Travis Lunn has never been one for table games or slot machines, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, he\u2019s always been the man running the games, working his way up through the ranks at some of the most recognizable casinos on the Las Vegas strip, from The MGM Grand Resort to Mandalay Bay, The W, Luxor and The Four Seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But after more than 20 years in the Las Vegas market, Lunn, 52, decided it was time to bet big with his career, when he learned the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa was looking for a new president.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The gamble paid off: Lunn got the gig. His first day on the job was Feb. 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a far from Vegas. But it’s also a change Lunn says feels like hitting the jackpot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the Las Vegas market, a guest might only visit one or two times a year \u2014 it\u2019s very transient,\u201d Lunn says. \u201cBut what I really enjoy about being in a regional market, and what really interested me in the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, was that we get to build a really strong relationship with the guests that come visit us. We\u2019re a local attraction where, even though people may be traveling hundreds of miles to come stay with us, we also have regulars living in our region who get to know us and form relationships with our staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lunn’s first 100 days at Seminole come during a frenzied time for the gaming industry. To wit: The U.S. commercial gaming industry generated record-breaking revenue for a fourth consecutive year in 2024, driven by strong growth in iGaming and mobile sports betting, according to a 2025 report from the American Gaming Association.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s building on relationships, meanwhile, both with staff and with guests, that has kept Lunn\u2019s love affair with casinos and the hospitality industry alive, he says.<\/p>\n
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A Boston native, Lunn was a teenager when his father\u2019s job at Southwest Gas moved the family to Las Vegas. And it didn\u2019t take long for Lunn to fall in love with the fast paced world of hospitality, working his way up from a front desk agent at a casino on the strip to housekeeping manager, to hotel manager to director of sales. Lunn graduated from the hotel program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, which has since recognized him as a \u201cMentor of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because he never forgot what it was like to be washing dishes in the back of the house, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hotel is not going to be successful alone. The casino is not going to be successful alone. It truly takes a team of people coming together,\u201d Lunn says. \u201cI love that we don\u2019t really create a product, we create experiences and we do that through all of our team members working together and getting to know each other. All of our team members are unique and bring something different to the property that really makes us special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ace in the hole<\/p>\n
Learning about those team members \u2014 4,450 in all \u2014 was first on Lunn\u2019s to-do list when he came into his new job at the Seminole Hard Rock, he says. Talking to cooks, busboys, front desk pages, card dealers and learning what they think could be done better, Lunn says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe in a servant leadership style,\u201d Lunn says. \u201cSo for me, it\u2019s all about empowering those great leaders on my team, marrying all these complex businesses together and making sure we\u2019re making the right decisions for our guests and our team members.\u201d<\/p>\n