Just last week I was in Vegas on business and through the week I was reminded how important small details are. We stayed at Encore at Wynn, an amazing resort unlike any other in Vegas. You can tell Steve Wynn spent tons of money on small details everywhere in the casino and hotel, but fancy crown molding and Italian marble aren’t the only things that influence a visitors experience. Just like a website that might have pretty looking graphics and cool flash animations… might look cool and might have cost $25k+ to build, but if the navigation sucks, you can’t figure out what to do… then ultimately the site is a failure.
Steve Wynn spent roughly $2.3 billion on building Encore, but one thing money didn’t buy was employees who represent a $2 billion dollar hotel and casino. Each interaction a hotel guest has with an employee is an opportunity for the hotel to deliver an over the top customer experience. One of the first interactions any guest has at a hotel is at the front desk while checking in. Instead of being welcomed we were rushed off like an check in assembly line… not just rushed off, but in an almost rude way. Also one of the most important things any front desk staff should tell new guests is how to get to their room and elevator… especially in Vegas casinos where it might be a maze to get to the nearest elevator.
Just recently Encore was awarded a AAA Five Diamond Award, but I’m not too sure it was deserved… yet.
November 17th, 2009 at 9:35 am
glad to see it up and running. just make sure the navigation doesn’t suck! keep up the good work.