Blasted my host (in the nicest kind of way)

[roveer]

So, I've commented before about being a CET 7* player and some of the crazy things that happen with screwed up rooms, drunk hosts etc. My most recent trip they put me in a smoking handicap room.  There are 2 things in my profile about rooms, Non Smoking, Non Handicap.  They tend to do this every 6 or 7 visits.  I've complained every time to my host and while they offer to change the room I never except. Don't want to waste more time sleping for new keys moving luggage etc.  I just take what I get.  I just politely ask them to not put me in those room types in the future. So since December my host has been the Host Executive at Harrah's.  That came after the "dunk host" incident.  That was a real man bites dog experience.  Anyway.  When I settled into my Smoking Handicap room on Sunday I emailed my host letting him know I was dissapointed in the room.  It's really not a big deal, but it does take a little bit of the fun away when all I'm trying to do is relax and have things go right.  After all I do my part, they do their part.  That's how its supposed to work. Of course my host sends back a response saying that "

I'm sorry ... Don't know what went wrong ... Please don't
be disappointed .. Won't happen again ... So sorry".  I've been told they very same thing by every host and host manager since the first time it happened.  Never changes.  So I decided to expand upon the issue with the following response: "

Oh Fred, Be careful what you say.  Every host and hotel person that I've ever
spoken with at Harrah's has told me "won't happen again".  Every 5th or 6th visit it happens.  There should be 2 things in my profile, No
Smoking Rooms and No Handicap Rooms. 
This past visit they put me in a Smoking Handicap Room.  Nothing short of interrogating the staff at
check-in will ever change this.  We've
tried.  I've been checked into rooms that
still have someone else's name on them making it impossible to order room
service.  I've seen a lot.  When I come to Harrah's AC I come to unwind,
not continue to work by having to have check lists on how to get everything
right.  I should have known when the room
was a 77 not a 100 or 101, but it was Sunday and I was trying to relax.  Most of my hosts then tell me that they will
switch my room.  Well, there no relaxing
in that.  Back to front desk, more keys
etc.  It's just better for them to get it
right the first time, especially when someone is 7*.  The hotel operation needs to know that it
makes a difference to us as guests how well they execute their part of the
plan.  And from where I stand, it's not
very well.

 

One thing you can do is the speak with the Hotel Manager
and let them know that they are not delivering even close to 7* service to
their guests.  I won't even bother you
with the state of the rooms, the food left in hallways etc.  This I just look past.  I'd be more than happy to meet with them and
share my experiences but I'm not expecting much.  As I've been told, Harrah's is very fond of
the "wild bunch" who descend on the hotel every time "Paulie
D" comes to rock the house.  Then
they proceed to trash the rooms and the entire facility.  Again, we notice.  I know all about putting them on "lower
floors" and I tense up every time I get a floor below 35.  Broken signage, dirty and busted hardware,
again, we all notice.  Not the 7*
experience we expect.

 

I share this with you because I really do want Harrah's
to be my home Casino in NJ. 
Unfortunately for these reasons and others I've taken to exploring other
properties.  I've been approached by a
number of hosts elsewhere trying to lure me away from Harrah's.  So far I've held my ground as there are a lot
of really great things I like about Harrah's, but there's always these little
things that chew at you when you're trying to have a good time.

 

Again, I'm always willing to meet with folks at Harrah's
to give them my feedback.  So maybe when
the weather warms up a bit (pouring rain today), we can get together for a meal
and talk about how to make the whole thing better.  That was my intention when asking if you were
going to be at work Sunday night.  We'll
catch up at some point in the future.

 

Thanks for listening."

 Let's see where this leads me.  It is however, time to explore other opportunities.  Things are tight in AC and everyone has to work hard for our business. Roveer 

[OTABILL]

The last 2 times we went to Harrah's Laughlin we had comped rooms. Both times, the rooms were not prepared properly. First time we were moved into a new room. The second time we checked out the next morning. Haven't been back despite countless offers.

[chattycattty]

Roveer, as a fellow 7 star player, I hate to say it but most of the hosts we have dealt with are great at dishing out platitudes and apologizing. At times I feel that the longer we stay loyal to CET the more they take us for granted. But I do like their 7 star benefits.

I think that these hosts get so caught up in new player development that they forget about the established players like you and I and think that we are going to play there anyway. Perhaps they are right. It has gotten to the point where we do almost everything ourselves. We cannot rely on the hosts b/c most of them are either inefficient or lazy.

Good luck and I hope they make things right with you.   

[BillyJoe]

Well, Roveer, welcome to the "VIP Treatment" by CET hotel ops for us 7Stars. I have been down this road so often, I need to re-sole my shoes.
 

I am a regular at Caesars when I visit Vegas. To try and minimize receiving rooms that do not fit my preferences, I have a particular room number in my profile that I request for every visit. In this way, even if that room is unavailable, they should be able to find a comparable room.
 
Even with this approach, I had endured so many hotel problems that I finally started by-passing my host, and going directly to the hotel manager. I would EMail her prior to my arrival, and everything flowed well. This worked great on all subsequent visits, and then she got promoted . Back to depending on the host, and sure enough, the screw-ups returned.
 
My former host at Caesars LV was fired recently (probably for being too generous with me ), and I now have the Director of Player Development as my Executive Host. I told him three things to get our relationship started: (1) my room number preference, (2) room cleaned by noon each day to accomadate my nap time, and (3) that I am a NOIR at MGM, and in case he didn't notice, Mirage and Bellagio are on either side of Caesars, a short walk/ride.
 
This past visit, he proactively 'bought' my room for the night before my arrival, since the hotel was sold out, and hotel ops could not guarantee him that my room would be available when I arrived.
 
We are off to a good start, but like you Roveer, I do have options, especially in Vegas.   

[daffy811]

Roveer and billyjoe, I to have been seven stars for over 8 years in a row and my local hosts gave changed aiot and I agree with they are all talk and excuses. So disappointing. I do believe after awhile they take us for granted and truly believe we won't leave. Just curious who if u want to say is your host at ceasars as I have a great host there for many years and never have any issues

[DougJ]

I am new to this forum, but have played VP and table games for years. We visit Vegas 4-5 times per year, and have had hosts at Venetian, Golden Gate/The D, Mandalay Bay, and the M Resort (technically Henderson NV)
Used to play at CET properties (only as a Diamond).

So, my question to you all is: how do you interact with your host? Is it primarily a phone call or an email prior to a visit? Is contact made once you arrive, and then nothing further during your stay? Just curious. . . .

[Vman96]

I agree they should be putting you in the right room the first time, but isn't the front desk saying to you, we have you for X nights in a "King Accessible Smoking" before you go up to the room? They should be! And if they say that, you correct them right then and there and get a non-smoking room!

If we check-in late in Tunica, they will try to sneak a smoking room past us. We refuse it every time. We transferred from Horseshoe to Harrah's Tunica once because the Horseshoe was out of non-smoking rooms. It was a PITA, but they accommodated our request, and we're lowly Gold members.

Of course, if you're checking in quite late, then yeah, they need to get it right before you arrive.

[yankees4ever31]

Hi Everyone,

My little experience as far as hosts go. Harrah's in AC does nothing for me. The hosts I've dealt with always make excuses and don't comp anywhere near what Borgata comps me (and I cycle through about the same amount of money!). The Borgata hosts go out of their way to accommodate me and I feel like I'm appreciated there.

When I was in Vegas last year, I visited multiple CET properties and none of them cared that I was a CET Atlantic City member. However, the Wynn took me in with open arms and treated me very well.

There's a reason why CET is in trouble and it begins with their treatment of base members.

Thank you,

Yankees4ever31

[chattycattty]

Roveer, what are the different type of hosts that are available in Atlantic City? Every CET place we go does it differently. At our home property Bossier City, La. they have Executive Hosts, Sr. Executive Hosts, and Director of Player Development with DPD having the most authority.

At Tahoe they have hospitality hosts and they have executive casino hosts. The hospitality hosts do not have a lot of authority but they are friendly and do act like they appreciate your business and try to make an effort to get someone in authority to sign off on any request we make. For instance if we want comp tickets to an outdoor concert while we are there a hospitality host can normally get it done for us.

It is confusing to us as we travel extensively to take advantage of all of our 7 star benefits. Last year we went to Atlantic City twice and stayed at Caesar's both times. Our host, whatever her title was, I seemed to have misplaced her card, was terrible. She hem-hawed around our request for comp tickets to see the legends in concert next door at Bally's. Our request was finally granted but not from her. The only thing that our host was good at was being cordial, and saying things like " I think they may be already sold out, let me see what I can do" and ultimately doing nothing.

I think you have to play like a wild banchee in order to get on the radar screen for some of these hosts. Or if you see a man or a woman in a suit with a CET badge, strike up a conversation, and don't be afraid to ask for something. We should not have to ask for as much as we do, but it is becoming increasingly necessary as CET trains their hosts to do as little as possible for their established players.

The 7 star program is the best casino players club on the market. It is constantly being tweaked but if you work the system, during a years time, you can easily reap far more rewards than you lose at the casino. Especially with the bonuses they have added in the last couple of years. It is now really not that hard to reach 150,000 TC's. Certainly a lot easier than it was a couple of years ago to reach 100,000 TC's without the bonuses. As players, sometimes we have to take matters into our own hands and make adjustments as CET continues to make adjustments.

[BillyJoe]

Roveer and billyjoe, I to have been seven stars for over 8 years in a row and my local hosts gave changed aiot and I agree with they are all talk and excuses. So disappointing. I do believe after awhile they take us for granted and truly believe we won't leave. Just curious who if u want to say is your host at ceasars as I have a great host there for many years and never have any issues
With regard to hosts in Caesars Vegas, they just do not have the control that they once had with hotel ops. I have seen first hand where a 'blocked' room was given away because a Diamond (no offense) was screaming at the VIP person. I would like to think that they do what they can for us as 7Star players, but they are unable to monitor everything realtime.