well as a Keno lounge.The casino offers over 100 table
games including Poker, Blackjack, Craps, and Spinette. Weare proud to lead the future of gaming with iSino, theworld's first iPad-based gaming device.
Grand Casino also offers a variety of fine dining optionsranging from sizzling steaks at Embers Steakhouse to theexciting Grandstand Sports Grille and The Grand Buffet.When it comes to entertainment, Grand delivers first-classVegas-style acts to national caliber events including allmusic genres, comedians and poker championships.
Currently, we are expanding to better serve our clientele.We are close to completion on the new Grand Hotel andevent center. Sporting the same architectural style as thecasino, the hotel features a fourteen-story guestroom towerwith 262 rooms, as well as meeting rooms, a spa, a fitnesscenter, an outdoor pool and entertainment areas. TheGrand Hotel will take technology to the next level by offer-ing Intelity in every room. This service will send person-alized messages, promotions and guest information throughan iPad in each guest room. Every seat in our event centerwill offer artists and attendees a first class light and soundexperience. New dining venues are on the horizon as well,including a new Brazilian-American Steakhouse.
We would like to invite everyone to experience thehospitality and splendor that our staff has to offer atthe Grand Casino and Resort. The Grand Casino isconveniently located just east of Oklahoma City in Shawnee.
Bryan deLugo, General ManagerRed Hawk Casino in Placerville, CAwww.redhawkcasino.com
Red Hawk Casino is locatedapproximately 40 miles east ofSacramento in the Sierra foothills.One of our key differentiators isour scenic location. The property
features enormous window walls offering our casino andrestaurant guests spectacular views.
During 2012, we made a variety of improvements to theproperty which have resulted in operational efficienciesand been well received by our guests. We’ve also imple-mented new technologies to connect with our guests.
On the main gaming floor, we consolidated table games,opened a new slot area by relocating the gift shop, andopened northern California’s only non-smoking roomwithin high limits. Consolidating table games made it mucheasier for our players to find their game and, operationally,it’s substantially more efficient. We relocated and expandedthe gift shop which had a prime location near the valetentrance. Players are quick to find the new highly visibleslots, resulting in higher coin in per day. In response to guestrequests, we opened a non-smoking room within the highlimit room. Providing high-value guests with preferred slotsin a non-smoking environment has contributed to anoverall increase in high limit guest satisfaction.
Last December, Red Hawk unveiled a new entertainmentvenue open to the casino. This involved the redesign of arelatively small stage bar and non-performing gaming spacethat was blocked by the stage. The new entertainment areais a high-energy focal point in the casino. It features a dancefloor, enlarged stage flanked by multiple big screen TVs, astate-of-the-art sound system and a lounge.
This month, we spoke with casino general managers from across the country about whatmakes their properties exciting and special to guests. These experts shared some of theirunique insights into what their property does to take the guest experience to the next level,how they are mantaining a competitive edge, and what’s in store for the future. Here is whatthey had to say...
March 2013 Indian Gaming 65
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We’re responding to the trend of increased reliance onmobile devices by being the first casino in California tointroduce a smart phone app to make information andproperty features available to mobile users.
We are constantly looking for innovative and better waysto improve our guests’ experience... that’s what motivates usevery day!
Mike Fisher, General ManagerChinook Winds Casino Resort inLincoln City, ORwww.chinookwindscasino.com
Chinook Winds Casino Resort is a unique destinationresort. We offer 229 luxurious rooms and suites directly onthe oceanfront as well as a world class gaming experience.We also offer exclusive concerts and events such as GabrielIglesias and Florida Georgia Line, our $100,000 PacWestPoker Classic poker tournament, high stakes live bingo, theSurf City Classic Car Show in August and the Celebrationof Honor (a weeklong tribute to our service men andwomen) in September. CWCR offers $1,000 table limits,the best single deck blackjack game in the state, and the
newest and most popular slotmachines. Another unique amenityis our golf course facility. This 18hole course has everything for theamateur golfer to enjoy; drivingrange, pro shop, and a completefitness center with steam rooms,
saunas and racquetball courts. Aces Bar & Grill is a full ser-vice restaurant with a golf simulator to round out ourguests experience at Chinook Winds Golf Resort.
Chinook Winds Casino Resort has recently addednumerous amenities to further enhance the overall guestexperience. We have upgraded the slot floor to introduceAristocrats Sentinel III product that creates real time,individual bonusing feature per guest at their machine.We are also rolling out the Genesis Bravo Pit System tobetter reward our table games players. We are still celebratingthe introduction of the new look and menu in the Siletz Bay
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68 Indian Gaming March 2013
ASK THE EXPERTS
Buffet and new menu items offered at the 24 hour EuchreCreek Deli. The newly completed refurbishing of ourentire hotel rooms inventory and a luxurious remodel of thehotel suites lobby make a more comfortable and invitingexperience for our guests.
Just 55 minutes from Salem and 90 minutes from Portland,Chinook Winds Casino Resort is located on the beach inLincoln City, OR. ChinookWinds Casino Resort is owned andoperated by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
Frizzell Frizzell Jr., COOInn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casinoand Casino Apache Travel Center inMescalero, NMwww.innofthemountaingods.com
The Casinos at Inn of theMountain Gods and Casino ApacheTravel Center have both seen are-launch of our player’s club, theApache Spirit Club, in recentmonths. With a new look, more
rewards to choose from and incentives structured around theplayers’ preference, we expect the Club to continue to serveas a way for our guests to get the most out of their gamingexperience with us. We are also happy to announce theopening of three new lifts, including a brand new multi-million-dollar gondola at our ski resort, Ski Apache, and theopening of a new 5k walking trail near the Inn, which givesguests even more options for entertainment and recreationwhile staying with us. Our award-winning golf course willsoon be open for the season as well, enhancing our all-season resort experience and helping make it one of the bestin the Southwest. Add to that boating and fishing on LakeMescalero, horseback riding, mountain biking and world-classentertainment from people like Willie Nelson, chef RobertIrvine, and famed Elvis impersonator Justin Shandor, andguests are hard pressed to find a more diverse offering.
Conrad Granito, General ManagerCoushatta Casino Resort in Kinder, LAwww.coushattacasinoresort.com
What our guests tell us they find exciting and specialabout the Coushatta Casino Resort is the way they aretreated. Time and Time again, we hear that our associatesare providing exceptional guest service and the “Ultimate
in Southern Hospitality.”The excitement continues on
our slot floor; as we have new instal-lations and conversions on a weeklybasis. We feature the largest slot
floor in Louisiana with the greatest variety and newestgame platforms in the region. Coushatta Casino Resortopened in 1995 and has seen a lot of growth and changesover the last 18 years. That continued last year, when weopened the new 401 room Seven Clans Hotel. We also addedto our gaming offering with bingo and off track betting.Coushatta now offers all the gaming available in Louisianaunder one roof.
Up next is a full renovation and upgrade of our 208 roomsin the Coushatta Grand Hotel and the 190 rooms at theCoushatta Inn. This will include enhanced amenity packagesas well as pet friendly rooms. We are also finalizing theplans to add a spa and a family entertainment center thatwill house our Kid’s Quest/Cyber Quest as well as otheramenities of bowling, lazer tag, restaurant and night club.
Coushatta Casino Resort has a long and historic past witha future that looks even brighter.
Sheila Howe, General ManagerSycuan Casino in El Cajon, CAwww.sycuan.com
Our recent renovation is hands-down the most exciting thing tohappen at Sycuan. Literally everysquare inch of the casino interior isbrand new and last year was ourfirst full year without construction
crews everywhere! Based on our head counts and revenuesin 2012, our guests are loving the new look!
The renovation included custom-designed carpets,architectural ceilings, rich wall coverings and generous useof natural materials including stone and wood. The mostimpressive addition however is the one-of-a-kind chandelierthat hangs prominently in the casino’s main lobby. Thechandelier is part of a synchronized light feature that spills
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March 2013 Indian Gaming 69
sound and colored light down to a large video floor.The renovation also included a new restaurant – our
GameDay Sports Bar. It’s by far the coolest sports bar I’veever seen and it’s really more of a sports “museum” due toall the unique sports memorabilia we have on display. We alsorelocated our buffet to the non-smoking wing. It’s now morethan twice the size of our old buffet and our guests reallyappreciate that its smoke free.
In addition to re-imagining our physical space, we’reestablishing a culture of re-imagining the entire guest expe-rience. The first thing that comes to mind is our rewards club,Club Sycuan. We recently launched “Point PowerBoost”which continuously multiplies our players’ slot points. Thehigher their club status, the higher their multiplier. We’renow paying out more points and cash back than ever before.
Last summer we introduced our military “Freedom” cardwhich I believe is the only military card offered by a casinorewards club. The card provides special benefits to anyone whohas served in the military, past or present. More importantly,whenever the Freedom card is presented by a guest, our staffis trained to thank the guest for their service. San Diego is a
big military town and we’ve had an incredible response.We have a few more things up our sleeve for 2013 but I’d
rather not show our hand just yet!
Chuck Kilroy, General ManagerSeneca Niagara Casino & Hotel inNiagara Falls, NY and Seneca BuffaloCreek Casino in Buffalo, NYwww.senecacasinos.com
It is a very busy and exciting timeright now at both Seneca NiagaraCasino & Hotel in Niagara Falls,NY, and at Seneca Buffalo CreekCasino in Buffalo, NY. At Seneca
As an industry leader since 1982, we have a team of relationship managers dedicated to serving gaming businesses and Native American governments and their gaming enterprises nationwide. In addition to serving the financial needs of the gaming industry, we’re also committed to the communities where our customers live and work. To us, supporting the gaming industry means not only providing financial products and services for your business, but giving back to friends, families, and neighbors in your community.
To learn how we can help you build a better future for your tribal members and communities, contact us today.
Rochanne Hackett, Managing Director National Gaming Development
Bring us your vision. We’ll bring you our financial expertise.
ASSOCIATE MEMBER
2013
Wells Fargo engages in the services described above through various subsidiaries of Wells Fargo & Company, including Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, member NYSE, FINRA and SIPC, and Wells Fargo Bank, National
70 Indian Gaming March 2013
ASK THE EXPERTS
Niagara, we’ve just unveiled our completely renovated$8.5 million Thunder Falls Buffet. It’s a game-changer forthe dining experience on property, as the restaurant featuressix fabulous food stations with open exhibition cookingand a focus on more than 130 ethnic, comfort, and healthyfood items.
This is one of 10 dining locations throughout the AAAFour Diamond Award–winning resort. Guests will enjoy 604luxurious hotel rooms and suites – all while being minutesaway from the world-famous Niagara Falls. We continue tobook the world’s best entertainers to our 2,400-seat EventsCenter and intimate 440-seat Bear’s Den Showroom, andcontinually offer the latest and greatest games on our147,000 sq. ft. gaming floor – which includes 4,000 slots and100 table games.
In addition, we’re currently finishing up a brand-newChairman’s Club Lounge, which is the luxurious escape forour most loyal guests. Everyone will be pleased as all casinorestrooms have been completely redesigned and are beingupgraded leading into a complete renovation of the westcasino side of the property.
At Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino, construction crews arecurrently building a new casino with an upscale and funarchitectural design, incorporating artistic references tothe history of the Seneca Nation that blends energy, action,and excitement. Designed to be an anchor for the neigh-borhood, the new Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino will featuremore than 800 slots, 16 table games, and two restaurants –including one that will serve all of Buffalo’s best-known foodchoices from local vendors. When the property opens thisfall, it will be part of a burgeoning Cobblestone Districtalong Buffalo’s Inner Harbor and create 500 new jobs forthe city.
Finally, for both casinos, we’ve brought the excitementonline with new mobile apps and a play-for-fun gaming sitecalled iPlaySeneca.com. Both are completely free to down-load. We also recently upgraded the apps to allow playersto check their Seneca Player’s Club points and offerson-the-go, which help them to better plan their visits to ourcasinos.
Robin Miller, General ManagerKickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel inEagle Pass, TXwww.luckyeagletexas.com
Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino is located next to the RioGrande River in Eagle Pass, Texas, and is the state’s onlycasino. We are a Class II gaming facility, owned andoperated by the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. Wecurrently feature over 1,800 games, live poker and bingo inaddition to several restaurants and bars, serviced by over 650dedicated employees.
Our most exciting developmentis that Kickapoo Lucky EagleCasino is in the midst of a majorexpansion project, slated to opennext month and add hundreds moreof the latest Class II electronicgames, a new poker room, new
250-seat buffet, and a new center bar. This summer, we’lladd a 249-room hotel, fine dining steakhouse, VIP lounge,high limit area, live entertainment lounge and more. We’revery excited to become the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle CasinoHotel and offer all of these new amenities to our guests, aswell as grow our gaming floor to over 2,500 machines andadd another 200 employees.
When we say “Winning is BIGGER in Texas,” we mean it!
Ron Patel, General ManagerBlack Oak Casino Resort in Tuolumne, CAwww.blackoakcasino.com
There are many experts workingin the gaming indus t ry tha tundoubtedly have a great deal ofknowledge to share. However, neverforget that there are two groups of
real ‘experts’ we all have on our property at all times. Oneis the guest, and the second, our front line team member oremployee. Just ask them. The guest will tell you what theywant and don’t want, and the front line employee willcertainly be willing to share what they hear from the guest.If only we’d listen...
The most exciting aspect of Black Oak Casino is thevariety of entertainment we are able to offer. Yes, we are a casinowith 1,300 slot machines and 25 table games, not unlike manycasinos, but we also offer so much more. Our main floor is thecasino floor, while the lower floor is a complete family floor.There, we have a 24 Lane Brunswick Bowling Center, a 70machine kids arcade, a large fast food, burger and pizza restau-rant as well as a full service Sports Bar. The upper floor abovethe casino floor houses ‘Seven Sisters’, a 100 seat fine diningrestaurant. Located in a rural community in the Sierra foothills,the wide variety of entertainment we offer has undoubtedlybrought in guests that would not normally have visited a casino
property. Although our main profit center is obviously thecasino, I am always intrigued to look at the arcade machinenumbers and realize that the best arcade machine makes moremoney than our worst slot machine!
Bill Peters, General ManagerChumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, CAwww.chumashcasino.com
When guestsfrom SouthernCalifornia visitthe ChumashCasino Resort,they are choos-i n g t o s h u nthe rigors ofBig City l i fea n d s n a r l e dL.A. traffic in
exchange for a brief getaway filled withexceptional entertainment in SantaBarbara’s wine country.
Once they arrive, our guests have cometo expect a superior level of comfort andhospitality while they enjoy the gaming,fine dining and live entertainment that our190,000 sq. ft. complex has to offer.
That’s why we’re excited about therecent renovation of our AAA FourDiamond-rated Chumash Casino ResortHotel, and the soon-to-be unveiledChumash Service Station, which stands tobecome the most beautiful gas station inall of California. Both of which willincrease our ability to meet and exceedthose expectations our guests have whenthey visit our resort.
All 106 guestrooms and 17 suites havebeen elegantly redesigned and outfittedwith new fixtures, furnishings, carpeting,hardwood floors, wall coverings, drapesand high-tech upgrades, including aplug-in panel that can be used with a hostof digital devices.
It’s the first renovation for the hotel,which opened in July 2004, and it comeson the heels of the hotel earning its ninthconsecutive AAA Four Diamond Award.
And whether you’re arriving at theChumash Casino Resort or preparing forthe drive home, you’ll soon be treated toan RV-accessible fueling station that
features a 2,500 sq. ft. conve-nience store and a high-pressure, touch-free car wash.TheChumash Service Station,which will be surrounded
by nearly 8,000 sq. ft. of landscaping, is due to open later thisspring.
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72 Indian Gaming March 2013
ASK THE EXPERTS
These are just two examples of the exciting additionswe’re implementing at our resort. We’re proud of ouraccommodations and services, and we’re convinced thatthese upgrades will enhance the experience for our guestsas they enjoy the Chumash Casino Resort’s distinct brandof entertainment.
Rich Purser, General ManagerSuquamish Clearwater Casino inSuquamish, WAwww.clearwatercasino.com
Perched on a wooded bluffoverlooking the Puget Sound,
Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort offers the quintessen-tial Northwest getaway. Pampering guests with rusticelegance and a wide array of luxurious amenities, the resortfeatures a waterfront hotel, full-service spa, high-techmeeting spaces, the excitement of casino nightlife, WhiteHorse Golf Course’s new clubhouse and the SuquamishTribe’s new museum.
Beginning January 2013, the Clearwater Casino hasbegun the first stages of a five year expansion. Phase Iincludes the addition of 10,000 sq. ft. of meeting space anda 4,500 sq. ft. pre-function space. Also included in thisphase are a new fine dining restaurant, remodeling of theLonghouse Buffet, two story support structure, new officespace, new walkway with elevator entrance to the casinofrom the resort, and new 700 car parking garage.This is estimated to take 12 months to complete byJuly 2014.
Phase II includes the addition of a 100-room, 5-storyhotel. All rooms will have a view of the water and will bestructured to add 100 additional rooms in the future. Thisis expected to take 10-12 months to complete by May 2015
Phase III is an extensive remodeling resulting in a 5,700sq. ft. expansion of the casino to include a new 350-seatlounge, specialty restaurant near the north end of HiddenCove and new bar in the center of the casino floor.Relocation of the cage, security, and Club Clearwater toimprove the casino main entrance is also planned.It is planned to take 12 months to complete by December2016.
Phase IV includes the addition of a 15,000 sq. ft.ballroom and entertainment extension with movable wallsdividing the space into 5 smaller rooms, plus 11,500 sq. ft.of pre-function space and 8,500 sq. ft . of supportspace. This is expected to take 12 months to complete byDecember of 2017.
Paul Ryan, General ManagerFantasy Springs Resort Casinoin Indio, CAwww.fantasyspringsresort.com
Fantasy Springs Resort Casinohas evolved into the Palm SpringsValley's only full service resortdestination. In addition to our slot
and table games mix, we have off track betting, an expandedbingo room, a 24 lane bowling center and the Eagle Falls18 hole Championship Golf Course. Eagle Falls is now thetop rated public course in the Palm Springs Valley andhosts such prestigious tournaments as the annual FrankSinatra Celebrity Invitational, The NFL Alumni Tourna-ment and Fred Williamson's Wounded Warrior Projectcharity golf event.
We have established ourselves as the premiere entertain-ment destination with a headliner schedule featuring all ofthe biggest names in the business. Our Special EventsCenter is the best facility outside of Las Vegas and hasbecome a "must play" for all of the touring acts.
We recently completed a multi-million dollar renovationof our gaming facility positioning it aesthetically andfunctionally as a high energy entertainment complex. Thislatest renovation complements the last phase of construc-tion which saw the additions of LIT Nightclub, Joy AsianCuisine, Lique Ice Cream Parlor and more.
The personality of the resort is driven by entertain-ment. We have the Improv Comedy Club, The RockYard outdoor entertainment center, LIT Nightclub, TheSpecial Events Center and the 12th Floor Jazz club. We wantour guests to be able to find high energy entertainment aswell as the best in slots and table play.
Our next phase will see the addition of a new five starresort on the golf course complex which will feature an allsuite hotel to complement the current golf experience.
Gus Tsivikis, General ManagerSeneca Allegany Casino & Hotel inSalmanca, NYwww.senecacasinos.com
The biggest news from SenecaAllegany Casino & Hotel is therecent completion of our expandedhotel tower.We’ve addedmo r e t h an200 rooms –increasing ourformer totalof 212 hotelrooms to 413.
Seneca Allegany is the major resort des-tination for a large radius – extendingfrom eastern Ohio to northwestPennsylvania and New York’s SouthernTier Region – so there is now a greateropportunity for more people to experi-ence all there is to do on property.
For starters, our AAA Four DiamondAward–winning rooms offer luxuriousamenities and stunning views of theAllegany Mountains. Guests can alsoenjoy the indoor pool, outdoor hot tub,and The Spa & Salon for the ultimatein pampering.
As a destination resort, we’re an idealplace for business meetings, banquetsand weddings with more than 24,000 sq.ft. of meeting space and white-glovetreatment for catering. We also offernumerous stay-and-play packages withnearby golf and ski resorts – whichprovide some of the very best experi-ences in the Northeast.
Like Seneca Niagara, we’ve justoffered some new table games on ourgaming floor, such as Mississippi StudPoker, Blackjack Switch, and BlackjackSuper 7’s. It’s part of our commitmentto continually refresh our 2,000 slots and33 table games.
We also are excited for the upcom-ing unveiling of the 2013 Summer RushCelebration, a June-to-September party,filled with superstar entertainers,awesome casino promotions and uniquespecial events.
Finally, we’re committed tooffering a Seneca Player’s Club withthe very best value in the Northeast.Guests can earn comp points atslots and table games, and $170coin-in earns one comp dollar –
which can be used for everything from retail to concerttickets to dining to hotel stays and much more. �
March 2013 Indian Gaming 73
