Casino: Wind River Hotel and Casino
Zip Code: 82501
Country: United States
Phone: (307) 856-3964
Website: http://www.windrivercasino.com
Toll-Free Number: (866) 657-1604
The casino has 80 rooms with their prices ranging between $109 and $139. There are 10 suites that their prices range between $250 and $300. The casino has two 24 hour restaurants and velvet parking. The games offered at the Wind River Hotel and Casino includes Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Poker, and Three Card Poker. The casino covers 8,000 square feet in area. The special features found at the casino include a smoke shop with 80 slot machines, and a gas station. It is approximately the largest casino in Wyoming State and provides its guests with exclusive gaming experience. Guests at this hotel and casino can stay, play, and win. There are 10 table games and 750 slot machines at the casino. The casino has a large employee base averagely estimated at 700 in number, most of these employees being native Americans.
In terms of expansion to beat competition, the Wind River Hotel and Casino has ensured that the guests have all their desired entertainment needs clustered in a single destination. As compared to other competing casinos such as 789 Casino in Riverton city and Shoshone Rose Casino in Lander city, the Wind River Hotel and Casino has a the largest size with the highest number of slot machines and table games. Additionally, the casino has bus tours that bring the guests to the casino and return their homes, a service that other casinos do not have.
The amenities offered at the casino include the following:
Fitness center – guests have the opportunity to enroll at the casino’s fitness center for fitness exercises under the guidance of experienced fitness personnel
Free parking – free parking is available to club members and non-members visiting the casino and its restaurants for either gaming or entertainment, or any other purpose served within the Wind River Hotel and Casino
Pets Allowed – at Wind River Hotel and Casino, visitors are allowed to carry their pets into the premises. However, guests are advised to control their pets so that they do not interfere with other guests
Shuttle Bus Service – Wind River Hotel and Casino offers shuttle bus services to people going to or coming from the casino on call basis. The bust tours are scheduled to cover the needs of the guests at reduced prices that help them save gas mileage as well as providing a relaxing ride. Additionally, by taking the bus, guests receive coupons that are used at the Wind River Hotel and Casino café and gift shops as well as earn them free play.
Other amenities offered at Wind River Hotel and Casino also include wheelchair access, kitchenette, free high-speed internet with Wi-Fi and suites.
The Wind River Hotel and Casino is an Indian reservation owned and managed by the native Indian American communities of Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone.
History
The Wind River Hotel and Casino is a native Indian casino. The Wind River Hotel and Casino was established for the Eastern Indians in 1868. The casino started ago with a small bingo hall. However, it has undergone several transformation phases in its development to the current premier gaming establishment in Wyoming. The casino was established in 2008. The casino was built to create employment opportunities for the Arapaho community. The vision of the casino t encourage development has ensure the expansion of the casino to include 2 restaurants, 3 casinos, an espresso stand, 3 cafés, embroidery shop, Laundromat, a gas station, 2 convenient stores, and a bingo hall. The most significant events in the history of the Wind River Hotel and Casino include the opening of a second hotel attached to the casino, the shuttle bus service, and gift shops. The bus shuttle service has greatly increased the number of guests visiting the casino since guests do not have to worry about their transport to and from the facility, especially for travelling gamblers who might lack American taxi IDs. The restaurant, which has a sit zone with smoke free zones have also helped in ensuring that visitors come with their families for meals and child plays. Finally, the gift shop at the Wind River Hotel and restaurant has significantly assisted the guest to find specific souvenirs that fit their gaming needs.
Little Wind Casino, Shoshone Rose Casino, and 789 Smoke Shop & Casino are the major competitors of the Wind River Hotel and Casino. However, due to their small sizes and limited resources, these casinos have offered little competition to the Wind River Hotel and Casino. Nevertheless, these casinos also have incentives that they use to increase their command for the market share. In this regard, these casinos have promotional activities differently and uniquely to serve the needs of their target guests. For instance, Shoshone Rose Casino offers elders’ days on Mondays where all players above 55 years receive a $5 free play and free meal specials not exceeding $5 (Shoshone Rose Casino, 2013).
Management
The casino is one hundred percent owned and managed by the Northern Arapaho Tribe.
The Northern Arapaho Tribe
For several years, the Arapaho lived off the land that they believed provided all their needs. They embraced oneness in their communities and had no boundaries of land or friendship. Following a massive change in the Northern Hemisphere, diseases, assimilation and famine reduced the population of the Arapaho tribe from 10,000 to 3,000 (Wyoming Tourism Guide, 2013). Later, government intervention changed the native lifestyle of the community to include boarding schools, western movements, and reservations transformed the lifestyle of the Arapaho. The Arapaho tribe is one of the Native American tribes that has proved to be both dynamic as well as maintain their heritage. The native community is one of the largest American grass fed cattle ranch as well as the largest employer in the gaming industry. The main vision of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and the surrounding community was to ensure that the members of the community get employment opportunities within the Wind River and Casino. Currently, the facility employs more than 700 people, most of which are Native Americans (90%) from the surrounding community (Weller, 2013). According to the increasing number of employments of non-native Americans in the Wind River Hotel and Casino, I believe that in the future, employing the natives will remain obsolete, and the number of employees will be balanced among different races to compensate the diversity of the guests. However, the culture of the Arapaho tribe in the casino will remain in the future because it attracts guests to the facility.
Operations
The organization structure of the casino is organized such that the Arapaho tribe is the directors of the casino. There are different managers of different departments including human resource, operations, and public relation departments. The next level in the casino is the supervisors, who operate to oversee the line employees while reporting to the departmental managers. The line employees at eh casino include floorpersons, slot attendants, cashiers, and messengers among others. The casino directors departments are the oldest in this facility and the hotel departments were later added. The harmonization of communication between different departments in the casino and hotel has ensured that the guests have their requirements properly served. The latest developments in the casino include a gift shop and slot talks such including Jaguar Princes and Cherry Mischief.
Marketing and Casino Marketing
The casino implements both internal and external advertising. The casino uses print and visual media such as television advertising and billboard advertising. Additionally, the casino uses social media advertising such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to inform the public about its products and services as well as events. The casino targets all types of customers because it has varied facilities to provide different services from fitness to catering and gaming. The casino has a loyalty program to ensure that the guests use the bus shuttle service. The visitors that use the bus shuttle service enjoy affordable fares and receive coupons that can be used at the casino’s gift shop, café, or play free at the casino.
Summary
The casino has economic reasons that considers it a part of the hospitality industry. The casino has two restaurants that serve the guests with food and drinks. However, the restaurants do not serve intoxicating drinks. Additionally, the restaurants provide different packages such as boarding facilities for guests and children oriented programs that ensure that all guests are served to the best of their satisfaction.
References:
Wind River Hotel and Casino. (2013). “Profile, History, and Management.” Riverton city. Retrieved from http://www.windriverhotelcasino.com/bus.php
789 Casino. (2013). “Profile, History, and Management.” Riverton city. Retrieved from http://wyoming.casinocity.com/riverton/789-casino-and-bingo-hall/
Shoshone Rose Casino. (2013). “Profile, History, and Management.” Lander city. Retrieved from http://www.shoshonerose.com/promotions.htm
Wyoming Tourism Guide. (2013). “Casinos in Wyoming.” Retrieved from http://www.wyomingtourism.org/thingstodo/detail/789-SMOKESHOP-and-CASINO/4827
Weller A. (November 13, 2013). Wind River Hotel & Casino honors their employees who’ve served in the military for Veteran’s Day. County 10. Retrieved from http://county10.com/2013/11/13/wind-river-hotel-casino-honors-employees-whove-served-military-veterans-day/
