Luxury IT Debuts in Las Vegas by Abigail A. Lorden

http://www.htmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=3E19674330734FF1BBDA3D67B50C82F1&tier=4&id=F5613D3AAF9740088C240828ABB1EB6F

I just read an article about Luxury IT in Las Vegas. As you know Las Vegas has been the center of innovation for the world during the past decade. On the international scale, European and asian properties have offered a level technology but not at the level of Las Vegas. With this joint venture between MGm Mirage and Dubai World, opening in Las Vegas late next year, the USA set a new benchmarche for luxury-meets-technology in the hopsitality industry.

This project of $ 9 billion will offer a very High level of technology in guest rooms. This project will feature a 61-story, 4,000-room gaming resort, and three luxury non-gaming hotels including Las Vegas' first Mandarin Oriental, The Harmon Hotel, Spa & Residences and Vdara Condo Hotel.

Here's a snapshot of what guests can expect in their guestrooms: keyless locks using RFID technology. Upon entering, the room will recognize a first-time visitor and automatically part the curtains to show off the view while raising the lights and powering-up the television. Room preferences can be customized via the 42-inch LCD HDTV and will be remembered for future stays. The wake-up experience incorporates controlled settings that adjust the temperature and music, while opening the curtains to wake guests gently. Likewise, pressing a single button will ready the room for bedtime, turning off lights, TV, etc.

In my opinion, i think it’s very important for hospitality industry that one city develop a concept of hotels where luxury meets lechnology. I think that technology can really imporve the guest expérience. It’s give a value added to the hotel, it helps the Customer to feel at home. Nowadays, in this hard competitive market, hotels has to get some of the new technologies if they want to stay competitive. I think that business customers are  into the new technologies instead of leisure customers which prefers classical service. So we have to be carefull, with all this technology because some customers doesn’t like it and prefer the « normal » way. It seems that technology innovation can differenciate the kind of Customer, you will have in your hotels.

Gambling on Technology by Christina Volpe

Gambling on Technology 

URL:http://www.htmagazine.com/ME2/dirsect.asp?sid=8D86DF469BD74C098382D9532C904D8E&nm=Magazine

Summary

When you speak about casino in USA, you must talk about technologies because they are the leader in the gaming market and in the slot machine development.

The article say that after years of research, server-based gaming is beginning to appear into casino. This technology allows to manage multiple slot machines from one networked server. Those actions will help the operation to change games, demonstrations, bonus payout without calling a technician. Thanks to this technology casino will make more money because slots machine will no longer be due to repairs for hours at a time. Customers take benefits from these technology because they can order drinks, print show ticket, change games without changing machines and compete jackpot against other players. So customers can even change a penny machine to a quarter machine.

We also learn in the article that you can gamble pratically everyhere in casino (Public area) thanks to handheld mobile gaming devices. Nevada has become the first state to allow this way of gambling. So customers can play such as bingo, poker, blackjack, baccarat, roulette or house. To use these mobile devices, guest has to sign them with the proper identification and load them with the desired amount of money.

My opinion

I have worked during one year in a casino, so i can say that server-based gaming is very innovative for casino. It would be increase the coin in and their revenue for sure, because Customer can change whenever they want, games, bonus payout, dénomination without calling a technician. Moreover, guest can order direclty drinks, show ticket, change games without moving so these technology will increase the revenue because the more guest play the more casino win. These technolgy will help decrease the work of the mainteance staff.

 

The mobile device allows guest to play in the public area so guest can delight everywhere they want in the place but casino have to be carefull  with these technology because you don’t want to go bankrupt them. Anyway, these kind of technology would not be allow accross the world because all the country are not passive as the USA in the gambling legislation.

 

I think USA is the leader in gaming development for casino but they perhaps do too much to attract new customers and they must take care about responsible gaming.