The following is a portion of an article written by Len Butcher about the present and future use of a "smart card".
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Competition, as you well know, is fierce between hotel/casinos, and the burning question all executives ask is: "How do we keep our customers on the property?" One way may be the use of what is being called a "property pass" or "smart card."
The card is identical to those cards you now use as keys at many resorts, to get into your room. The difference is that the "property pass" has a computer chip in it that will allow you to use it throughout the resort -- in restaurants, shops and the casino itself.
By tracking everything you do, the hotels can build a profile of you, from how often you eat at the hotel to how often you stayed at the hotel in the past year. By doing this, they can cater to your needs much better. For instance, if they see that you eat breakfast or lunch at the hotel, but not dinner, they may offer dinner discounts to you.
It can also be used in tracking your slot play, letting you know -- when you insert your card in the machine -- not only how many points you have, but how many you need for certain comps. The possibilities are endless, and it's all because of technology.
This one-card-does-it-all philosophy provides an efficient, convenient way of doing business and helps the hotel build customer loyalty. What it comes down to is making life easier for the customer and that, my friends, is a good thing. Only The Regent in Las Vegas now takes advantage of these added features on their keys, but the Aladdin and Venetian plan to follow suit in the near future. You can bet others will soon do the same if the results are positive.
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Do you like the above idea or are casinos simply watching over our shoulders a bit too much?
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Beth@talkvegas.com
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