Since its inception, Las Vegas has been a city built around status, where money meant a nobody could become a somebody.
Yes, famous people get special treatment in Sin City, but a regular person who spends money gambling also gets special treatment. That could mean a comped dinner, free rooms, or other perks.
Related: Las Vegas Strip casino signs popular singer for longer residency
What used to be sort of a loose system of rewards has become formal loyalty programs. For lower-level gamblers, the perks you earn are spelled out in the loyalty programs offered by Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International (MGM) , and every other Las Vegas casino operator.
A mid-tier Caesars player gets a $100 loyalty dinner once a year, along with waived resort fees. Climb one level higher and you get four drink vouchers every day on the Las Vegas Strip.
Once you move toward the top tiers of many casino loyalty programs, the benefits become less defined. I once saw a casino restaurant set up a table in a hallway during Covid at the request of a member of my traveling party who was a very high-level rewards program member.
💵💰Don’t miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet’s free daily newsletter💰💵
I personally have had daybeds and cabanas comped at pools — perks that aren’t on the official list. To do that, I reached out to my Caesars host, and he looked at my play for that trip and approved the requests.
I’ve also had hotel concierges — a similar position that’s more broad in who they work with — help me with tickets, reservations, transportation, and other issues.
Now, MGM Resorts International has made major cuts to its resort casino concierge programs.
Smaller-tier players have generally lost casino hosts in recent years.
Image source: Shutterstock
Resort casino concierges have a long history
The idea of the casino host and solve-any-problem Las Vegas concierge has long been romanticized. The long-running television show “Las Vegas” glamourized those roles by casting beautiful women to play the part.
In showing what they did, however, the show was pretty much spot-on. For very high-level gamblers, hosts and concierges do everything from arranging flights and other transportation to making sure every aspect of the guest’s stay went well.
For us lower-level players, hosts have become increasingly scarce in recent years. Just a few years ago, I had a specific person at Caesars I used to book stays, help with dinner reservations, and arrange show tickets or other perks.
More Las Vegas:
Las Vegas Strip Sphere signs another superstar band residencyLas Vegas Strip casino closes country superstar’s residencyLas Vegas Strip casino signs global superstar singer to residency
It wasn’t a super-close relationship, but he called with birthday wishes each year and provided personalized attention. In his final call to me, he told me he got promoted and that I would get a new host.
Instead, his face disappeared from my Caesars app and was replaced with a generic “host” button. I can still contact a “host” for help, but it’s a communal effort with no specifc person assigned to me.
MGM Resorts makes major Strip cuts
A concierge is not exactly the same as a host, as their service is theoretically available to everyone. Much like a host, however, a concierge makes things happen, and their willingness to do that goes up based on your status and your willingness to tip.
If you’re a valuable guest, a good resort casino concierge can get tickets to a sold-out show or reservations to a fully-booked restaurant. Las Vegas Strip concierges, like their counterparts in New York, have a reputation for being able to make things happen (for the right guests).
Now, MGM Resorts International has eliminated the concierge position at many of its Strip properties.
“According to an e-mail issued by a company rep, effective Monday, desks are to close at MGM Grand, The Signature, New York-New York, Mandalay Bay, Park MGM, and Vdara. There are no changes to operations at ARIA Resort & Casino, Bellagio Hotel & Casino, and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Concierge calls to MGM Resorts will be routed to Aria and Bellagio. Luxor cut its concierge desk years ago,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Related: Las Vegas Strip casino closes iconic bar and lounge
The company said that the cuts impacted 34 people who are being offered jobs elsewhere or help transitioning to their next position.
MGM Resorts International said the cuts are due to changing consumer demand and the increased use of digital services.
