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Question for Plaza Management (or our opinion)

Discussion in 'Downtown Hotels' started by TomTWI, Jul 26, 2015.

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  1. TomTWI

    TomTWI Custom Title

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    What has management defined as your target market? What do we think it should be? I don't expect to get an answer from the Plaza because: confidential.

    We (posters on this board) are always free with advice without knowing what type of visitor the Plaza is trying to get. Maybe we are the demographic, maybe not. Most of us visit multiple times a year and gamble several hours a day but play better odds games. We like to eat at good restaurants but don't like to pay for it. I know I'm a profitable customer for casinos because I don't (can't) play perfect strategy, however I know there are lots of you that can and play for hours.

    Maybe they just want to fill rooms at this point and don't care who it is.

    TomTWI
     
  2. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    Well, I hate to say this, but I will anyway - I don't think I'm a part of their 'target market'.
    I have stayed there severaltimes...always on mailers-offers.
    The last time (February), it was a bit of a pain, as I had to get a host to tell the front desk that my table-game play was sufficient to comp the room. So - while it was still a comped stay, it did not work like other offers work (and previous Plaza offers worked in the past).
    Since then, I have not received any mailed offers from Plaza.
    My play at Plaza has been about 6 hours/day, at about $20 avg/hand for blackjack and $30 avg/hand for UTH.
    They seem to be mostly focussed on slot players and VP players.
    Nothing wrong with that, but it sure seems like they're no longer interested in my business enough to continue sending offers.

    Gold Coast and Golden Gate seem to be the only places that still send me room offers that include weekend nights, and the downtown Boyd properties have offered me very little over the last year or so (with the excpetion of my "reaching Sapphire" status earning me a 3 night 'anytime' room comp).

    So - I suspect (as 'casino boss' indicated in one of his threads), I've been spreading my play out too much.
    I like the GG & play there a bit more than other properties downtown, but I still give many hours a day to the other downtown properties.

    Gold Coast still 'wanting' me, is no huge surprise, as when I've stayed there, I've given them almost all of my play... which is typically about 12-14 hours a day.
    That has more to do with geography (and their good blackjack conditions) than anything else.

    Low-limit table game players seem to falling out of favor with most places these days.
     
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  3. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    I have to agree but it is more about the $$. Many of us low limit players don't play "enough" for them to qualify for comps. Now that they can track our actual play everywhere they can tighten up the comps and only give them to people who actually put in enough play. Unlike 20 years ago where they didn't have exact gaming figures on a player so they more readily gave out comps, now they know about you and how much you gamble so will only give you comps if you played enough for it.
     
  4. Former Plaza Host

    Former Plaza Host Well-Known Member

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    Hi Top,
    We have actually revamped certain areas when it comes to table players and their casino offers. Give me a call or shoot me an email so I may look deeper into your account for better clarification. I can fix certain things to ensure you receive a Plaza offer whether you are a table player/slot or VP. Also, whenever you feel you are being neglected feel free to call or email me so I can dig deep. :) As always, every account is different so it is better to discuss issues one on one and solve the issue. On that note...when are you returning to us. lol :)
     
  5. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    Probably on my next trip (which will either be in October or February). I'll keep my eyes open for a mailer... if I don't get a Plaza mailer when I reach the "booking" stage, I'll be sure to call or e-mail you!
    Except for UTH, it is unlikely that my 'per hand' avg will hit $25+ (on blackjack).
    According to Golden Gate/'theD' & Boyd, my average blackjack hand is right at $18 or so... which sounds about right...perhaps a little light, but not by much.

    Hopefully, that level of play at 4+ hours a day would be enough to cover the room comp. If so, I'd love to stay at the Plaza again.
     
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  6. FullPay

    FullPay When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro

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    Low limit table games are less attractive than slots and video poker to the casino due to personnel costs. My first time in a casino was over twenty-five years ago and the table limits were five dollars. After all of that time, inflation, and the change in my available bankroll I still want to play at a five dollar table. As a craps player I recognize that a casino doesn't want to pay all of those dealers to run a three dollar game. Ten years ago the dealers at Monte Carlo wouldn't take my player's card at blackjack if the table limit was less than twenty-five dollars.
     
  7. mwig

    mwig VIP Whale

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    The biggest down side to playing tables was having to listen to the awful entertainment. Dualing piano type guys? Wow, just wow. They would be so much better off with karaoke. At least then it would be amateurs with nearly the same talent level. Also, we were being dealt to by a rude guy from Washington. He was hustling for tips so aggressively it was very off putting. My wife tipped a bit. I actually told the guy that I tip for friendliness not for doing his job. I'm rarely (never) that rude but this table ended my experiment at the plaza.

    I would have liked to meet Curt. He seems like a nice guy. The host I dealt with was Jim and he came across as if I was interrupting him to get my free play added on the match offer.

    Based on these two incidents, we didn't play much during our stay. Based on my experience, employee attitude needs to change before this place can really see a turn around.
     
  8. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    You had to see a host to get your match offer, they couldn't do it at the Player's Club? Did you find a selection of bartop VP to play, or were you just table for the match?
     
  9. mwig

    mwig VIP Whale

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    I did have to see a host to get the free play part of the match. The booth attendant said something about being able to do it if I had that type match before but the first time had to be a host. The bartop machines accept free play. The schedules are terrible but still better than having to play slots. I basically played the free play and went across the street to the Vegas Club. I love playing the old joker machines there. I never do well but I love the game.

    - - - Updated - - -
     
  10. DickTater

    DickTater Low-Roller

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    I have been going to the Plaza since Jackie Gaughan owned the joint. He was a guy who who knew how to take care of gamblers. Eventually, when Tamares took over, everything went to hell. No one ever knew what the heck was going on. I stopped playing there when craps went to 3-4-5x odds. Why play there when MSS had 20X and craft beer at the tables? A couple of years ago, I brought my 2 sons (who had recently turned 21) to Vegas. Stayed at GN, but went over to Plaza to check it out on a weekday Afternoon. No one was at the craps table so my boys and I stepped up so I could teach them. It was a $5 game. Well, the dice were good and before long another 5 or 6 people joined the game. The suit then came over and raised the min. to $10. And he refused to grandfather us in! So, we colored up and said we'd go across the street, suit said "Fine". I came back an hour later and the craps table was empty. They actually drove the business away.

    Then, in March, out of the blue, I got a call from a Plaza host asking me if I would come and stay there. I hadn't stayed there in at least a couple of years. I told her that if they didn't increase their odds to 10X, it wouldn't be worth my time. She said they were thinking about it and could she comp me 3 or 4 nights. i then said I actually had a trip planned and gave her the dates. she then told me she couldn't comp me those dates, but how about the next weekend. I said, of course, I already had airline tickets and I wanted to go when it was convenient for me, not her. She then said she couldn't do it those dates so I said there are a lot of casinos that would comp me and that was the last I heard from the Plaza.

    I used to stay at the Plaza 2 or 3 times a year. I haven't stayed there in years. Their bean counters drove me away and probably drove away most of the gamblers. I play an average of $50 a hand at BJ and more than that at craps. Other Downtown casinos treat me pretty well, but the Plaza did nothing except drive me away. I've always felt bad for the employees I got to know over the years (dealers, waitresses, pit guys, bartenders) who had to work for a management that didn't know how to slap its ass with either hand. They were the ones who suffered for the loss of business caused by management's incompetency.
     
  11. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    Aw, c'mon, Dick...tell us how you really feel! :poke:

    Seriously though - it's unconscionable that a pit wouldn't grandfather you in at $5 at the crap table... I've never run into that at any table game...not even at the Plaza... infact, just two trips ago, I asked if they'd lower their (very good) two-deck blackjack game from $25 to $15...they said yes, and actually said $10s would be ok, but other players would be at $15.

    Table filled up in short-order & we played, grandfathered in at $10, for a couple of hours. We did have to inform every new dealer, and thank goodness the pit backed us up.

    I can actually understand why certain dates might not be 'compable' if they're already well-booked for a given date range...that happens - not just at Plaza but at most places.

    You should pop in on your next trip...they really have gotten better (in my opinion) since a couple of years ago when you were last there.
    I don't know about their craps (I never take more than 3x odds anyway), but the pit-critters certainly seem to be more 'obliging' than they were to you back then.
    :beer:
     
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  12. DickTater

    DickTater Low-Roller

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    It was the ONLY time I've ever not been grandfathered in anywhere. Plus, it was a weekday afternoon and the place wasn't exactly packed. To me, it just showed how short sighted management is (or was, I don't know) and how little they cared about gamblers.
     
  13. aliasyoshi

    aliasyoshi Low-Roller

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    I can state that the one and only time I wasn't grandfathered was craps at Paris one night a year or so ago. Weeknight and not too crowded, but no dice. (Ha!)
     
  14. merlin

    merlin MIA

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    The bottom line is it's really, really hard for a place that's losing money to do anything that on the surface looks like it would reduce revenue. Hence they hesitate and "think about" doing the kind of things that their competitors do without hesitation, such as free early checkin, normal VP tables, and all the other customer friendly things that are necessary to maintain a loyal base.

    They say with a straight face that they want 4 hrs of action at $25+ per hand to comp a room as if they're a strip property, who are they kidding, they have something like 700 rooms and are prob lucky to fill a third most nights, they act like they're rooms are treasure and we're lucky to get one.

    I'm glad this curt guy is around, but the fact is he really doesn't engage us about any of our questions or concerns, other than saying "give me a call , I'll see what I can do"

    The Plaza has made some improvement over the last couple years, but it's been very grudging, and they quite simply have a long, long way to go..
     
  15. TIMSPEED

    TIMSPEED Money’s on the way, with CashNetUSA

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    Not to be a dick (to anyone) But Curt is a host, not a CEO/CFO/COO...I'm sure he (like many others in Vegas) are just happy to have a job.
    Rock the boat too much, and never know what'll happen.
     
  16. NickPapageorgio

    NickPapageorgio OG of the Sal Sagev Hotel

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    Its not a hosts job to "engage us about any of our questions or concerns" on a public message board. If you want to show him some play, he will talk your ear off, but there are thousands of faceless board members that hosts don't need to give the time of day.

    I think Curt does an outstanding job of providing information and engaging board members. "Give me a call" is about the best you're going to get from any host on a public message board. Would you like him to start handing out RFB to random, anonymous board members that make false claims, or should he be VMB's personal Q&A guy?

    Instead, appreciate that we do have a few casino hosts on this board and enjoy whatever nuggets of information they do choose to share with us.

    Nick:beer:
     
  17. 7out

    7out Tourist

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    Curt's a great guy and I believe does what he can for us players however I believe (like some others) they do not have a realistic view of who they are or where they are located. We had a guys trip there last year and all 4 of us received rooms and gave the Plaza and LVC most of our play. We enjoyed the casinos and the staff, they and Curt treated us very well. We went to book this year and they would only give us 2 rooms...there are 4 of us going. Not a huge deal, but I'm in my mid 40s and don't really care to share a room with another middle aged slob for 5 days. I reached out to Caesars and they offered us 4 rooms at most of their resorts without hesitation. We really liked downtown and the Plaza, but not enough to share a room. The funny thing is that we are all now getting offers for 3 nights at the Plaza for our own rooms, however that ship has sailed. Hopefully things will change for a future trip....we like the Plaza and Curt seems to be a great guy and his participation on the boards is unique and hopefully bringing him some business.
     
  18. avg35

    avg35 Tourist

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    Curt has been a stand up guy whenever I stay at the plaza. Like others have said, he is a host, and tries to the best of his ability to comp what he can comp based on your play. I really do think the disconnect is people are being overcomped the first time staying with the plaza and are expecting too much on subsequent stays that is based on thier play. sure, players can come back and say well ceasars is offering me a free room, but thats a huge company (with many rooms) that is pretty loose with their room comps. And I can almost gurantee you ceasars has a much better play history.

    Bottom line, if you are looking for the same level of comp as total rewards from plaza, I think you will be disappointed in the long run. However, If you are used to having a host, you will find plaza does take care of you right, even if they don't have as much to offer. I will leave you my situation as a comparison. The plaza has recently offered a match any offer deal from any other casino, I have a huge offer from SLS a suite, $500fp, and $750 food and beverage. I won't even bother asking the plaza to match this, because I know they can't having such little play history from me. I do beleive if curt could, he would and does work with you to get your foot in the door. so instead of being mad at them for not being able to match the offer, I'm going to go in and give them some decent play and see how I am treated during that stay...because in all honesty, how am I even going to eat $750 worth of food at the plaza. I do believe most people will find, if their play warrents it, plaza/curt do a great job. one caveat, I am a tables player, and I know VP players get comped much less even with more play.
     
  19. mwig

    mwig VIP Whale

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    VP comped less than tables? I have to disagree with this statement. I used to play tables and switched to VP for the ease of comps. I agree that Curt seems to be doing a good job given what he has to work with. I think the issue people have with recurring comps is that you can get a room offer from any casino downtown for about 2k coin in on full pay VP. The plaza marketing team seems to do a poor job with the mailed offers in comparison. I've never played much at Plaza so I basing this on hear say. My normal level is $5-$10k coin in per day and I (based on reputation) don't want to waste a day for what I have heard would be a minimal follow up offer.

    I recently stayed on the match offer and was willing to give them a fair shot. I was very turned off by the attitude of a couple of employees. I'm used to the friendliness of MSS, the D and 4Q. Other peoples attitudes aren't Curt's fault and the marketing mailers are out of his control.
     
  20. merlin

    merlin MIA

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    I dont think asking why e-mails aren't responded to is too much to expect, surely they have some e-mail addresses that are monitored , because if they dont they are wasting their efforts with mailings, etc.
    I doubt they have the staff or the money to properly run a casino, or to spruce it up for that matter(such as revamping their large pool and deck area), their management are the same people that took the LVC and decided to turn part of it into a t-shirt shop, and are now turning another chunk into a cvs drug store.
     
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