6 minute read
Executive Spotlight
Travis Lunn,
In the ever-changing landscape of our everyday life and with new safety precautions implemented daily, the gaming industry has been a leader when it comes to ensuring best practices for their customers and employees. Two properties that have excelled with implementing these safety measures are Beau Rivage Resort & Casino and Gold Strike Casino Resort located in Mississippi.
Gaming and Destinations publisher, G. Douglas Dreisbach, caught up with the president and CEO of both properties, Travis Lunn, to talk about what they are doing to lead the way through the current COVID-19 pandemic, and what lies ahead for the properties as well as gaming enthusiasts around the world.
G. Douglas Dreisbach: Our world has changed in so many ways with the COVID-19 pandemic. When it all started and casinos started to close, what were some of your and your team’s initial thoughts? And, now looking back, do you feel those thoughts were accurate and that the right steps were taken? Travis Lunn: Our initial thoughts were unusual, especially in the casino environment. Both of our properties in Mississippi had experienced closing their doors previously. Gold Strike had to close due to a flood, and Beau Rivage with Katrina. So, some of our initial steps were realizing that we needed to close and understanding that we had experience in doing that.
What would be economically different in this situation is that there were mandates, both from our state government as well as from the Mississippi Gaming Commission, but without an understanding of when we could reopen and what that would look like. We did not try to make any presumptions about what the business would look like when we would re-open our doors because the situation was very fluid. We got the re-opening protocols the Friday before we opened so there was a lot of quick movement, obviously, to adhere to those protocols.
Initially, our thoughts were about making sure whatever we were going to do was going to be based around safety and wellbeing of our guests and team members.
GDD: Did your team have any input for the state to consider for those guidelines, or were those coming from other places? TL: The guidelines we follow are from the Mississippi Gaming Commission and we use those as the base minimum of what we need to be open for business. In addition to those standard protocols, we also introduced our own seven-point safety plan. So, a lot of things you will see at Beau Rivage and Gold Strike aren’t necessarily requirements, but are things we wanted to introduce to make sure both our team members and guests know that we were taking their safety seriously.
We did not do this on our own. We had a lot of consultation from experts in this area and hired third-party public health experts that assisted us in identifying those standards and introducing those measures. But there are some things unique to MGM Resorts, such as a handwashing station that is quite literally in the middle of our casino floor and we have polycarbonate separators at our table games, that is not a requirement, but another opportunity where we can create a safe environment, so we are taking that extra step.
GDD: What kind of safety measures are in place for hotel guests regarding cleaning the rooms? TL: There is a multi-layered approach to the safety protocols in terms of the guest rooms. First and foremost, our team members and guest room
attendants have been trained on a whole new set of cleaning protocols and we have a new variety of disinfection that we implement in the cleaning process. We are also implementing a guest room rotation plan. So, when a guest checks out, we will hold that room vacant for an extended number of hours, or potentially even overnight, so that we have an opportunity to have proper air circulation before a new guest occupies that room.
GDD: What was the atmosphere like when you first re-opened? TL: The guests were ready to play. When they first walked up, there were team members in the lobby to welcome them and greet them. The team members were just as excited as the guests, you could tell they were excited to be back to work. The business volumes have been terrific, and the energy on the floor has been fantastic. I must give credit to our guests and team members for being compliant and adhering to the new protocols. So that makes it easy and obviously enjoyable for everyone that we’re still able to provide a great experience at both Gold Strike and Beau Rivage. The guests are enjoying everything and there is a positive energy in the air.
Everyone is also being considerate and understands the situation. If we have asked someone to wear a mask in certain situations, they have complied. If we have asked them to be thoughtful around the social distancing, they have complied.
Our guests have expressed their gratitude for the thoughtful measures we have implemented in terms of the safety protocols. They have really been able to learn all the new protocols, get comfortable quickly and get back to enjoying what we at we do best, which is entertaining and providing a great experience.
GDD: What do you think it will take to get back to full capacity and when do you think it will happen? TL: We need to do a great job with the protocols from the gaming commission since they have given us a fantastic opportunity to reopen our doors and welcome back our team members and our guests. We need to create a safe environment and make sure our guests feel welcome and create that energy to restore confidence. If we can instill that confidence, both in our regulators and our guests, I think we’re going to continue to see opportunities to expand and open up those other parts of our business.
I think we will see additional measures that will be firsts. Right now, we are at a six-foot distance with our slot machines, which leads into our focus of understanding how we can add incremental opportunities for our guests to game and enjoy those games, both in slots and table games.
Next, I think you will start to see restaurants and the food and beverage offerings slowly start to get back to normal and I see the entertainment and some of those other things lagging behind the rest because a lot of the entertainers have postponed their tours until next year.
But I really feel that if we continue to do an excellent job, which not only we’re doing, but us as a gaming community and tourism industry as a whole, we’ll continue to be able to grow the business for our gaming positions and then also our food and beverage offerings.
GDD: What key factors do you want to tell gaming enthusiasts to make them feel comfortable in coming back to the casino and giving it a try under this new normal?
TL: I would say that there is some self-accountability. We have five or six key questions we ask and the constant reminders in terms of signage reminding everyone that if you are feeling any of those symptoms to not put others at risk. So, first, we would ask our guests to make sure they are not having any of those symptoms.
Second, we want to communicate that we have consulted some of the top experts to implement the protocols to create an environment where you can game safely and still enjoy the Beau Rivage and Gold Strike as you always have. You will still get that Southern experience and Southern hospitality.
There are some new steps we have introduced, but the core of our business has always been entertainment and hospitality, and those things are not missing in this new environment. The protocols that we have introduced are going to make sure that you have a safe and fun time when you visit.
