Let’s just call it out: Guest service is the one thing every casino says is important, but also the first thing to get slapped on a t-shirt, hyped for three weeks, and then ghosted. Sound familiar?
I can’t count how many times I’ve walked into a property and heard, “Oh yeah, we did a service program a while back.” And I’m like, “Great! How’s that working for you now?” Cue the crickets.
Here’s the deal: Guest service isn’t a campaign. It’s not a rally cry. It’s not a smile quota. It’s your culture. And if it’s not baked into your policies, your training, your job descriptions, and your daily behavior, then it’s just window dressing, or worse, a missed opportunity.
Guest service isn’t just the icing on the cake. It’s the cake. If your team doesn’t know the recipe, don’t expect magic in the oven.
Ditch the sticker charts. Start a movement
You can’t “incentivize” your way into culture. You have to live it. And that means everyone from the GM to the newest team member knows exactly what good service looks like, how to deliver it, and how to support each other doing so. It also means having each other’s backs, not just calling each other out.
I’ve seen way too many “accountability” efforts that feel like HR’s punishment parade. Let’s flip that. When we celebrate team members who show up, go above, and deliver service like a pro, that’s when we start shifting culture.
And for the love of jackpots, can we celebrate our staff the way we celebrate our players?
Guest service starts behind the scenes
We roll out the red carpet for VIPs. But what about the housekeepers? The cooks? The frontline staff who deal with everything from hangry guests to a line out the door? Guest service doesn’t begin at the door — it begins in the break room.
You want guest loyalty? Start with team loyalty. You want consistency? Start with leadership. And yes, you want magic? Then give your team the tools, trust, and recognition to be the magic.
Why I believe in Guest Service 360
I’ll be honest: When we built Guest Service 360 at Raving, we didn’t set out to create another rah-rah program. We were tired of seeing great teams get stuck in broken systems. This program is about long-term, property-wide change. It’s fully customized to reflect your culture and tribal values, not some cookie-cutter training out of a binder from 1998.
We work side-by-side with your team to build a plan, define standards, make them measurable, and (here’s the kicker) keep it going. Because if it can’t survive past the donuts in the kickoff meeting, it’s not worth doing.
Real talk sidebar: Five gut-check questions for tribal casino leaders
- Are we rewarding the right behaviors or just correcting the bad ones?
Stop being the fun police. Start being the celebration squad.2. Does our service vibe actually reflect our tribal values or just sound nice on paper?
If it feels like a corporate memo instead of a community mission, start over.3. Are our leaders walking the talk or just talking at pre-shift?
If your managers can’t model it, your team won’t own it.4. Do we measure what matters, or just what’s easy to track?
Surveys are fine. But stories, behaviors, and consistency? That’s the real gold.5. Are we making our team feel seen or just making them fill out comment cards?
Recognition is rocket fuel. Use it often, and don’t wait for the quarterly awards.
Guest service doesn’t have to be perfect. It has to be real. And it has to belong to everyone on the property, not just the training team. So, skip the stickers. Build something that lasts. And if you need a little help getting started, you know where to find me.
To find out more about Raving’s Guest Service 360 program, contact Liz Palar at liz@betravingknows.com or visit https://betravingknows.com/contact/
