Chapter Three
Olivia
I’m early, and the room is too quiet.
Conference rooms always feel like waiting rooms to me.
I set my laptop at the head because Caterina said that’s where I should be, then immediately second-guess whether I should have chosen the side, less presumptuous, more collaborative.
I move the laptop two inches to the left, like that fixes anything, and take a breath.
The screen shows the first slide of my deck: simple, white background, the hotel-casino logo, a title that reads “Opening Series the timing just works—and he slips through the space with the kind of economy that makes me think military at first and then discard it.
He’s tall. Not sloppy tall, or towering for effect, just… complete and exuding confidence.
The suit fits like a tailor’s pride and joy: light gray suit barely concealing a fit, muscled body, blue tie, and a shirt so white, I wonder if it’s new. No pocket square. No watch flashing the way some men do.
He has strong features, square, clean-cut jaw, dark hair, and piercing blue eyes that miss nothing, as I feel them sweep the room and land on me, with a gaze that’s impossible to ignore. I note the fine lines around his eyes that speak of lived experience and dangerous wisdom.
He doesn’t introduce himself. He doesn’t offer a hand. He doesn’t look away when I notice him, but he also doesn’t hold the look. He just notes me and takes a seat at the far end of the table.
I feel my heartbeat jump, a little rabbit against the ribs, not because he’s temptation wrapped in Armani—though, okay, he is—but because something about him says “decision.” I have no idea who he is, but I know right away that he’s important. An investor? Owner?
I take another breath. This is exactly the kind of detail that can knock a presentation off its axis. It won’t. Not mine.
Caterina catches my eye and gives me a look that translates to: steady.
When the seats are mostly full and the last chair squeak dies, Caterina taps her pen against the table once, and the room lines up to her.
“Thanks, everyone. As you know, this is Olivia’s first pass on the opening series and VIP acquisition plan.
It’s a working session—she’ll present for twenty minutes and then we’ll go section by section.
Questions are welcome; please keep them about the content. ”
She flicks a small glance at the man who didn’t introduce himself as if to say, “You too”. He doesn’t react, which is somehow the most reaction.
I stand. I click the remote, and the first slide fills the screen in clean lines. My voice, when I hear it, is the one I practiced: steady, not rushed, not falsely casual. Mine.
“Good morning,” I say. “Thank you for your time. I’ll start with the frame, then the calendar, then the VIP pipeline, comp policy alignment, and loyalty integration. Then we can push on pieces as we see fit.”
I force myself not to look at the man, though my eyes want to drift there. No, give everyone equal attention. I keep going.
“Frame,” I say. “We’re not Vegas. We’re not a nostalgia act. We’re a precise, contemporary property with a warm core and a long runway. The opening isn’t a fireworks display. Everything we do needs to say: we know who we are, we know who you are, and we built this with both in mind.”
I click. The slide shows three pillars, simple: Belonging, Discipline, Discovery.
“Belonging,” I say. “From day one, we make locals and near-locals feel like this is theirs. Not because we discounted the room into the floor, but because we made them seen with our marketing. That’s the soft open tone, a series of intentional, small-format moments that invite them back.
Not a line out the door for social media.
A door that opens for you because you belong here. ”
Gina from F we want to be invited into the community, not displace them. ”
Caterina’s pen taps once. She’s pleased.
I think.
“Soft open,” I say and click. The presentation advances to a slide with three lines: Keys And Dice, Staff Rhythm, First Redemption.
“Hotel first,” I continue. “We call it ‘Keys And Dice’—a deliberate invitation to sleep here as you play here. We open quietly to a curated list at the target ADT. With a warm welcome.”
I point to the first bullet. “We pre-assign room upgrades for a defined subset and have a small, manual menu available at check-in: room upgrade, dining credit, partner spa credit. That menu stays small so the desk can execute without bottlenecks. Comp codes are pre-printed and attached to profiles; paper log reconciled nightly by Finance and Loyalty.”
Finance gives a tight nod.
“Arrivals are timed because we need to learn the rhythm, too.” I click the remote. “Hosts float the lobby in the first wave to shake hands; Security stations plainclothes at the revolving door and elevator bay to keep wanderers out of construction zones.”
Tomás lifts a finger. “Badge the contractors differently that week. I don’t want guests following a neon vest to a restricted area.”