AC strikes back!

Most people think of Las Vegas as the home of folksy, friendly service and Atlantic City service workers as rude, inconsiderate, and uncaring, but most people evidently don’t participate in Market Metrix, which just rated AC above Vegas in a recent index of hospitality destinations. From the AC Press:

Atlantic City has won a stunning upset over longtime rival Las Vegas in a competition crucial to each.

Under the headline “Atlantic City trumps Las Vegas for customer satisfaction and value,” Market Metrix last week announced the results of its latest Hospitality Index survey.

In every category - from value for price to sophistication and pampering - New Jersey’s nearly 30-year-old gaming market outperformed its 77-year-old rival in Nevada.

“Compared to the Las Vegas Strip, Atlantic City guests are more satisfied with their hotel and casino experience,” said the survey, published in Hotel & Motel Management magazine.

A convincing 78 percent of Atlantic City visitors were “very likely to recommend” the resort to others, but just 59 percent of Las Vegas visitors were as likely to do so, according to San Rafael, Calif.-based Market Metrix.

Jonathan Barsky, CEO of Market Metrix, had one word to describe that difference: “Wow.”

“It was really surprising to us to see the performance … to see Las Vegas, the king of gambling and entertainment, get beaten by Atlantic City,” he said.

Atlantic City tops Vegas in hospitality, satisfaction service

Atlantic City is hipper and more sophisticated than Vegas? The world truly is turned upside down.

Kudos also to Erika Pope, who’s been working overtime on spin control for the LVCVA–first with the Columbia Sussex credit card charge story, then with this one. She’s done a great job, too, especially here–classy, emphasizing the positives of Las Vegas, and not putting down Atlantic City, which some might have done.

I’ve linked to a graphic listing the metrics they used–let’s see how long this stays active: