Fontainebleau Las Vegas is betting that casino loyalty programs can do more than keep customers inside the casino.
The Strip resort Monday launched The Experience Collection, allowing Fontainebleau Rewards members to redeem Bleau Points for nearly two dozen Las Vegas experiences, including helicopter tours, supercar racing, Allegiant Stadium tours and attractions such as the Neon Museum and Area15.
The program, curated by Vegas.com, represents an effort by Fontainebleau to make its loyalty program a gateway to the city rather than simply a way to reward gambling and spending at the resort.
“Why not take our point currency and take it outside of our four walls?” Kevin Sweet, Fontainebleau’s senior vice president of slot marketing and operations, told the Review-Journal about the thinking behind the new program. “No one’s ever done that before.”
Sweet said he had been considering the concept for several years as a way of making a Las Vegas trip “more 360 (degrees) and more all-encompassing.” Rather than negotiating individual arrangements with each attraction, Fontainebleau worked with Vegas.com, which already has relationships with the various experience providers.
The result is a casino rewards program perk unlike any other in the city.
“Casinos have always had (rewards) points. That’s always been the currency for properties,” he said. “But we know our guests, both gaming and non-gaming, are here to do more than gamble, and there’s tons of awesome experiences and attractions in this town. So, let their casino currency of Bleau Points become essentially their passport to all things Vegas.”
Members can redeem Bleau Points for the experiences at a 2-to-1 ratio.
Monday’s launch also expands the ways members can earn points, with table games now generating Bleau Points for the first time. The casino said table games players earn three cents in points for every dollar of rated play.
The strategy comes as Fontainebleau continues efforts to establish itself on the north end of the Strip, where its location can make it more difficult to capture the walk-in traffic enjoyed by more centrally located resorts.
Fontainebleau, the $3.7 billion, 67-story hotel-casino, which opened in December 2023, has taken other steps aimed at attracting locals and everyday visitors, such as complimentary self-parking for Nevada residents and Rewards members, and its Locals Only program, which includes discounted dining, spa and entertainment offerings.
The Experience Collection extends that strategy beyond the property itself.
Sweet called the new perks offered in The Experience Collection as a natural extension of what most casino operators already do.
“We buy Golden Knights tickets, we buy Raiders tickets, we buy Guns & Roses tickets for guests all the time,” he said. “If it makes our property the place you want to play, I’ll buy you a helicopter (ride). What do I care?”
Sweet said Fontainebleau’s goal is to give visitors another reason to choose the resort as their base in Las Vegas, even when part of their trip takes them elsewhere.
“I think this will help as people discover Fontainebleau, (and ) continue to get us to the mountaintop,” he said.
A full list of The Experience Collection is available on the casino’s website.
Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0378. Follow @AC2Vegas_Danzis on X.
