At Gila River Resorts & Casinos, delivering exceptional experiences is part of everyday life. The brand is home to two AAA Four Diamond resorts and four award-winning casinos, all with a focus on memorable service and guest satisfaction. To keep pace with growing expectations, they needed a way to streamline operations and make the journey even better.
By adopting Canary’s full suite of Guest Management solutions, along with Digital Authorizations and Digital Contracts, they unlocked smoother operations, increased revenue, secure payments, and happier guests. Revenue Manager Matt Kahler shared how Canary helped them raise the bar.
Before Canary, Gila River Resorts & Casinos didn’t formally offer upsells, so Dynamic Upsells was their first step into upgrades and add-ons revenue. And it paid off quickly: In the first year, they generated over $450,000 in upsell requests from hotel guests.
“When we went live with Canary, we literally got our first upsell in 90 seconds,” said Matt. “I was high-fiving my boss right away. We were so excited.”
Along the way, Gila River Resorts & Casinos gained valuable insights into guest demand. Room upgrades are among the most common requests through Dynamic Upsells. The data captured has proven invaluable and is now informing plans for future property expansion.
“Normally, if we have to deny a room upgrade, it’s because of availability,” said Matt. “We’re taking the data we’ve gotten from Dynamic Upsells to see what guests want, and we’ll be using that information to plan what types of rooms we include in our next expansion. Canary has given us so much value, and we’re always trying to figure out ways we can bring more value to our guests through the platform.”
While Dynamic Upsells helped drive revenue, Gila River Resorts & Casinos also saw big wins by promoting a free offer: THE Card®, a physical loyalty and rewards card. They promote it as part of the Mobile Check-In flow and with AI Guest Messaging, leading to a boom in participation without bogging down the front desk team.
“When we started offering THE Card® through Canary, we saw a major spike in signups,” Matt told us. “It’s been great for our loyalty program. It seems like every single guest opts in now and all they have to do is pick the card up when they arrive.”
Even with the high volume of travelers in and out each day, Gila River Resorts & Casinos always prioritizes the guest experience. However, when inquiries pour in, it’s challenging to give each guest the attention they deserve. With AI Guest Messaging, the response is immediate and accurate, freeing staff to focus on face-to-face interactions.
“The messaging platform has been nothing but great,” Matt stated. “Being able to bridge the gap and communicate better with guests is incredibly important to us.”
Since launching Mobile Check-In, feedback from staff and guests has been great. With Smart Checkout, housekeeping knows exactly when guests leave, eliminating the need to search for rooms to clean. These systems have reduced lobby chaos and improved efficiency across all hotel departments.
Matt told us, “Since implementing Canary, lines have reduced. Time at the front desk has reduced. Our capacity to serve guests well has only increased.”
The Gila River Resorts & Casinos team recognizes Canary as a go-to partner for operational efficiency and guest satisfaction. When evaluating a new service initiative, they always look to Canary first to see if there’s a solution.
“The term ‘Canary’ has rolled all the way up to our CEO,” he told us. “He always wants to know what its impact is during our monthly meetings, and I’m consistently able to tell him great news.”
