We have garden room reservations with a package for the Tropicana in August (Sunday-Thursday) I know these are the oldest rooms and I was hoping for an upgrade that is complimentary or cheap.

Has anyone had success with tipping $20 or so to get an upgrade here? I tried to get an upgrade at MGM in June and was turned down and I felt kind of stupid - so I wanted to know ahead of time if anyone has done this here.

Anyone?

I'm not surprised they turned down $20 - that's insulting. If a hotel has lots of room and you are charming and ask nicely they will usually give you an upgrade for free. If the hotel is busy - it will take a lot more than a measly $20 to get an upgrade - like perhaps paying for it.

I chuckled at the above reply for two reasons. First, $20 is the 'standard' tip most people offer in LV to attempt to get an upgrade at a decent hotel, and secondly, there are some weekdays when $20 is the actual price of an upgrade at the Tropicana!!

Maybe I should clarify in case nytraveler is not a frequent Las Vegas visitor. LV is unlike any other city when it comes to obtaining upgrades.
Upgrades are always being thrown around in LV, so it's not like trying to get a free suite upgrade at the Four Seasons New York. The desk clerks have quite a bit of latitude at most casino hotels to upgrade people, and if they can pocket $20 extra to upgrade someone in a 4000 room hotel, it's no big deal. Historically the casino hotels in LV weren't even expected to make a profit. The casino part of the operation paid all the bills and supplied the profits. So the hotels were just a way of luring guests to stay near the casino. Rates were low and upgrades were plentiful.
In recent years the hotels have found that people will pay quite a bit to stay where they're comfortable, so rates have gone up and free upgrades have become a little less common. But the $20 trick still works quite often.
It's by no means considered a trivial sum of money to the desk clerks, and they're the ones making the decisions about room assignments in most cases.

Have been to Vegas numerous times and have always been able to get an upgrade just for the asking. But sorry, I stand by the $20 is embarassing - unless its one of those places where the rooms are $69. And if the upgrade only costs a little more why not just pay for it?

I worked with two front desk guys who were FIRED for accepting "tips" in exchange for upgrades. Be careful...you may be endangering the front desk staff's job!

To nytraveler: I think the point is that the upgrade usually would cost more than $20, and more importantly, you only tip once, and that could get you an upgrade for several nights.

To Dan: Did this happen in Vegas? I'm curious because I also used to think that the front desk clerks were doing something illegal, but I've been told by several people that the situation is different in Vegas, and that the management has no problem with the practice.

No, it was in Miami. Perhaps Vegas is different.

In my case, the hotel felt that if ANY cash was going towards a "better" room then it was money owned by the hotel, not the employee.

The trouble with the $20.00 bribe is everything that is done by an employee in a Las Vegas hotel and casino is recorded by hidden cameras. So the boss would see the $20.00 bill exchanging hands.

Other hotels in motels in regular cities may not have everything recorded.

OK, here's another approach that's worked for me.

When checking in, say (nicely): "Any chance of getting an upgrade and what would it cost?"

A smart desk clerk who wants a tip for upgrading will figure out how to make that clear.

If it's a slow time, the desk person might just go ahead and upgrade you without expecting anything. You could then say: "Are you allowed to take tips?"

A tip is something you pay after the fact for good service ... so let's be honest about this and call the "$20 Trick" what it is:

a bribe

But "k_999_9" has provided the best advice on this thread ... just ask, as if prepared to pay, and see what happens. Don't even ask about tips ... but don't be afraid to offer one, or bring some gift, AFTER the fact. Then it IS a tip. I've never known of a hotel that prohibits tips ... only bribes.