Biography
Steve Cyr was a country boy. Born and raised in Salina, Kansas, a small town a world apart from the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, Nevada, Steve enjoyed a modest upbringing. The son of a Howard Johnson Hotel operator, he always planned on taking over the family business and made no secret of it! Steve regularly worked at the Howard Johnson and prided himself on delivering the highest levels of customer service. At the age of 16, at the prompting of a family friend, he decided he wanted to go to college and major in hotel management. His plan was to leave for school, then return to Salina, armed and ready to take over the family hotel.
Steve realized his first dream of pursuing a degree in hotel management when he was accepted into the program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This decision to attend UNLV proved to be life changing! The bright lights and frenetic pace of Las Vegas mesmerized Steve and immediately drew him in. He was in awe of the action and excitement and developed an insatiable appetite for both. Steve took as many gambling-related classes at UNLV as he possibly could - casino management, marketing, mathematics - seeking out courses that would provide him with a greater understanding of the probabilities and strategies of the casino games and offer him insight into the psyche of the players.
In his final year at UNLV, Steve's hard work and perseverance paid off; he was selected as one of a handful of students for a coveted internship at Barbary Coast, working under renowned casino mogul Michael Gaughan. This internship became a turning point in Steve's life. Mr. Gaughan immediately recognized Steve's passion for the casino world and allowed the exceptionally aggressive, and barely legal, 21 year old to get in on the action! He took full advantage of this unique opportunity. When he wasn't in class, Steve stalked the casinos, trying to figure out how to apply the lessons learned in college to the behaviors displayed by the players and employees on the casino floor. Steve would lie on the catwalks with binoculars, watching the players and studying the action. He began to live and breathe the casino.
Steve eventually learned both sides of the industry - Service and Strategy. He developed an inside perspective into the games and the players, further fueling his hunger for the casino industry. Steve laid the foundation for what would become a wildly successful career as a casino super host.
After graduating from UNLV, Steve was hired by one of the world's biggest hotel franchises, Park Place. In 1991, Steve began his career as a slot host at Caesar's Palace. He was quickly promoted to senior host at the Hilton and from there, things took off! During his 9 year career at Park Place, not a month passed that Steve was not the largest producing casino host. He brought in some of the biggest players and generated over $33 million for the Las Vegas casino properties.
Word spread of Steve's success and he quickly rose to fame as the go-to guy, a blossoming legend in the world of casinos and high-rollers. The biggest players, celebrities and whales now look to Steve to handle their gambling jaunts, calculate comps and deliver on the best accommodations possible. Casino properties vie for his business, knowing his players are the best in the world. While not all casino bosses have appreciated his unorthodox approach to 'hosting,' Steve Cyr has built a solid reputation as a premiere high-roller host and no one could deny his success.
Recognizing an opportunity to maximize his potential and broaden his level of service, Steve created ISC Consulting. ISC is an independent consulting company consisting of a network of professional casino hosts who pair players with casino properties across the globe. Essentially, ISC creates strategic partnerships and nurtures long-term relationships between casino properties and coveted high-rollers. Steve provides his players with the services and accommodations they expect and desire, and brings casinos the action they crave by hand delivering big players willing to drop thousands on the roll of the dice.
ISC's customers range from well-known celebrity gamblers including Michael Jordan and Larry Flint, to the most private whales in the world. ISC takes every measure to ensure that their high-profile clients receive the utmost attention and that their anonymity and exclusivity are catered to at all times. ISC's clients are fiercely loyal to Steve and he leverages their loyalty in his dealings with casinos across the globe.
For a young, farm boy who came to Las Vegas with no juice, Steve Cyr is now the man with all the juice! Steve delivers all the fantasies of Las Vegas to the rich, famous and infamous from around the world!
Steve's successes in the casino business have translated into many opportunities in the mainstream business arena. Steve has been featured in over 30 television shows including ABC's 20/20, the Montell Williams Show, the Discovery Channel, and the Travel Channel to name a few, He has also been highlighted in numerous print publications including Cigar Aficionado, FHM and Details Magazine. In 2002, Steve was named Las Vegas Life's Best Casino Host, a title he holds til this day! In addition to the media and press coverage he's garnered, Steve received the ultimate gift and honor when he became the subject for a controversial book, Whale Hunt in the Desert. Author Deke Castlemen documented Steve's life and accomplishments in Whale Hunt in the Desert and the book, now it's 2 a required text for Cornell University's Hotel Administration students and NYU Stern's MBA program.
Steve Cyr went from chasing his dreams to living them. He never did make that move back to Kansas and he continues to reside in Las Vegas, Nevada. When he's not working deals and catering to the biggest names in the casino world, Steve enjoys boxing and spending time with the light of his life, his daughter, Savanna.
