IPhone room key makes debut at The Cromwell
If you plan to stay at The Cromwell and you have an iPhone, you will no longer need to worry about losing your room key.
The Caesars Entertainment Corp.-owned property announced eKey, a mobile key providing keyless entry.
Hotel guests using the eKey will receive a link to download The Cromwell app and an access code tied to their iPhone device and reservation. Once the app has been downloaded, guests enter their ID number and are able to enter their room number by placing their iPhone device next to the lock. The eKey can also activate the hotel elevator.
According to HotelChatter.com, the technology runs off of Kaba’s cloud-based, BLE (Bluetooth low energy) enabled locks using Legic ID Connect.
HotelChatter.com also said Caesars plans to roll out the self-check-in and self-check-out service to all eight of its Las Vegas properties.
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School of Hospitality looks toward expansion
Las Vegas’ International School of Hospitality will be doubling in size and renovating its existing East Sunset Road facility as early as this spring.
The new building will house five classrooms, a lecture hall, student resource center, computer lab and student lounge.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen the economy start heating up, especially in the leisure and hospitality sector,” said Tim Lam, The International School of Hospitality’s executive director.
“At the school, we’ve seen a corresponding increase in enrollment and we realized the time to expand is now.”
According to a December report by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, the leisure and hospitality industry added nearly 8,000 new jobs in 2014.
The International School of Hospitality, founded in 2005, offers classes in concierge, conference management and event planning, catering, hospitality leadership and supervision, hospitality human resources, hotel operations, and wedding coordination and design.
The new state-of-the-art facility will also include a hotel operations lab with a built-in front desk for students to practice guest interactions and a design lab complete with the latest in event décor and lighting.
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Regulators OK company that detects gaming fraud
Kount, a fraud protection technology provider will soon launch its services in the Nevada online gaming marketing.
Kount, based in Boise, Idaho, received unanimous approval from the Nevada State Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission earlier this month.
Services such as fully automated solutions and analyzing transactions to assess whether illegal activity is occurring eliminate the need for users to manually check processes. Gathering customer data will also provide another level of business intelligence tools in an effort to increase future revenue opportunities.
Kount Chief Operating Officer Rich Stuppy said his company decided to move into Nevada’s gaming market because more people are trying to capitalize on, and profit illegally from, Internet gaming’s popularity.
“Fraud follows opportunity, especially in areas like online gaming where revenue growth and popularity continue to surge,” he said. “Fortunately we can now offer our industry-leading technology and expertise in protecting many of the world’s leading online brands to this growing segment of the gaming market.”
Stuppy added that by implementing Kount’s fraud protection technology, online gaming businesses can better protect their operations and patrons from illegal activity while complying with industry regulations.
According to a report from the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, annual revenue for online gaming is forecast to generate more than $130 million this year and grow steadily.
“While the growth of online gaming to date has been substantial, some reports estimate this segment growing to nearly $9 billion during the next several years,” Stuppy said in a statement.
“As more games are developed and more states allow Internet gambling, the right fraud solution will not only protect and ensure the security of gaming operations, it will enable companies to grow quickly without the threat of fraud.”