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Dear Mr. Belcher:
I know you will agree that people are the most important ingredient in a service businesses’ pie. I have been going to the Aria just about from its very beginning. You had your start up glitches but just about everyone, with or without knowledge was pleasant. That unfortunately, in my experience has changed. Valet service has always been spotty, My experience this time was with an aggressive, chip on the shoulder guy with an agenda for me. He insisted I move my car somewhere by driving it around the entrance again. I reminded him he was there for service. Eventually, he gave me a ticket for the car. This is the first person one meets on check in. Not an auspicious beginning.
However, Mr. Belcher, my real annoyance lies in the poker room with your manager Adam something or other. When Aria first opened its poker room business was pretty slow. All kinds of promotions, trying to get limit games going etc. were attempted. The real reason most people came back to Aria rather than Bellagio or Venetian was the attitude of your people. I find it hard to believe that the same people who hired Elayne,Jessica or Kathleen also hired this crew of nasty teenagers. Their attitude is negative at once, they are full of themselves and almost rude. To Wit: I asked one of these kids for a line pass. She had no idea what that was and did not ask. Her associate, a bald guy, immediately jumped to her aid announcing “ we do not have line passes”. I walked away mumbling in my usual manner about life in the fast lane. I went to Jessica who gave me a line pass. Enter a new factor, the shift manager @#$% warden, one Chris. Without having the foggiest about what was going on he immediately took sides and told me not to talk about his employees negatively or something like that. I asked him why he charged in and immediately took sides. He replied “I’m in charge here”. I’m sure he’s a graduate of a hotel school in Switzerland by his “handling” of this brouhaha” Anyway, these people are very sensitive to themselves and totally insensitive to me.
The next day, while playing poker, I asked Jessica to tell the manager, Adam, that I wished to speak to him. Jessica came back and said he was busy and would come out soon. In the course of the evening I asked Jessica and she asked me if Adam came out. He did not come out in the 4+hours I spent in the room that evening. A large part of the question about surly employees is answered by Mr. Adam’s display of rudeness.
The Bellagio has made many changes in its customer relations methods over the past few years and has become a very pleasant place to go to. I fear that the Aria poker room is filling the place Bellagio used to be in.
Mr. Belcher, I value my relaxation in a poker room and thus, this letter is written in a constructive manner. People like me may not be big rollers but we donate a significant amount of $$$ to Aria’s coffers. We should be treated with courtesy even if we did not donate $$$.
Constructively,
