Hard Rock Suggestion Box!

[FloridaPhil]

I couldn't believe my eyes today when the Tampa Hard Rock sent me an email asking for suggestions for improvement.   The survey was pretty extensive and they even asked if I wanted someone to contact me by phone.   I told them they were doing a pretty good job as far as I was concerned except for the video poker button maintenance and the air quality.  I've been playing there since they opened and this is the first time anyone ever asked me how they are doing.  My hope is they think Florida is going to have more casinos in the near future and they are concerned about losing customers.  Good idea...

[alpax]

Talk to them about offering mailers e.g. meal coupons, hotel stays, and free play offers to add incentive for player to keep playing.

Just about every casino has them.

[FloridaPhil]

I had two issues that I addressed in their survey.  Two hours later I received a personal email following up on my comments.   My first issue was the poor condition of the video poker machine buttons (common) and the second was the high room rates.   She told me she would forward my complaint to the slot manager (sure).   The second answer was interesting.  She said if I wanted to stay at the Tampa Casino to call the hotel and give them my players club number and they would give me a discounted room rate.   I did this two weeks ago at the Hollywood Hard Rock Casino and got three nights for less than $100 a night.  This rate is a steal for a nice South Florida Hotel where overnight parking can easily cost you $25.   Makes sense, I never thought about doing that....  I'm generally pretty happy about the two big Hard Rocks.  My wife and I are going to start going there instead of Biloxi. The driving time is less and the beach is better anyway. 

[Tedlark]

Phil Hard Rock is trying for a place up in the northeast, I hope it is as good as their other places.

Do you get charged for overnight parking at the Hard Rock you go to in Florida? The only time I was charged for parking was in Detroit and that's because where we were staying at had no parking of their own so their valets parked cars in a public lot. You'd think the hotel would make a deal with the parking lot operator and then absorb the cost before passing it on to their lodgers,oh well...

[notes1]

couple of comments, about Tampa room rates, it is really simple. the hotel they built, while quite nice, just does not have the number of rooms available, for a casino it's size. i believe there are proposals to add, maybe they are waiting to see if their state agreement is renewed.  parling is free.  anytime i have planned a trip to tampa, i was able to get free nights. but, to get those free nights, i had to check their calender first to what was avilable. so, i would build my trip around getting rooms. phil is right, very high room rates, especially peak seaon.  maybe phil can answer, because ther are a couple of large gambling areas, did the casinos just keep adding additional space as need warranted as opposed to building it all at one time.   i am impressed that responded so quickly to your survey respone.  

[FloridaPhil]

The parking is free at all the Hard Rocks.  I made that comment because it is common for South Florida hotels to charge ridiculous fees for parking and not tell you about it until you arrive.   The buildup of the Tampa casino and hotel was interesting to see.  It started out small with nothing but Class II video lottery terminals.  I only played there once until they approved Vegas slots in Florida.  As soon as It was approved, they started with a handful of video poker machines and added more as time went on.  Back in those days, you often had to wait 30 minutes for a seat at a video poker machine.  I used to play in the high limit room because the wait was less.When the five year agreement with the State was made, they put in table games and the place really took off.  I have been told that it is now one of the largest casinos in the US.  The casino currently has two completely different sections, one of each side of the hotel.  They are always tearing things up and expanding.  Last week I couldn't play in the east side because of all the construction noise.  Anyway, I like what they are doing in both Tampa and Hollywood.  It's not Vegas by any means, but you can see they are trying.  This must be working as the place is always crowded.

[notes1]

it is crowded, until about 10-11 pm. never seen any other casino empty out at such any early hour. must be it is mostly seniors and locals, so if any are going for a visit and like to play into the night, you can have pretty much any machine you like.

[alpax]

The local casinos on weekends have more people than the number of slot machines and table game seats avaiiable. There has to be at about 7500 people on a crowded day. State law requires that alcohol service is stopped at 1:15 am and resumes at 6am, that is when most people file out.

[notes1]

State law requires that alcohol service is stopped at 1:15 am and resumes at 6am, that is when most people file out.
  as i do not drink, i did not know that. that would account for the crowd reducing after 1am, but the times i have been there, the place starts emptying well before that.

[FloridaPhil]

I don't drink either, but I'm pretty sure it has more to do with the age of the customers.  Florida casinos are dominated by retirees because they have nothing else to do and many have significant disposable income.  I like to play real early (5-6 AM) before the crowds start arriving.   I can play any machine I want, hardly anyone is smoking and I can hear the music.  One nice advantage of playing early on Sunday morning in Hollywood is you get to see the hot Latin girls walking out in their evening attire.   If you want to see some beautiful women, check out the Hollywood Hard Rock on a Saturday night. Yikes!