Posted by: travadmin on Dec 04, 2003 – 06:12 PM
casinos Plans are being finalized for the opening of the Isle of Capri casino at the Westin at Our Lucaya on Dec. 15
According to Eddie Llambias, vice-president and general manager,”everything is well on the way for the soft opening at 10:00 a.m.”
Of the 320 employees at the casino, only four are expatriates, including Mr. Llambias. The remainder are Bahamians.
Speaking with The Freeport News last night, the general manager was busy overseeing activities in preparation for the casino’s opening day.
“As you can see we have a lot going on,” he said. “All of our slot machines are installed, all of our table games have arrived and all employees have been hired for training.”
Training began for the managerial staff the last week of November.
“That was the first training session,” Mr. Llambias said, adding that the sessions went really well.
The front-run/guests contact staff are presently going through orientation.
Training will be ongoing on the companyâs systems, micro training for beverages, and slot beta system training.
Isle of Capri is conducting the training sessions with company standard training on guests service, orientation and benefits.
“The benefits relate to the casino’s players club, Isle One, where players are rewarded based of their play,” he said.
He added that with regard to teaching the slot beta system, training is also conducted by SDS personnel.
“Training has been going excellent everyday,” Mr. Llambias said. “We will hold a mock casino, Dec. 11 and 12, which will be handled internally, prior to the opening. Those two days we will run through cage operations, paying jack pots, security issues and operating the table games.”
Mr. Llambias said the staff, managers and executives are anxious to get started. Everything will be simulated.
He added that a pep rally is scheduled for Dec. 13. “This will be a great celebratory time for all the staff, to get them motivated and ready to start a fantastic experience on Grand Bahama,” he said.
Isle of Capri has opened several casinos over the past 10 years.
“It is amazing how quickly the company has grown and this is probably one of the best openings in terms of logistics,” said Mr. Llambias. “To be in this position with a little less than two weeks to open is fantastic, there are no show stoppers.”
Adding that he is honoured to be in Grand Bahama again, he continued, “I was here 18 years ago with Princess Casino and it is a great privilege to be back in Grand Bahama. I’m excited because, I think when it comes to customer service and service level in general, there is nowhere else in my experience, that can match the kind of service Grand Bahama can provide.”
Mr. Llambias said this will be an fanatic and prosperous experience for everyone involved.
Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. owns and operates 15 riverboat, dockside and land-based casinos at 14 locations, including Biloxi, Vicksburg, Lula and Natchez, Mississippi; Bossier City and Lake Charles (two riverboats), Louisiana; Black Hawk (two land-based casinos) and Cripple Creek, Colorado; Bettendorf, Davenport and Marquette, Iowa; and Kansas City and Boonville, Missouri. The company also operates Pompano Park Harness Racing Track in Pompano Beach, Florida.
By Barbara Walkine, The Freeport News