Resorts World Las Vegas is the Strip’s first ground-up resort in more than a decade. The property, which opened in 2021 at a cost of $4.3 billion, features more than 3,500 guest rooms and suites, a 5,000-capacity theater, distinct nightlife venues, a curated collection of boutique shops, more than 40 food and beverage options and an innovative next-generation gaming floor. It also features RED, the digital concierge the property launched two years ago to manage its call center, allowing guests to receive around-the-clock assistance with everything from show tickets and spa reservations to room service and wake-up calls. RED has conducted thousands of interactions since then and has made a measurable difference in customer satisfaction, employee productivity and the property’s bottom line.

RED has also evolved to handle more tasks. According to Namratha Nandagopal, executive director of application development and QA, digital engagement is critically important to operations at Resorts World Las Vegas. “We aim not only to deliver extraordinary guest service but also to be the most technologically advanced resort on the Strip,” she said. “RED helps us achieve both goals."

A COMPREHENSIVE WISH LIST

Prior to launching the digital concierge, the IT team obtained input from every business group on property to develop a wish list, which turned out to be quite comprehensive and ambitious. “We wanted the digital assistant to handle guest calls, check in and check out, real-time casino offers, employee onboarding, housekeeping requests and generic FAQs,” Nandagopal said.

“We needed everyone’s buy-in if we wanted a successful implementation.” Although it may be unrealistic to expect a digital assistant to handle every transaction in the hotel, RED has managed many of them with ease, beginning with answering guests’ most commonly asked questions. “This is a wonderful use case for a digital assistant,” she said, noting that RED not only is able to answer thousands of questions, ranging from spa hours to check-out times, but also routinely provides guests with loyalty information.

The digital concierge especially excels in assisting with housekeeping requests and restaurant reservations, in large part because the vendor systems the property uses in those areas—the Amadeus HotSOS housekeeping solution and the OpenTable restaurant reservations system—have the capability to support a digital assistant.

The property has programmed RED to route common guest requests, such as extra towels and toothbrushes, to the housekeeping team. “Guests simply send a text to RED explaining what they need, and they receive it right away,” she said, noting that the cost savings are enormous. “This is an area where a live call can be very expensive.”

As for restaurant reservations, RED does more than merely book tables. She also provides alternative suggestions. “It’s like a human interaction. If a guest’s first choice isn’t available, RED will suggest a different time or date,” she explained. Best of all, the restaurant retains the guest’s business and goodwill.

MEETING NEEDS IN REAL TIME

The digital assistant also helps Resorts World Las Vegas meet guest needs in real time. When a guest plays the slot machines and isn’t seeing any winnings, for example, RED can send a personal text message that thanks the guest for playing and offers an incentive, perhaps a $50 dining credit or $10 in free play. “We can express our appreciation for the guest’s loyalty and extend an offer to keep that guest engaged with us,” Nandagopal said.

Similarly, Resorts World uses RED for real-time service recovery. Hotel guests are asked to take a brief survey rating their arrival experience. If the response is poor, the complaint is immediately escalated to an agent. “We can then extend a credit to encourage return visits.”

Best of all, RED can help the property sell inventory that otherwise would be unused, such as empty hotel rooms and extra show tickets. “If we have tickets available, we send our guests a real-time offer, perhaps discounting the seats by as much as 60 percent,” she said. “That way, we at least make up for the cost of the item and balance our revenue.”

When it’s time to check out, RED helps there, too. Guests simply text the words ‘check out’ to the digital concierge along with their name and room number when
prompted. “It literally takes 10 seconds,” she said. “There’s no need to stand in a long line. RED is so fast.”

Behind the scenes, RED also assists the IT department with open tickets. The hotel uses many applications—more than 100—and employees are constantly calling the help desk for assistance, often with mundane requests like forgotten passwords. RED helps the IT team find solutions, or she finds the proper IT staff so that they can resolve the problem. “This relieves the help desk from so many repetitive processes,” she said. “Using RED in this way has been hugely successful for us.”

USE CASES ARE LIMITLESS

So, what’s next for RED? First up is assigning the popular digital concierge a distinct persona. “When we launched RED, there was a lot of debate about what kind of personality she should have,” Nandagopal said.

Some team members wanted her to be sassy and funny, while others preferred a more serious assistant. “We really didn’t get around to figuring it out before we opened, but now that the dust has settled we want to revisit that project.”

Another item on the agenda is empowering the property’s business teams to make changes within RED’s data warehouse so that IT staff aren’t overwhelmed with requests. Pool hours, for example, frequently have to be revised due to weather and safety concerns, which requires the IT team to drop what they’re doing in order to update the digital assistant. Similarly, when high-profile entertainers are announced, the team has to make sure RED has the latest information immediately. “With a little UI integration, business units can simply update that information themselves, adding new questions and answers as needed to keep things relevant,” she explained.

Proximity marketing is also on the roadmap. “We can create highly tailored real-time messages at certain touch points in the guest journey,” she said, noting that the property is moving cautiously in this area. “We have to be mindful of privacy issues, and we don’t want to overwhelm and possibly annoy guests with too many offers.”

According to Nandagopal, the use cases for the digital concierge are limitless and the benefits enormous. “We find new ways to employ this technology every day and it’s exciting,” she concluded. “With RED, we can offer an extraordinary guest experience while removing tedious tasks from employees. It’s one more way we use technology to elevate the entire hospitality experience.”

‍