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UPPER MERION >> Was it the sparkling new pool surrounded by lush landscaping?

Or maybe it was those beefy sandwich masterpieces from the American Grill, or the bustling gaming floor, where the Wheel of Fortune Big Money Machine holds forth that captured high marks from Valley Forge Casino Resort visitors.

The online surveys conducted by VisitPacasinos.com cover everything from gaming and food to customer service and cleanliness, and reviewers have rated the King of Prussia fun palace as “above average” in the latest monthly poll results (August) of Pennsylvania casino guests — ahead of Mohegan Sun, Parx, Sands, SugarHouse, Mount Airy and Harrah’s.

Top-ranking Hollywood Casino in Grantville and Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie were the only two achieving “excellent” ratings. Mark Tevis, CEO of the Erie-based VisitPacasinos.com, said one possible reason Valley Forge scored higher than its three competitors within a 45-minute driving distance could be the newly renovated pool area, recently christened Valley Beach Poolside Club.

“To me, the pool is pretty unique, and possibly some of the amenities they’ve added have really resonated with consumers. So that could be one of the reasons they’re higher than Parx, SugarHouse and Harrah’s,” he noted. “If other casinos want to compete they may want to add similar attractions. That’s true in any industry; you’re always looking to see what your competitor has that you don’t have that you may want to add to drive traffic to your business as well.”

The Valley Forge pool, built in 1971 as a Radisson Hotel amenity, went through a dramatic renovation prior to the Valley Beach opening Memorial Day weekend, as did the entire space surrounding it. Once barren and uninviting, the seasonal area is now lushly landscaped with flowers and grasses — a panorama best appreciated either from the water or from the relaxation point of a bright blue Adirondack-style chair.

“We invested over $600,000 to extend our incredible nightlife outdoors with the addition of our new Valley Beach Poolside Club, which was a huge success,” said Jim Rigot, president and CEO of Valley Forge Casino Resort. “Those who came to check out the pool also had the opportunity to experience all that the resort has to offer, including our renovated convention space and world class casino. We’re thrilled with the feedback we get every day on our efforts to expand and enhance our guest experience, and we look forward to announcing more plans in the near future.”

Visitor survey results and rankings are based on what reviewers had experienced in a month’s time, not several months or even years, Tevis pointed out.

“There are many sites on the Internet offering reviews of every business type, product or service. But none focus exclusively on the Pennsylvania casino industry or are as extensive as VisitPacasinos.com,” he said, adding that results are tabulated through responses to surveys provided on the site as well as through subscribers to the site’s newsletter.

The reviews found on such sites as Trip Advisor and Yelp are too ambiguous and random to be taken as seriously as the far-reaching findings of VisitPacasinos.com, Tevis noted. Continued...

“We are the comprehensive site for the casino industry. Some casinos are doing a better job than others in the eye of the consumer and it gives the casinos a little more information as well. They can see areas where they need to compare themselves to their competitors and can ramp up their game a little bit to compete.”

Through a series of 10 questions that assess everything from first arrival impressions to food and beverage, casino guests develop a sum total of their experience, Tevis said.

“They may have had a great experience at gaming but found the restaurant was not as good, or lacking in another area.”

Since results are tabulated monthly, every casino has the potential to improve or decline before the next month’s results are revealed.

Tevis said the site was created to offer one-stop shopping for Pennsylvania casino visitors in the spirit of Vegas.com.

“Just like when I am going to Vegas I won’t go to Excalibur, Tropicana and all the individual sites, I go to Vegas.com to see what promotions are out there, what performers might be there, and that’s what we are: convenience for the consumer so they don’t have to sift through all those sites but just come to us.”

UPPER MERION >> Was it the sparkling new pool surrounded by lush landscaping?

Or maybe it was those beefy sandwich masterpieces from the American Grill, or the bustling gaming floor, where the Wheel of Fortune Big Money Machine holds forth that captured high marks from Valley Forge Casino Resort visitors.

The online surveys conducted by VisitPacasinos.com cover everything from gaming and food to customer service and cleanliness, and reviewers have rated the King of Prussia fun palace as “above average” in the latest monthly poll results (August) of Pennsylvania casino guests — ahead of Mohegan Sun, Parx, Sands, SugarHouse, Mount Airy and Harrah’s.

Top-ranking Hollywood Casino in Grantville and Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie were the only two achieving “excellent” ratings. Mark Tevis, CEO of the Erie-based VisitPacasinos.com, said one possible reason Valley Forge scored higher than its three competitors within a 45-minute driving distance could be the newly renovated pool area, recently christened Valley Beach Poolside Club.

“To me, the pool is pretty unique, and possibly some of the amenities they’ve added have really resonated with consumers. So that could be one of the reasons they’re higher than Parx, SugarHouse and Harrah’s,” he noted. “If other casinos want to compete they may want to add similar attractions. That’s true in any industry; you’re always looking to see what your competitor has that you don’t have that you may want to add to drive traffic to your business as well.”

The Valley Forge pool, built in 1971 as a Radisson Hotel amenity, went through a dramatic renovation prior to the Valley Beach opening Memorial Day weekend, as did the entire space surrounding it. Once barren and uninviting, the seasonal area is now lushly landscaped with flowers and grasses — a panorama best appreciated either from the water or from the relaxation point of a bright blue Adirondack-style chair.

“We invested over $600,000 to extend our incredible nightlife outdoors with the addition of our new Valley Beach Poolside Club, which was a huge success,” said Jim Rigot, president and CEO of Valley Forge Casino Resort. “Those who came to check out the pool also had the opportunity to experience all that the resort has to offer, including our renovated convention space and world class casino. We’re thrilled with the feedback we get every day on our efforts to expand and enhance our guest experience, and we look forward to announcing more plans in the near future.”

Visitor survey results and rankings are based on what reviewers had experienced in a month’s time, not several months or even years, Tevis pointed out.

“There are many sites on the Internet offering reviews of every business type, product or service. But none focus exclusively on the Pennsylvania casino industry or are as extensive as VisitPacasinos.com,” he said, adding that results are tabulated through responses to surveys provided on the site as well as through subscribers to the site’s newsletter.

The reviews found on such sites as Trip Advisor and Yelp are too ambiguous and random to be taken as seriously as the far-reaching findings of VisitPacasinos.com, Tevis noted.

“We are the comprehensive site for the casino industry. Some casinos are doing a better job than others in the eye of the consumer and it gives the casinos a little more information as well. They can see areas where they need to compare themselves to their competitors and can ramp up their game a little bit to compete.”

Through a series of 10 questions that assess everything from first arrival impressions to food and beverage, casino guests develop a sum total of their experience, Tevis said.

“They may have had a great experience at gaming but found the restaurant was not as good, or lacking in another area.”

Since results are tabulated monthly, every casino has the potential to improve or decline before the next month’s results are revealed.

Tevis said the site was created to offer one-stop shopping for Pennsylvania casino visitors in the spirit of Vegas.com.

“Just like when I am going to Vegas I won’t go to Excalibur, Tropicana and all the individual sites, I go to Vegas.com to see what promotions are out there, what performers might be there, and that’s what we are: convenience for the consumer so they don’t have to sift through all those sites but just come to us.”