Why casino hotels and integrated resorts need a better CRS and booking engine

November 19, 2018

Casino hotels and resorts have extremely complex operations that encompass gaming, accommodations, food and beverage, and entertainment. All of which are run by different departments and operations that run on different types of software.

However, the customer sees this as one experience. In order to maximize revenue and have a holistic picture of what is happening with your guests, casino hotels and resorts need tight integration among their key platforms. These platforms typically include:

• The Casino Management System: Contains all player valuation and promotional eligibility

• The Property Management System: Contains all information relating to a guest’s stay

• The Revenue Management Software: Determines what rate to offer the guest based on various elements, such as pick-up, compression, competitive intelligence, etc.

How a lack of integration causes inefficiency

When the platforms mentioned above operate independently from one another, a casino hotel just isn’t able to operate nearly as efficiently as possible. Dealing with guest phone calls is just one example of how this can cause issues for both hotel staff and guests.

Consider the following example: a guest calls up a casino hotel group and says, “I’m coming to Las Vegas from December 7th to December 10th, and I’ve got around a $120 to spend a night. What have you got for me?”

In many cases, casino groups rely on a single call center for all of their properties. So the call center agent in this scenario would have to independently login to a separate PMS, CRM, and revenue management system of each hotel in the group to check those stay dates.

Simultaneously, they would have to check the loyalty platform for each hotel to check what offers the guest was eligible to book.

This long-winded process means a casino resort can’t manage as many overall calls, which can have a significant impact on booking revenue.

These delays don’t need to happen. With a specialized casino CRS, a call center agent can easily conduct a brand-wide search in a single system. When you consider that large casino hotels deal with hundreds of thousands of calls per month, the benefits of ensuring that guests receive optimal service over the phone are huge.

Goals of a specialized casino CRS solution

Currently, a large casino group must manage multiple silos of data in order to to get a full picture of their customers: reservation data from the CRS, revenue data from the RMS, room and guest data from the PMS, player and loyalty data from the casino management system.

A specialized CRS solution designed specifically for casino hotels would pull all this data together so that it can be managed from a more streamlined backend. The benefits of such a system include:

1. Holistic profiles: A specialized casino CRS with tight integration to the casino management system and PMS allows managers to easily get a 360- profile of guests. This is particularly important when it comes to VIP guests, top casino players, and ‘whales’. Having a holistic picture of what’s happening with your guests means that your resort can more easily accommodate their needs and requests and reward their loyalty with comped suites and room upgrades.

2. Operational efficiencies on key platforms: In a specialized casino CRS solution, tight integrations between the CRS, PMS, revenue management system, merchandising system, and loyalty platform allows for faster decision making and time saved by revenue managers. For example, if you were to enter a rate plan in the PMS, the rate would seamlessly sync to the other systems, thus minimizing time spent on data entry and reducing the chance of human error.

3. Maximizing revenue: A specialized casino CRS platform should provide dynamic pricing tools that give hotels the flexibility to execute complex revenue strategies. For instance, a sophisticated CRS lets revenue managers create unique promotions and offers through rate plans for different channels, and allows pricing to be quickly adjusted and updated across all channels.

Key CRS and booking engine features for casinos

A specialized casino CRS and booking engine comes with a range of invaluable features that all casinos can benefit from:

Built-in loyalty features

Modern day travelers increasingly shun traditional loyalty programs and rebook with hotels that give them a truly personalized service. Given that loyal players often make up a significantly high proportion of a casino’s core business, it’s essential to cater to the unique needs and preferences of these prized customers.

A specialized CRS platform can integrate with Casino Management Systems, such as Scientific Games and Aristocrat. Complimentary rooms can then be offered online, and guests can use their player number to redeem casino comps and special offers on the website booking engine, rather than having to call in

Empowered call agents

VIP players are often a major part of a casino hotel’s business. These high-value customers expect the absolute best and a truly tailored service. For that reason, your call center agents need to be empowered to satisfy requests without delay.

If a VIP calls in to book a room, does the call center see the loyalty level and available offers the VIP has all in one platform? Is the agent empowered to offer upgrades or complimentary services without having to go through layers of management approvals? An integrated call center application that brings together the CRS, PMS, and casino management and loyalty systems would help to empower these agents.

Multi-rate plan and multi-room bookings

A CRS platform is able to blend multiple rate plans and apply multiple player accounts into one reservation. This means that, for example, two casino players visiting a casino can blend their accounts to book a big suite. In addition, an integrated CRS is capable of blending multiple casino offers into one reservation, giving the customer flexibility and offering the the best deal for their stay. For example, if a customer is eligible for a 3 night comp stay (Mon-Thurs) but wants to check out on Friday, the CRS can instantly offer: Mon-Comp, Tues-Comp, Wed-Comp, and Best Available Rate for Thursday. Without a casino CRS, these two types of reservations would have to be booked separately. 

Multiple rooms can also be sold during the booking process, which is especially helpful to large groups and conventions that want to book several rooms at once.

The power of a specialized casino CRS

To survive and thrive in the highly competitive hotel casino industry, a robust CRS platform is essential. A cutting-edge CRS with the right platform integrations can streamline a hotel’s entire operation, helping it to reduce internal inefficiencies, maximize revenue management strategies, increase loyalty, and provide an altogether enhanced level of customer service.

Choose the right CRS

Considering a new central reservations system for your hotel? Download our CRS Buyer’s Guide to learn invaluable insights, including:

• CRS buying and recommendation advice

• The top CRS providers in the market

• How much to budget and what to expect

• Key questions to ask vendors during your search

• Hotel success stories

Download our ‘CRS Buyers Guide’ today.