10 Days in the Lone Star State..and Buc-ees!

I have to admit, but I would never pass on an opportunity to go to Texas on an all expense-paid trip to my association's conference (Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals). I mean, there are several conditions to meet in order for this to be worthwhile. I had to blog about my experience at the annual convention, which was at the Hilton Anatole. And you can read about my time at the conference at www.hftp.org website. And I had to complete a survey from the association regarding a leadership summit that I had to attend. That was too easy. So I dined at the Hilton Anatole every day and was invited to a few private parties which had complimentary food and drink. I didn't stay at he host hotel, the Hilton Anatole. I stayed at a death trap called Extended Stay America on 2979 N. Stemmons Freeway. I will have a post on Tripadvisor to skewer them, but more on that later. Before the convention, I wanted to stay cheap, so I got a cheap rental car and drove to Huntsville which is about three hours away. Along the way I followed a series of funny billboard ads for a truck stop called "Buc-ees" on Highway 45. The signs were intriguing, such as "Don't Worry, P Happy," etc. But I can hold it for 171 miles, and during my drive, I found pretty filthy places to take a leak. But when I got to Buc-ees, that place is the Taj Mahal of rest stops. I hadn't seen a cleaner bathroom than the one near the Pirates of Caribbean ride in Disneyland. Imagine a Chevron gas station with 50 pumps, a deli, a bakery, Walgreens, and the cleanest bathrooms on this planet in one place. That's Buc-ees! That is what made my trip so successful. Not just visiting my kin in Huntsville. Not just checking out the State Fair and Big Tex in the Cotton Bowl. But Buc'ees. If you have that urge when nature calls, I'd drive to Buc-ees. And check out the coffee and soda stations there. They were spotless. A nice clean place that a germ phobe like my friend Elaine would marvel and talk about on her radio traffic show here in the Bay Area. Buc-ees is so popular that they will be opening more around Texas. Check them out. I was impressed.

Big Tex...and the Best Deep Fried Surprise

Howdy, Pardner! The students from San Jose State tagged along for their first dose of Texas fun at the State Fair in the Cotton Bowl. Yes, the same place where the "Miracle at the Expo" happened last Saturday, as the Longhorns decisively trounced the Oklahoma University in the Red River Rivalry (say that three times after a few Jell-O shots) game. How riveting! But today, Old Big Tex and the State Fair were two items on the HFTP bucket list during this trip. The weather cooperated as no raindrops fell on us here. And what do people from San Francisco/San Jose go for the culinary fix? Deep fried Nutella washed down by a deep fried margarita. These cats deep fry anything in the Lone Star State. They'll do ice cream, Latte, Oreos, and cheesecake. But nothing better than a crisp October afternoon with deep fried Nutella sans the banana and the deep fried margarita. Both nutritious and delicious just right after lunch at Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse, which had the 3/4 lb. order of sausage, ribs, and beef sans the collard greens. A hunk of potato salad was dunked on the plate to round out the fixins. Now I need to work off the 2000 calories now. Big Tex would be proud.

Don't Mess with Texas

I am here in beautiful Dallas, Texas, for the HFTP Annual Convention. I am here a couple of days early for the HFTP Leadership Conference. Yes, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals, San Francisco/Northern California Chapter elected me Prez again. What fun. But I get to blog about my experience as the convention's official blogger starting on Thursday. Now that is fun! (You can follow my "official" blog at www.hftp.org). I travelled to Houston this past weekend and visited some family. Uneventful, but my cousin's kid's temper tantrums and meltdowns at the store and at church were classic. I love it. I don't have any kids, but you just don't mess with a child who wants it her way. Just wait for Mom to get a hold of her (Incidentally, her mother worked the overnight shift. And she entrusted the house guest and her husband, The cousin, to watch the kid.) The great hand of discipline will rule once again. But going back to this convention for my hospitality chapter. I erred in my judgment of riding public transportation in this town. No, I am not talking about horses and mules here in Dallas. They call their system here "DART" for "Dallas Area Rapid Transit". It's better to call it "JOKE". You get my drift. And I thought that I can save my chapter in Northern California a few bucks by staying a mile down the road. Bad idea. I should have shelled out the big bucks to stay at the convention hotel and enjoyed the scenery. Now the city has been hit by record rainfall, and I need to get a cab back and forth to my disaster of the hotel, Extended Stay America. I can't wait to write about that experience there. It makes Faulty Towers (John Cleese's epic sitcom) looks like a Michelin Five-Diamond resort. Don't mess with the Anatole, that's the place to be.

Yosemite Detour: Chukchansi Casino and Resort in Coursegold, Calif.

I rarely stay at casino hotels. But, whenever I have that chance, I like to observe the one thing that I learned in hotel school: service. Yes, I did excel in my hotel and casino classes and all of those finance and statistics classes. But I am staying here at an Indian Casino here just south of Yosemite. I didn’t plan on the government shutting down Yosemite National Park, but instead of heading into the campground in Yosemite, Chukchansi Casino and Resort will do. So I won’t go into a lengthy discussion on total casino handle at this resort versus Nevada gambling houses. And I won’t discuss basic strategy on either Blackjack or Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em. But I do see more people from the San Francisco Bay Area, Modesto, Stockton, and Fresno visiting both Blue Mountain Casino and Chukchansi. And the offerings are no different than the big Vegas joints. Okay, these places don’t have a race and sports book, craps and roulette tables, and Keno. But one thing that strikes me at these places is the care given by these team members to their guests. I walk into a casino in Las Vegas and most of the time, the stoic dealers and less-than-enthusiastic cocktail servers trudge around their 10-hour shift and simply just want the shift to be over and done. I am not saying that Vegas hotel and casino personnel are lazy. I used to work in a Las Vegas casino. Whenever I come to this casino here in Coursegold, or the one in Geyserville (River Rock Casino), the folks there are consistent in one thing: service. The team members greet you when you enter, or drive in, and are pleasant at the rewards desk and the tables. Today, I had a coupon to redeem for a gas card and the casino had not received any of the cards for redemption. It was the first day of the promotion. But I did not hear about how people were baited and switched. Instead, the team members at the rewards center, apologized, took ownership, and were quick to resolve the problem by advising to return at a later date for the gift card. And for the inconvenience, $20 in reward chips was issued and $20 in food credit loaded into the account. But this is a way for guests to be loyal. And I was certainly impressed about how I was treated rather than being mistreated. I used to get the run around at Vegas joints when redeeming this and understanding the restrictions, etc. And get disappointed in the end. Even though the bread tastes like cardboard here in the restaurant, and the bland coffee was a on the urn a little longer, the server still checked up on me and took the dirty plates off my table. These people hustle here and have earned by respect and loyalty. I may not have made any coin on the penny slots or a dollar on the tables, but the team members have a knack to keep you feeling welcomed here. And this isn’t a teepee. It’s a Vegas-style casino. And it’s good for me.