MGM Grand the right brand in Detroit

Of all the places for casino to be thriving, off the top of your head, Detroit Michigan would be the last place you would think, given the economy in that State. Your first guesses would probably include Atlantic City or Las Vegas and both of those guesses would be wrong.

Whether you know it or not, Michigan people love casino gambling. The MGM Grand Detroit last year outpaced the larger and more popular destinations of Atlantic City, N.J., and Las Vegas. MGM Resorts International, led Detroit’s three casinos in 2010 with a 6.3 percent gain in revenue to $582 million.

But it’s more than just gambling that has patrons filing into the MGM Grand. It’s the brand. Detroit News reported in an article concerning the success of the casino in their city, that MGM is “like the Yankees of the casino world,” said Tom Nelson, an independent gaming regulation consultant in Manitou Springs, Colo. “They can get the top talent, and they know how to use it.”

For MGM, it’s all about maintaining that brand image of class and luxury. It’s backed up with the four-diamond rating by AAA Michigan and a Forbes Travel Guide four-star rating for its hotel, so people know that they are getting top of the line every time they walk through the doors.

The strength of the MGM Brand has seen the casino thrive in a city and a state that for the most part was heavily hit by the economic downturn and suffered some of the heaviest economical downturns amongst all the states in the US. But when people want luxury and class, they still know where to find it in Detroit. Of course, the MGM Grand does have the affiliation to luxurious casinos in Vegas to support its brand like the Mirage, the Bellagio and MGM.

Quoted from the Detroit New, David Lorenz, spokesman for Pure Michigan, the state’s tourism campaign said  Detroit’s two other casinos “certainly don’t have that world reach that MGM has…MGM lends a feel of opulence, luxury and entertainment.”

It goes to show how the strength of a trusted, strong brand can breed profitable results even during the worst economic climates.