Let’s celebrate the hospitality workers who give Las Vegas its glimmer

Jim Gentleman

Friday, May 12, 2017 | 2 a.m.

It’s National Tourism and Travel Week, and I’m guessing most reading this didn’t know that any more than you knew Wednesday was National Receptionists’ Day. Organized by the U.S. Travel Association, the annual celebration recognizes the billions of dollars and millions of jobs generated across the country by the travel industry.

For those of us who call Las Vegas home, this week deserves special recognition and reverence. Without the millions who visit us each year — a record 42.9 million in 2016 — the city wouldn’t enjoy its status as one of the world’s tourism and entertainment capitals and would instead most likely still exist as the sleepy, desert stopover destination it was in its earliest years.

Tourism and travel’s importance to Las Vegas can’t be overstated as the following statistics show. The industry generates:

• 407,000 jobs in Southern Nevada (representing more than 20 percent of the valley’s population)

• $16.9 billion in local salaries and wages

• $60 billion in local economic impact

The numbers are staggering and impressive any way you look at them.

But for me and tens of thousands of others who grew up here and still live in Las Vegas, they’re also personal.

From my grandmother who worked as a waitress at the Stardust coffee shop to my mom, a grocery checker at Mayfair Market on the corner of Tropicana and Paradise, to my dad, who bought and sold seafood for local food distributors, my family is inextricably linked to the tourism industry, having directly or indirectly served thousands of visitors during their decades of employment in Las Vegas.

And that’s just the beginning. I have an uncle and cousin who dealt cards on the Strip and downtown; an aunt and cousin who danced in Casino de Paris at the Dunes and Lido de Paris at the Stardust; a father-in-law and uncle who worked in sales for local food distributors; and a best friend who played in local bands that appeared frequently at hotel casinos both on and off the Strip.

I could go on with other family and friend ties to the industry that is the lifeblood for Southern Nevada. But I’m guessing this is a story that many Las Vegans can relate to — how our families, livelihoods and many memories are inextricably linked to the tourism industry.

Much has been written about Las Vegas, its hotels, world-class dining and entertainment, evolving amenities and attractions, and most recently, its foray into major league sports.

And while all of those “physical things” are critical to the destination’s continued success and growth, we’ve seemingly missed recognizing the single most important aspect that’s made Las Vegas what it is today: the front-line employees who expertly serve the millions of tourists and business travelers who visit our city every year.

I’m talking about the valets, bell hops, housekeepers, bartenders, waiters/waitresses, busboys/busgirls, cocktail servers, front desk attendants, cab drivers, dealers, hosts/hostesses, cashiers, chefs and countless other hospitality industry workers who take such good care of the millions of leisure and business travelers who come to Las Vegas each year.

Based on my travels to a representative sample of leisure and business destinations around the world, there’s no doubt that Southern Nevada’s service employees set the standard. They play a vital role in making visitors to Las Vegas feel special and like VIPs — a key attribute to the Las Vegas visitor experience.

When you think about the city’s tourism pioneers — leaders like Benny Binion, Sam Boyd, Claudine Williams, Jackie Gaughan and Steve Wynn — all of them knew the importance of treating guests well and how their businesses’ success was tied most closely to the level of hospitable service their employees provided. They clearly understood the service tenant that happy employees make happy guests.

Day after day, night after night, 24/7, the hundreds of thousands employed by the tourism industry in Southern Nevada do their jobs without much glory or fanfare. Most will never get rich in their line of work. Many miss family events due to unpredictable job demands, graveyard shifts and working on holidays and weekends. All have had to graciously handle impolite and out-of-control guests at some point in their careers.

But hopefully they know how much we respect what they do, how well they represent Las Vegas, and how grateful we are that they’re here.

For without them, Las Vegas would be little more than a desert depot. They make the city shine brighter than any other.

Jim Gentleman is a lifelong, native Las Vegan who currently works for SK+G, a marketing agency in Las Vegas, as its chief strategy officer.