The website for Resorts World Las Vegas carefully highlights the full range of amenities on the property. Sections cover lodging, dining, meetings, and wellness. And, almost as an afterthought, there’s a link for gaming.
Resorts World President and CEO Carlos Castro says the site emphasizes amenities to reflect the broad mix of guests the property attracts.
“If you’re a foodie, we’ve got places for you,” Castro says. “For entertainment, we’ve got a beautiful theater – 5,000 seats. We have a lot of assets, and we want to let everybody know.
“And we have a very recognizable brand in Hilton, probably one of the most recognizable brands, all the way up to Crockford. We’ve got a lot of, let’s call them mice, to feed, in terms of getting them to different places on property. … We want to make sure players are getting a view of the full experience, not just in gaming.”
If you compare casinos to automobiles, Resorts World Las Vegas is comparable to a Mercedes. It’s luxurious and lush. There are attractions – including the superb Japanese restaurant Kusa Nori and the indulgent Awana Spa – that would be right at home in Paris, Montreal, or any other exotic global destination.
Castro compares Resorts World’s three hotels – Crockford’s, Conrad’s and Hilton – to other world-class destinations, being on a par with a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton.
What specially makes the property work, however, is its staff. Castro says he’s thrilled that most customers, from high-end patrons to everyday customers, rave about the level of service at Resorts World.
He agrees that level of customer outreach can’t be duplicated by artificial intelligence.
“Are we hiring the right people? Are we training them, and then are we treating them really well?” Castro says. “They want to come into work and they want to take care of our high-end guests. I believe it’s that combination of the asset and really layering in that high level service.”
Castro adds that he’s cognizant that people are not just giving Resorts World their money, but also their time.
“That’s very valuable,” he says. “We want to make sure that by the time you get here, during your entire guest journey, we’re analyzing everything in that guest journey to make sure it’s seamless, it’s convenient, there’s no bottlenecks, and there’s great service along the way.”
Castro insists that what makes Resorts World work is the team he has assembled. He compares himself to the general manager of a football team, recruiting people who are hard-working and believe in the vision Castro has constructed for Resorts World.
“They want to join the team,” he says. “And it’s not just a team, it’s a family. We’re unlike any other property. We don’t have a big corporate office. The decisions we make together affect what’s going to happen tomorrow, and you don’t get a lot of that opportunity up and down the Las Vegas Strip at a beautiful $4.3 billion asset.
“My job is to build it, maybe set the strategy, and then let these guys do what they do, because they do it really well. You see that momentum being built right now. I have the best job in Las Vegas, in the United States, in the world. I get to work with talented, motivated people. This is my dream. I’m living my dream job.”
After working for operators including Mandalay Bay, MGM Resorts International, and Aria Resort Casino, Castro was set to retire, but the opportunity arose to work for Resorts World just more than a year ago.
He notes he’s going to “work his butt off” because he doesn’t want to disappoint fellow team members or the people who hired him. And that work ethic, he believes, is contagious and fosters great results.
“When you get that dynamic in that executive committee room, that we’re all looking each other in the eye and we’re all accountable to each other, then it transcends just coming in for a job,” he says. “And I think that’s why people win Super Bowls or World Series. Because it’s more about just coming in and doing my job.”
