Rankings matter to Vegas' upper crust

updated 6:41 p.m. ET Dec. 7, 2007

LAS VEGAS - In the rarified world of luxury hotels, it's not only the thread count of the sheets or the sheen of the marble but the sincerity of the staff that separates the best from the rest.

Casino developer Steve Wynn recalls getting the bad news that his Bellagio resort would be getting four stars instead of five from Mobil inspectors more than a year after its opening in 1998.

"It was an unfortunate exchange at the front desk with the anonymous shopper," said Wynn of the property now owned by MGM Mirage Inc. "And room service trays, after people had eaten breakfast, were left outside the door in the hallway."

While such minor annoyances might have been acceptable in the land of free drinks, bargain buffets and sequined showgirls, such service no longer passes muster in upscale Sin City.

As budget options like the Stardust and New Frontier have been imploded to make way for more expensive, classier resorts, a battle is being waged for the tourist dollars of the upper crust.

Details such as pronouncing a hotel guest's name correctly and delivering room service within five minutes of the appointed time are crucial to attaining the top ranks from such agencies as Mobil, AAA and Michelin.

Higher rankings mean higher room rates for operators. Likewise, restaurateurs covet the rankings, which bring headlines and crowds of big-spending customers.

In the case of The Venetian, owner Las Vegas Sands Corp. was able to raise the average daily room rate in the first three quarters of 2007 by $22 from a year earlier — to $259 — after spending $100 million on renovations to achieve five-diamond status from AAA.

For the 4,000-room hotel, which opened in 1999, that means millions of dollars more to the bottom line, said senior vice president Paul Pusateri, who spearheaded the drive to improve its four-star rating.

The property doubled the number of pillows on each bed to four, increased the thread count to 260 on its sheets in standard rooms and installed flat panel TVs and automatic drapes.

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It also began running secret shoppers through its property at least every two weeks, testing employees on hundreds of AAA and Mobil rating criteria, such as making eye contact, dealing with communication breakdowns and responding to requests quickly.

When service slips, employees are notified immediately.

"It is as simple as one team member not being able to pronounce the name of the shopper and therefore not using it, for example," hotel operations vice president Kirsten Dimond said.

At the Wynn Las Vegas, whose Tower Suites hotel-within-a-hotel was awarded Las Vegas' only Mobil five star resort rating last year, average room rates were a market-leading $282.

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"Rich people know what the best hotel is in every city of the world," Wynn said. "Mobil is a confirmation of that."

The key to great hotel service is the arrival sequence, and it begins beneath the covered driveway known as the porte-cochere.

On a recent, unannounced annual inspection, The Associated Press accompanied an AAA inspector into the Hilton Grand Vacation Club on the Las Vegas Strip, most recently ranked as a three-diamond hotel.

The green Subaru wagon arrived on a not-busy Tuesday afternoon and the visitors already were out of the vehicle before three valet workers moved to assist them.

"I see the valets, and they're just sort of chitchatting," said the inspector, who asked not to be identified so she could perform occasional anonymous stays. "This could be a four. Did I get four-diamond service on arrival? No."

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Inside a room, assistant executive housekeeper Gerardo Chavez-Mendoza nervously looked on as the inspector ran her hands over the granite countertops and then into the coffee maker, with the drama of a mother inspecting her teenage son's room.

"You're not going to like this," she said, pulling out a wet, used coffee bag.

"Wonderful," Chavez-Mendoza said, visibly upset.

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