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.