New Success Story: Talking Stick Resort
WENDOVER NUGGET HOTEL & CASINO
Wendover Nugget Hotel & Casino
Wendover Nugget Hotel & Casino
is a Maverick
Gaming
property located in Nevada, bordering the Utah state line. The casino is Wendover’s finest place to stay and play with 483 guest rooms, three restaurants, two bars, a sportsbook, 600 slot machines, 23 table games and eight poker tables, as well as a spacious pool area.
"I would walk through the casino on a Friday night and hear a slower, kind of depressing song, and I’d stop and say to myself, ‘Wait a minute. Why is this playing right now? We need some fun, energetic music.'"
THE CHALLENGE
"Terrible Signal" with "Inconsistent Music and Messaging"
With nearly 15 years of experience in the industry, including helping open Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Wendover Nugget GM Keith Frayne
knows all about what it takes to create an optimal atmosphere on the casino floor. When he took over as GM of the Wendover property in late 2020, he realized right away that the music and messaging program was not hitting the mark.
“When you run a casino, you want your guests to have that fun enjoyable experience and when there's no music it's very awkward and when there is music, not only do you need the right genre playing at the right time, but the volume level has to be just right, as well,” Frayne said.
“We were using a satellite radio and not only was the signal terrible and inconsistent, but we never seemed to have the appropriate music playing. And the volume levels were also never consistent. I would walk through the casino on a Friday night and hear a slower, kind of depressing song, and I’d stop and say to myself, ‘Wait a minute. Why is this playing right now? We need some fun, energetic music.'"
Frayne mentioned the problem to Steve Sirianni, Maverick Gaming’s Northern Nevada GM, and he relayed that when he was VP of Slot Operations and Marketing at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, the property used New Level Radio for its music and messaging and was very happy with the product and service.
“When he explained that New Level Radio had different music playing at different times in so many different zones and that the messaging was integrated seamlessly and was always up-to-date and on-point with what was going on at the property, I knew it was exactly what we needed,” Frayne remembers.
"We make it a point to become familiar with every property we work with and make it easy for our points of contact to reach out to us whenever they have a question or want to adjust anything."
THE SOLUTION
"A Program Built for the Right Clientele at the Right Time"
When New Level Radio Vice President Nathan Green
was introduced to the issues that Wendover Nugget was having with its music and messaging program, three major problems stood out.
First, the signal needed to hard-wired so when and if the WiFi signal went down or was interrupted, the service would not go out. Secondly, the messaging was sporadic and when it was included, the content wasn’t relevant to what was happening at the property and there were no COVID-19 announcements
about the use of masks and hand sanitizing stations, a necessary evil in today’s world. Finally, the music didn’t match the demographic of the guests, which is a common problem that New Level Radio is well-versed in correcting.
“The first course of action we take is to get a baseline of who’s in the property, why they’re in the property, how long they’re in the property and then we create a unique music playlist that is built specifically for the right clientele and the right time,” Green explains. “Every property is different. For example, the music playing at a casino in Wendover, Nevada on a Tuesday afternoon is going to be very different from what’s playing on the Las Vegas Strip at MGM Grand, and vice versa.”
“Each program is constantly evolving and changing and we are always in contact with each property’s team on the ground. We make it a point to become familiar with every property we work with and make it easy for our points of contact to reach out to us whenever they have a question or want to adjust anything.”
"It’s refreshing to work with a company like New Level Radio . . . If we want to add a few new songs, or if there is something we want to quickly get into the messaging cycle, all it takes is a quick phone call or email and their team takes care of it.”
THE RESULT
"Worry Free" and "Refreshing"
Frayne said that almost immediately after New Level Radio launched the music and messaging program on the casino floor at Wendover Nugget he received positive feedback from both guests and employees. It has worked out so well that in the coming weeks New Level Radio will add additional zones in the casino’s atrium area and inside the Nugget Steakhouse.
Maverick Elko Hotel and Casino, another Maverick Gaming property located about 100 west from Wendover Nugget, has also recently partnered with New Level Radio.
“It’s really been a huge help to me to simply not have to worry about the signal going out or hearing the wrong song playing at the wrong time,” Frayne said. “It’s just so nice to have a consistent program and to know that the music and messaging is going to correlate with who is in the casino at that time and is in line with our marketing and promotional schedule.
“It’s also refreshing to work with a company like New Level Radio where the communication between our teams is constant and if there’s ever an issue or if we ever have a question, they always get back to us promptly. It’s not like I have to call an 800 number and speak to someone who doesn’t know us or doesn’t know the property. If we want to add a few new songs, or if there is something we want to quickly get into the messaging cycle, all it takes is a quick phone call or email and the New Level team takes care of it.”
