Each year, Casino Design magazine gathers a group of experts in the field to talk about issues that impact their discipline. For this year’s edition, moderator Julie Brinkerhoff Jacobs, the president and chief financial officer of Lifescapes International, Inc., focuses on the crucial subject of non-gaming amenities.

With gaming revenues flat or declining in an increasingly competitive industry, casino resorts are struggling to decide what non-gaming amenities their guests would prefer and what brings the biggest bang for the buck. So sit back and learn how your property can tap into this lucrative market.

The faculty for this year’s roundtable includes:
Dike Bacon, Principal, Development Leader/Director of Planning and Business Development, Hnedak Bobo Group
DeRuyter Butler, Executive Vice President of Architecture, Wynn Design & Development
Rich Emery, President & Design Principal, Thalden Boyd Emery Architects
Paul Heretakis, Vice President, Westar Architects
Tom Hoskens, Vice President, Founding Principal, Cuningham Group
Bob Kelly, Senior Vice President-Pre-Construction, Roy Anderson Construction
Andrew Kreft, Executive Senior Principal / Director of Design, Lifescapes International, Inc.
Patrick Murphy, President, Pechanga Development Corporation
Stephen Ranck, Southwest Hospitality Practice Area Leader, Gensler
Richard (Dick) Rizzo, Vice Chairman, Tutor Perini Building Corp.
Paul Steelman, CEO, Steelman Partners

King Suite at Four Winds New Buffalo Casino Resort

What does a hotel do for a casino, both in terms of visitations and revenue?

BACON: A hotel speaks to the notion of a resort experience more than any other amenity (golf not withstanding) and is often the primary component of a true integrated resort, which is fancy term for mixed-use development. No other amenity contributes to longer length of stay than a hotel. F&B patronage is significantly stronger with an overnight guest. The fundamental key for success, however, is recognizing that you’re not in the hotel business but the gaming resort business.

Meetings and conventions are a fast-growing part of most resorts. What are the secrets of adding a successful meetings and convention business?

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BACON: The meetings and convention business have become extremely competitive, but can be a great non-gaming revenue generator. The average meeting attendee will book an early week room night and use an expense account to spend generously on F&B. One of the biggest contributors to incremental revenue success is the proper promotion of the space to the right groups. It’s no secret that the typical meeting attendee is an average gamer, so it’s critical to market to the right meeting planners in order to land the right demographics.

See the full roundtable discussion in the 2015 Casino Design Magazine