TAG | IT management key to Vegas' flashest hotel rooms |
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| by Angus Kidman | |
| Tuesday, 18 November 2008 | |
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CityCenter, which is due to open in late 2009, is the latest in a seemingly endless series of ever-larger properties to grace the Las Vegas strip. Like its neighbouring mega-resorts the Bellagio and Monte Carlo, the property is owned by casino giant MGM Mirage. MGM Mirage vice president for IT governance and CISO Myrna Soto is happy to boast about the unique in-room features the multiple hotels in CityCenter will offer, and the role which IT played in making that happen. "Over the last five or six years IT has become an extremely large enabler to innovation throughout our enterprise," Soto said during a press conference at CAWorld in Vegas. "CityCenter is an example of how we are using an enormous amount of technology, which customers are ready to receive. We are revolutionising the guest experience as far as the technology in the guest room goes. We are looking at several different things for customisation, including digital concierge services and a number of other things that no other hotel in the world is offering today." Rooms on the property will include custom lighting and curtain settings that can be automatically set for different times of day and RFID-enabled keys for easy room entry. Mini-bars and remote controls will also be Wi-Fi enabled, allowing them to be replenished or repaired without guest intervention. "Part of the ingeniousness of the innovation is the ability of the guest room to recognise you," Soto said. "That IT innovation is extremely critical to our brand." While each MGM Mirage property like CityCenter runs as a separate entity, Soto said IT planning had to take place on an enterprise-wide level. "We're looking at IT governance at a very discrete level to focus our investments. We're making decisions to serve the enterprise as a whole, where in the past, decisions may have been made at a brand level." "Every single technology investment has to be measured and has to meet a certain purpose. Very often there is a pipeline of ideas for innovation opportunities, and a lot of work that's done defining, measuring and analysing those opportunities." Soto also confirmed that IT budgets were likely to come under pressure as the US and global travellers faced up to economic problems. "In our business environment, we are highly reliant on discretionary spend," she said. "We've been forced to take a harder look than normal at our expenditures. We are looking at much more emphasis on process reengineering and any and all opportunities." However, that doesn't mean a spending freeze. "We are still making significant investments in IT, specifically in a number of new capital investment projects. This is a time when you cannot suspend investments. Being able to position yourself when the upturn begins is very critical for us."
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