New workers at Gila River Resorts & Casinos can now experience the sights and sounds of gaming floors, restaurants and other amenities prior to stepping foot on property.
Gila River partnered with Tempe-based Point in Time Studios to create a state-of-the-art, 3D virtual tour that highlights its history, mission, values and brand.
Workers — via a virtual reality headset and headphones — are transported to each of Gila River's properties, visiting resort pools, gaming floors, BetMGM Sportsbook, Top Golf and Prime, A Shula's Steakhouse, which overlooks the Valley.
“We've all been new employees to some extent at a job. The biggest fear is, ‘What am I going to encounter when I actually get in the job?,’” Dominic Orozco, president and chief marketing officer for Gila River Resorts & Casinos, said. “This allows them to be immersed in the job before they even start.”
Gila River Resorts & Casinos currently operates three locations in Arizona, all owned by the Gila River Indian Community: Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte, and Vee Quiva.
Gila River launched the virtual reality program in part to appeal to a younger demographic of workers as it ramps up for the grand opening of Santan Mountain Casino later this month.
"We were able to bring the history of the community to individuals, and that makes me proud,” Orozco said. “The second thing is we were able to partner with a local operation, Point in Time Studios. To have two local companies come together to make something like this happen is truly amazing.”
It took several days to shoot content for the virtual reality program, which featured 3D segments with Gila River's executives and employees. Point in Time Studios used a special camera to create a panoramic experience with surround sound, said Rami Kalla, founder of Point in Time Studios.
Point in Time Studios, founded in 2002, is a full-service video production company that specializes in 3D animation, virtual reality renderings and corporate videos.
“We've been doing VR and immersive experiences for about seven years, but nothing at this level,” Kalla said. "When (Gila River) approached us, we were excited for the challenge and rose to it to help them build this experience. It has been a lot of fun and it has been really successful.”
A challenge that comes with shooting virtual reality content is completing segments in one take, Kalla said.
“You have to get everything in one shot and you see everything, so you have to create an environment where it looks perfect for that shot. You have to hide different lights and the person has to be ready to do the presentation,” Kalla said. “There’s a lot of challenges and I think the team here did awesome, preparation-wise.”
While Gila River says it’s the first casino operator in the state to leverage virtual reality to attract and engage new hires, others nationwide have announced plans to use similar platforms.
MGM Resorts — whose portfolio includes the Bellagio and MGM Grand in Las Vegas — told Business Insider it would roll out virtual reality training in 2022 for customer service roles at its employment centers.
MGM Resorts did not respond to a request for comment on whether it’s currently using virtual reality training.
Since introducing virtual reality training in February, Gila River has been approached by other casinos nationwide looking to gain insight on the technology, said Angelina Flores, chief human resources officer at Gila River Resorts & Casinos.
“We have many casinos in the United States reaching out to us saying, ‘We heard that you're doing this,’” Flores said. “Casinos are hungry for what we are doing here. We are the first to market this out, and our team members are pumped. They are stoked when they leave here.”
Gila River launches augmented reality experience at Sky Harbor
In addition to the virtual reality program for employees, Gila River and Point in Time Studios launched an augmented reality hologram at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to promote the Summer Oasis Pool Party at Wild Horse Pass.
At Terminal Four, visitors can access the augmented reality experience by scanning a QR code. From there, a hologram of a person floating in an inner tube appears over the baggage claim conveyor belt, followed by scenes of previous pool parties with music.
Point in Time Studios is able to update the augmented reality video within minutes to promote upcoming events, according to the company.
Gila River hires 600 employees for new casino
Virtual reality could be leveraged in the future to provide training for card dealers and sportsbook employees. There's also potential to create a "choose your own adventure" customer service training scenario, Kalla said.
“Creating even more interactive pieces is something we're working on right now, where you'll have that ability to do that,” Kalla said.
Gila River held 16 job fairs at various locations throughout the Valley in May to recruit more than 700 workers for Santan Mountain Casino. To date, Gila hired about 600 workers and has a total of 3,100 employees.
“In the month of June, we are doing three more (hiring) events,” Flores said. “We have less than 100 jobs to fill.”
Take a tour of the upcoming Santan Mountain Casino.
