Shannon McCallum has always emphasized the importance of hospitality during her career. At stops including Resorts World Las Vegas, the ARIA Resort & Casino, and MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas, McCallum has prioritized making customers as comfortable as possible.
As Oracle’s new regional vice president North America Applications Gaming, McCallum will bring that same level of customer service, but with a healthy dose of technology.
“I’ve always had a passion for working with technology, and I was really one of those individuals that really could see how technology could better the guest experience,” she tells CDC Gaming.
McCallum will be charged with shaping tech strategies for the industry’s most recognized hotel and gaming brands. Her role will span product development and advisory positions and include technology for cruise lines.
At a recent workshop, McCallum got a glimpse of the technology Oracle is working on. Joining the company after that was an easy decision.
“For an avid technology aficionado, it really was attractive to me to see how Oracle specifically was making such great strides in trying to not just make one part of the experience a great one, but really expanding that out to many different sectors within that, in the hotel environment, whether that be gaming or non-gaming,” McCallum says.
For the gaming industry, McCallum is interested in making contactless check-ins more seamless. Noting that she spent 16 years in Las Vegas in operations at volume properties, she always looked to solve the oft-times long lines at front desks.
“I spent a lot of time working with the technology partners in order to be able to find a path forward to automate the check-in process, and for the years with the various companies that I worked with, we were able to make large strides with the partners in order to make it a digital option for our guests,” McCallum says. “Now technology isn’t the answer for every guest – as we know we’re always going to have guests that want to check in in person. However, many people come to Las Vegas not just once a year, but four times a year or even more often, especially from neighboring states like California, and to be able to skip the line if there is any kind of a wait pattern and go right to their room for those guests, it’s really attractive.”
It’s important for guests to be able to access technology that is seamless and efficient. But it’s just as important for team members to be able to use any new tech developments quickly and effectively.
“We’re always looking for those efficiencies, not just for the guests but for the team members. It’s really important being able to automate functionality within the system,” McCallum says. “In addition, with the new technology that we launched last year with Oracle at the property that I was just at (Resorts World Las Vegas), there’s a ‘how do I do functionality’. If the team member is new and they don’t know how to use a portion of the technology, they can ask the system a question. The system will take them to the place within the system in order to be able to find out how to work with certain functionality within the system.”
The intersection between technology and hospitality is always evolving. McCallum plans to keep abreast of the latest developments in order to keep operators ahead of any technological curves.
“I can really see an opportunity for (Oracle) to be able to communicate not just what is available today, but what does the future look like, and eventually be able to roll out new features as they come available in the future,” McCallum says. “Because again, as hoteliers, they’re focused on the next event, the next big check-in day, the next holiday, the next citywide event. We don’t necessarily have the opportunity when we’re in the hotel environment to keep ourselves educated. I truly think moving ahead, one of my big focuses is going to be not only continuing to build those relationships with the properties, not just within Las Vegas, but in all of North America, and with cruise lines as well.”
