Casino Connection Atlantic City

Hyatt’s Number-One

For Peter Liguori, financial acumen combined with the fast pace of Atlantic City led to the top spot at Hyatt

by Dave Bontempo

Peter Liguori chuckles, recalling 1980 predictions on his casino career. "All of my friends thought it would last about six months," Liguori says. "They knew I loved the outdoors and figured the office life would not fit me. I was just out of college (Monmouth) and thrilled to have a job; what did I know?" Plenty, as it turned out. Twenty-five years later, the former Harrah's, Trump Plaza and Trump Taj Mahal financial specialist has become president of the Chicago-based Hyatt Management Group Inc., which operates seven casino properties throughout the world. Liguori's promotion from vice president and chief financial officer capped a gradual, productive ascent through several jurisdictions. Liguori spent the first 13 years of his career in Atlantic City casinos before obtaining Indian gaming experience with Atlantic City-based Capital Gaming. He became riverboat-savvy with Ameristar before joining Hyatt in 1998, as its third employee. The list now exceeds 5,000. After listing himself as "the number two or number three guy on the senior finance team" throughout his Atlantic City career, Liguori is Hyatt's Number One. "I've been fortunate," Liguori says. "Every job has sort of expanded neatly into the next area." Liguori's Atlantic City signature became financial acumen and grace under pressure. He helped open three properties, which qualifies as a badge of honor and perhaps a migraine in triplicate. Looming deadlines, endless logistics, training, seminars and mock games finally lead to the real deal. "The openings were memorable, and hectic," Liguori says. "You remember that time as being non-stop; it really forced you to improve. It was a significant time of change in Atlantic City. Every year, another casino was opening. I think we were the fourth with Harrah's and by the time I got to the Taj, it was the 11th." Liguori sharpened his skills in the 100-mile-per-hour environment. He also witnessed Atlantic City's transformation from table games to slot mania and he credits the city for providing a foundation from which he thrived. "The increased competition forced a lot of self-examination, to make sure you had your identity and that you were serving the customer," he says. "It put me very in tune with the two biggest areas where casinos spend money, labor and marketing. I came to see the job of each area and how it contributes to the overall picture." Liguori obtained a wealth of intangible skills throughout his journey. Special projects involved trying to determine the optimal number of limos, whether the kitchen operated properly, how many beds an employee could make up in a shift. Countless think-tank exercises and hands-on projects propelled him beyond the world of finance into the overall realm of operations. One significant enhancement accompanied the growth. "One of the biggest lessons I learned over the years was the development of people skills," Liguori says. "I've become more sympathetic and compassionate regarding the people who work for us. "It's important to think about people, how they wish to be appreciated, and the value of their happiness. Instead of just marketing to customers and evaluating what that costs, you have to understand the value of the employees. They are in touch with the customers. If you take five seconds to thank someone for how they handled a situation with a customer, that person will remember that for the rest of his life." Headlining a corporation with seven casino properties throughout the world, Liguori found a melting pot for all his skills. He obtained international expertise by overseeing Hyatt's involvement with properties in Greece, Spain and Argentina. He discovered that gambling remains a genteel luxury in some parts of the world. "Gambling is still very elegant on the international scene," Liguori says. "Customers still want a sense of mystique. The tables are still predominant, even though the slots are coming of age. You do see more people dressed up on a weekend, but you are also seeing more casual dress than before." Liguori spearheaded Hyatt's expansion from its hotel brand to casino operations beginning in the late 1990s. Hyatt expanded to operate casinos in Las Vegas, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Illinois, and Argentina. "It was both easy and hard to associate Hyatt with gaming," Liguori says. "The easy part was its brand name. The difficult part is that all of our properties have their own identities. One of our biggest tasks in the coming year will be to have something uniform regarding Hyatt and the properties. I don't know what that theme will be yet, but it will certainly center around quality." Liguori maintains local contact with two daughters living outside of Atlantic City. He awaits an unscheduled reunion with past colleagues once his whereabouts are published. "I'll probably get a mountain of phone calls from this," Liguori says. "People may be surprised that I'm living in Chicago." Or just how far he has risen.

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