I handed a $100 bill to my favorite bartender at my favorite video poker bar and asked him to change it for four twenties and four fives. As he quickly counted out the cash, I noticed they were all facing in the same direction, exactly the way I keep them in my wallet. And while that may be considered OCD by some, I prefer to consider it a “small peculiarity.”
So I asked the bartender, “Do you always make change that way?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Most of my customers organize their billfold that way. And so do I.”
And there it was. A little thing that might please a guest. Almost imperceptible, but with a definite positive effect on most customers.
That got me thinking about all those “little things” I’ve seen over the years in casinos that are small, simple, and uncommon, but nonetheless at least make a guest smile or feel some tiny sense of satisfaction. I’ve written many times about my many pet peeves at casinos. It’s past time that I wrote about my “pet likes.” And I’m thinking that a few dozen pet likes might well equal one “big love.”
So here are a few I’ve seen over the years that may not have mattered to many (or even been noticed), but they brought a small glint to my eye.
Complimentary water bottles in the hotel room – This used to be pretty common, but now, not so much. You’re more likely to find cups that can be used for bathroom tap water or large designer water bottles for sale in the room for $5-$10 a pop. That’s why a couple of complimentary (even if small) plastic water bottles in the room can be one of those little things that might not wow a guest, but might wet their whistle in a small positive way. Check out Barona if you want to see how complimentary water bottles can be used with great effect throughout the entire casino operation (valet parking, check in/check out, table game pits, etc.). The Plaza in downtown Las Vegas also includes two per room in the complimentary fridge with four more available gratis per day.
Opening passenger doors at valet parking – My informal survey at scores of casinos with valet parking suggests that 80%-90% of valet parkers open the door for the driver upon departure, while only 20%-30% upon arrival (granted, the driver usually opens the door for himself or herself upon arrival). But less than 10% EVER open (or close) the car door for the passengers. In the new era of often paying for valet parking and given that valet parkers make the vast majority of their income on tips, I find it astounding that EVERY car door isn’t ALWAYS opened for drivers and passengers. I realize that’s hard to organize and execute; however, the small but significant impact on both the guest’s impression and the valet parker’s tip jar could seem to make an “open-door” policy a little thing with a big difference.
W2-G jackpot forms – As a casino player over the years, I’ve won a number of taxable jackpots and thus received the attendant W2-G jackpot forms. Some casinos ask me for two signatures on the forms, some ask for only one (I’m not sure what that’s all about). But most casinos ask me to fill out the date of the jackpot myself, along with my signature. So it’s the seeming littlest of things when these W2-G forms come already filled out for me with the date (either hand-signed by the slot employee or computer stamped). But it impresses me, takes one little nitpicky negative out of my jackpot experience, and makes me inclined to leave a little extra tip for the slot employee who brought me the loot.
Self-requested name on player’s club card – The procedure for signing up for a players club card is pretty much the same at most casinos: show an ID, share an email or mobile phone number (if you want), and determine if you want one of those ubiquitous laniards to attach to the card. But except for Barona (again) and a rare few other casinos, NO ONE asks what name you would like printed on the card. So in my extensive collection of players club cards I’ve gathered over the decades, I have cards for “Dennis Conrad” (most common), “Dennis Joseph Conrad” (second-most common), “D Conrad” (pretty lazy and a little dehumanizing), “Conrad Dennis” (probably caused by a name containing two first names), and a variety of other monikers etched in plastic, none requested by me. But I’m the proud possessor of a Barona Resort and Casino players club card with “RADCON” printed on it, requested by me and my nickname with a few longtime friends. Again, another in Barona’s basket of little things that matter to me and many other players.
The amuse bouche – I’ve always loved the name “amuse bouche,” you know, that chef’s surprise “little bite” that arrives either before or after your salad or appetizer. Or it can be a tiny scoop of sherbet (sometimes with a dash of champagne) to help “cleanse the palate” (although I’ve never known my palate to need cleansing and one time in a fancy restaurant, I thought the waiter said it was to “cleanse my wallet”). Amuse bouches happen almost exclusively at a casino’s high-end restaurant, but come to think of it, why couldn’t they happen at the little pizza joint in the casino’s food court? The best I’ve ever seen is the Quadruple Amuse Bouche at the Atlantis Steakhouse in Reno, comprising the chef’s little appetizer, the sherbet, the small complimentary piece of chocolate after dinner, and get this, a small bagged piece of coffee cake for “the next morning at home.” Amuse bouche bonanza!
“Anything else I can do for you?” – It may seem like a big thing for a casino employee to follow up a guest transaction with “Is there anything else I can do for you?,” but it happens so seldom (or is done so perfunctorily) that it remains a little thing with great potential. I guess the real reason most employees don’t ask this killer question is there might be something else they’d have to do for you. Says more than a little about some casino employees and some casino organizations.
A million other little things – The sky’s the limit on little things that might make a guest smile or feel a little more appreciated. Having toothpicks and a few mints arrive with the check in the restaurant. A crap floorman like Linden at the Atlantis, who returns your players club card right to you on the outside of the table, with a “Welcome to the game, good luck, and let me know if there is anything I can do for you” (unlike most crap tables where your tracking card is flicked back to you across the table, sometimes without even a good-luck wish). Clear wifi instruction when checking in to the hotel. The chocolate-chip cookie at check-in, the complimentary apples and bananas at check-out.
Perhaps the reason we don’t see more cool little things at casinos is a fear of their being potentially costly, or not really necessary, or open to abuse by guests, although how does one abuse an amuse bouche? So take a look around your casino operation, not for the big grand things that might blow your guests away, but the million little things that might make them smile and think of you and your hard-working team just a little more warmly.
