Let It Ride

As many organizations remain conservative with their business travel and stay closer to home for off-site activities, regional casinos are presenting themselves as valueadded meeting places. Many of them are aiming for groups that usually opt for city-center hotels.

These casinos are typically the primary social and entertainment hubs of suburban locales, and are usually within a drive's reach or a short flight from a major metropolis. With companies still gripping their purse strings, gaming resorts are aggressively selling their benefits of allowing groups to get to the destination in a shorter time, conduct business in an energetic resort environment, and enjoy a variety of off-hour diversions under one roof. Groups can take advantage of the large ballrooms and meeting spaces, casinos, shows, nightlife, spas, and fine dining found at these properties.

"Regional and drive-in meetings are [our strongest business] since companies do not want to spend money on airfare," says Joan Esneault, vice president of resort sales for the sprawling Foxwoods gaming resort complex in Mashantucket, CT, between New York and Boston. "Companies in the Northeast that used to plan meetings outside of [the region] are now looking in their backyard. We are concentrating our sales efforts in the Northeast for corporate and regional association business."

Tulalip Resort Casino, a AAA Four Diamond, 370-room gaming property that opened in August 2008 about a halfhour north of Seattle, has benefited from the trend in regional meetings by offering a product that hadn't been available in Snohomish County, according to sales director Troy Longwith. "We're really the first full-service luxury hotel and casino in the area," he says.

Longwith says that Boeing and its subsidiaries have held meetings at Tulalip, and several association groups saw their attendance increase dramatically. "They're drawn to the fact that the casino provides an entertainment option, but we also meet their agendas because our meeting space is located on its own," he says.

"We have the wow factor, while we help groups stay in budget," Catinna Leaks, director of hotel sales of the 1,000-room L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort, says of her property in Lake Charles, LA, two hours from Houston.

Many groups desire off-site diversions to go with the casino and entertainment that gaming resorts provide. As a result, in Lake Charles and other destinations rich in the outdoors, hospitality suppliers also trumpet such recreational staples as fishing, boating, and golf—L'Auberge last month introduced its renovated onproperty, 18-hole championship course. "Attendance increases in destinations with options," Leaks notes.

Offering Value-Adds and Concessions

In the current fiscal crunch, a fact of life is that corporations are booking meetings in a much shorter timeframe, as they vet all activities before approving budgets and also hunt for group deals. Gaming resorts say some groups are booking as close as one month out, and the competition to win their business is intense. For buyers, it is practically open season, as they can expect suppliers to push deals and give significant concessions.

One area is attrition. "Groups that have been conservative with room blocks are requesting more rooms as contracts come to fruition, as they're discovering greater attendance. We're being flexible with that," says Christopher Perry, vice president of hotel sales and marketing for the Mohegan Sun casino resort in Uncasville, CT. "We're certainly more attractive in our pricing versus two years ago, and we're offering rebates, waived fees, and comped meeting room rentals.

Valerie Morris, mid-South regional vice president of sales, communications, and community relations for Harrah's Entertainment, says the company's three properties in Tunica, MS— Harrah's Tunica, Horseshoe Casino & Hotel, and Tunica Roadhouse Casino & Hotel—offer various value packages depending on group size, including complimentary transportation to and from the airport, parking, and welcome amenities and receptions.

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