Weak Corp Host Intro

READ BELOW,

THIS IS A HOST?

(I covered names and dates to not directly implicate anyone)
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On Apr 27, 2012, at 6:07 PM, Mr XXXXXXX wrote:


Hello -

My name is Mr XXXXX and I am delighted to introduce myself to you as your Florida contact for MGM Resorts International. I am fully committed to building a strong, one-on-relationship with you to provide the personalized, customer focused attention guest of your caliber deserve. Please consider me your local contact for planning your next visit to any MGM Resort.

In Las Vegas enjoy the MLIFE at Aria, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo, The Mirage, New York - New York, Luxor, Excalibur and Circus Circus. Closer to home The Beau Rivage in Biloxi, MS or Gold Strike in Tunica, MS are only a 1:30 hour flight from home.

We offer the following charter flights to The Beau Rivage:

From Orlando/Sanford: BUNCH OF DATES
From Melbourne: BUNCH OF DATES.
From West Palm Beach: BUNCH OF DATES
From Fort Lauderdale: BUNCH OF DATES
From Fort Myers: BUNCH OF DATES
From Sarasota: BUNCH OF DATES.
From Clearwater: BUNCH OF DATES

Please call or email me anytime to plan your next visit to any MGM Resort.



Mr XXXXXXX

MGM Resorts International

Southeast Regional Marketing

Toll Free: 855-MGM-XXXX 855-XXX-XXXX

Local: 305-XXX-XXXX

Cell: 305-XXX-XXXX

[email protected]


========================

From: David XXXXXXX [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 03:10 PM
To: XXXXXX, Mr
Subject: Re: MGM RESORTS FLORIDA CONTACT

Leaving for Las Vegas next Thursday, May 3 - 7

I will keep your info on file

Sincerely,

ENGICEDAVE (HAD MY REAL NAME HERE)


==================================


On Apr 27, 2012, at 6:11 PM, XXXXXXX, Mr wrote:


Good Luck out there !!!



Mr XXXXXXX

MGM Resorts International

Southeast Regional Marketing

Toll Free: 855-MGM-XXXX 855-XXX-XXXX

Local: 305-XXX-XXXX

Cell: 305-XXX-XXXX

[email protected]




==========================




From: David XXXXX <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: MGM RESORTS FLORIDA CONTACT
Date: April 28, 2012 4:05:47 PM EDT
To: "XXXXXXX, Mr" <[email protected]>


I'm sorry, I have been thinking about your response, and I have to ask, what kind of a response is that?
You did not ask me where I was staying in Las Vegas, you did not offer me anything to come to one of your resorts in Las Vegas, you offered me nothing to put me on one of your properties.
No room, no FP, no RFB, not even an offer to make me a dinner reservation or comp me a dinner or even a buffet!

I am floored that your response to my telling you that I am going to Las Vegas in five days was as simple as "Good luck out there"

That is not the response or level of service I expect from a host.
All of my hosts want my play and bend over backwards to get it.

I apologize if I sound gruff, but I am just surprised by your lack of game in trying to put me on one of your properties to get my play.

Sincerely,

ENGICEDAVE (MY REAL NAME WAS HERE)





======= END ==============

Now seriously, was I wrong? Was I rough on the guy?
Seems to me, if you're cold emailing players and I tell you I am going to LV in 5 days, your mind should be thinking "FISH ON!" and start trying to find out where I am staying and what you can do to get me on your properties, right?...not just "Good luck out there"....that's like fishing, and once a fish gets on your hook, you just cut the line

I'm not a "High Roller," I know this, but I am a solid mid-level player... CET Diamond, Seminole Hard Rock Elite (100,000 pts in 90 days), MLife Gold, almost Platinum...be plat by this trip, might make NOIR with one more trip. My mailman must think I am a complete degenerate gambler...casino mail daily.

I was just so surprised by the lackadaisical response. Being a business owner and sales person, my immediate reaction would have been, "How can I get this guy on our properties and get some of his bankroll?"

I will say he did call me while typing this and we talked, nice guy, just didn't want to seem pushy, and I told him that no one wants a pushy host, but everyone wants to feel special, had you offered me dinner at one of your restaurants, maybe some FP, I would have felt special and like you wanted my play. He agreed and said he learned something.

 

I don't think you were wrong.
He obviously does not have a strong sales and marketing background which may not bode well for his future as a host.
At the very least he should have asked where you were staying.

 

He's probably an independent contractor/casino junket operator with MGM as one of his clients. Since you already booked a trip what do you expect him to do? He only get's his comission if he's the one bringing you in and you already made reservations to bring yourself into town. Therefore "good luck out there" is a completley appropriate response.

 

My thought was, I'd ask where I was staying and say "Can I get you into one of our properties?" and even if I said "No" I would follow up with a "How about I book you dinner at Craftsteak, Emeril's or maybe a show? Have you seen 'Love?'"

I would be looking to get the player, big or small, onto one of my properties.

Hell, I'd even bullshit and LIE and say "Let me see if I can get anything set up for your weekend" and then write back saying "I was unable because it was so close, give me more head's up next time and I can take care of you."

Least make it LOOK like you made an effort to do something

 

honestly i think his response was appropriate. you didn't ask him for anything for your next trip, so he doesn't want to push you about it. you said you'd keep his info on file for later. if you had said something like "what can you do for me?" i would have expected more, but you didn't. not only that, he took the time to email you back and wish you luck. sounds like a good guy to me. if you want something, ask for it, don't expect people to read your mind.

on a side note, what's up with all these people posting about being pissed because a host did XYZ and that was so inappropriate, so they sent back a surly email. does sending that email make you feel better? because it sure as hell doesn't do you any good in life to piss people off for no reason.

 

Point taken, I could have asked for something, but did not.
As I said in my message to him, I wasn't trying to sound gruff, I was just surprised my his lack of game in trying to get my play.
He did admit he assumed I was staying at an MGM property, I told him I wasn't, he agreed that assuming wasn't a good idea. We talked on the phone and he's a super nice guy, why I am not putting his name out there and throwing him under the bus. I just think if you're in the business of sales and promotion, you need to take advantage of every opportunity. As said, at least ask where I was staying, and see if there's anything he can do to make sure I visit one of their properties.
Sales, marketing, promotion is what has made my business successful, it's what I know, and IMO, he needed to be a teeny bit more "involved" with his clients by asking the right questions to make sure they go to his properties.

 

glad you talked to him and got it worked out.

 

I am happy booking the corporate generated mailed offers or online at Boyd/CET- (MILFe remains a work in process). Having a host adds added pressure regarding gambling, at least for me. I like a nice room and free play. Food and other comps are OK, but I rather play less/get less back than overplay for an overpriced meal.

I have a decent room, free play, small food comp and golf comp (LVCC) at LVH next month generated in a mailer.

I would not enjoy my job as a host, particularly dealing with the expectations and demands of clients.

 

engicedave ~ Good luck on your trip, and good luck out there!

 

I agree you really didn't request anything.

This seems like the second thread I have read about some independent person contacting people on behalf of MGM properties and would be interested to know just how legit these people are and why not deal with the host of the property directly?

Are these independent people able to work beyond a single hotel/casino and get you a better rate to any place instead of just one as would a host of a specific property?

 

this isn't an independent guy. this is a regional corporate host. he works for MGM corporate, just not any individual hotel. there are independent hosts that work with multiple properties, but that's different.

 

That's what I thought, he's MGM Corporate, not an indy, which made his lack off aggression all that more confusing to me.
You'd figure he'd want to ensure I visited a MGM prop while in Vegas, so you ask a couple questions, gauge the interest, and toss some bait in the water....
"How about I book you dinner?"
"How about I book you a show?"

The fact he made not attempt to query me on my upcoming trip next week to try and secure some of my play, was surprising.

Again, not really trying to crap on the guy, he was really nice on the phone, just showing how things should not be done, least in my opinion.

 

Hmmm....it's kind of confusing. In the first sentence he introduced himself as your Florida contact and at first I thought he meant to assist in booking MGM resorts and junkets outside of Vegas (i.e. Beau or Gold Strike) but then he mentioned the Vegas resorts.

I think that it was odd that he didn't offer anything in response to you coming to Vegas but I'm glad to hear he called to attempt to repair the relationship.

I recently received an e-mail from a host at Mandalay and while his name, picture and info was listed, the response request were "yes" and "no" buttons- so at this host seemed a bit more sincere and was looking to build some kind of relationship, right?

I hope you have a winning trip

 

I get those "personalized" ones from individual casinos as well, but I was told once that the name and number is really a generic host, not a real personal host. Once you reply, you're then assigned to someone.

Maybe someone can clarify if that's true

 

Though I think your response may have been a little over the top, I do agree he probably could & should have been more aggressive.

As a case in point I'll use the recent "wooing" I received from a host at the Palazzo/Venetian [I'm sure some people are getting tired of me relating this story but I think it's been relevant in a few other threads & directly relevant to this thread so I'll share it again anyway - with apologies to anyone who has already read portions of it elsewhere]:

My wife & I had always enjoyed the shops & restaurants at the Palazzo/Venetian - but since we'd never heard anything good about their hotel or how the casino treated players - and also since I used to always be a "stay loyal to the place you're staying at and that's comping you" kind of guy - I'd never played there at all until our last trip, when we were staying at Aria but having bad luck - so one day when we went down to the Palazzo for breakfast & some shopping I took some money with us, signed up for Grazie & played some baccarat - hit a hot streak that quickly had me betting as much as a few grand a hand and eventually a host showed up & talked me up, gave me his card & comped us a lunch.

While he was there we got in a convo about where I was staying, my level of play, my history of places I'd stayed & played, etc. - he was particularly surprised to hear that for the last several years I'd been staying next door at Wynn & walking over to the Palazzo at least once a trip to shop & eat but had never played there before this trip - and when we got home from our trip, he started contacting me regularly with some pretty generous offers - but since I had just developed a "new" relationship with Aria & enjoyed my first stay there I wasn't quite ready to jump ship yet - but also, I thought about it - we had always enjoyed the restaurants over at the V/P - and my wife does love the shops over there - and the guy from the Palazzo was persistent - not pushy, but any time I told him "we're already set up to stay at Aria on our next trip" he'd say "well, if it could possibly change your mind, I could do X, Y and Z for you on your next trip if you decide to switch to the Palazzo and give us a try..."

So eventually what happened was I decided to open a LOC at Palazzo & negotiated with him that I'd come down to the Palazzo and play there for at least a few hours one day while we're in town next month - and in return he'd comp us Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner at the restaurants of our choice and also give us a tour of some of their suites and other facilities in the hope that we'll like what we see and possibly choose to stay there on our next trip.

Now that's a guy doing his job as a salesman and host!

 

I guess I was thinking of the same thing, but on a small scale (as I am not playing that large).
Just some "where you staying/eating/seeing while in Las Vegas? Can I offer you a room/meal/show?"

 

Maybe I'm alone in how I saw his message but I did not think it warranted your response (I'm assuming you're posting it here for discussion).

I didn't even think there was anything wrong with his response. Hosts always want your business but there is a certain amount of tact and it's hard to gauge when they should push and when they should just let you have fun and leave you be.

Also, hosts will only upfront comp a meal just to get a player to visit their property for the absolute biggest of gamblers. For example Caesar's offered my group a free meal to 'hook us' while Cosmo would do nothing more than give us a free tour, and this is with a $500k CL.

It sounds like your host wanted to build a friendship and wanted to do so in a slow, respectful way.

 

Ok that was funny.

 

Well, I've never had a host, but my observations:

1) Your initial reply was a tad dismissive. "I'll keep your info on file" sounds a lot to me like 'Don't call me, I'll call you". Especially when you mention an upcoming trip but don't ask for anything.

2) Do you really want this guy giving you a hard sell whenever he knows you'll be in town? If it was me, I'd rather he left me alone unless I asked what he can do for me.

Just my thoughts on it.

 

On second reading, I have to agree with Nevyn. It's the "I'll keep your info on file." that might have caused him to take a step back and be less aggressive in his offers.

I usually email my host with my flight info and follow it up with my room request and let her know which promotion I want to use while I'm there. Then, she arranges everything for me or lets me know my other options. I'm with CET, but I'm sure the basics would be the same for all hosts.