This is what happened when I tried to book a room with Flamingo. To my fax enquiry about room availability and rates, their Reservations replied by scribbling the dates and rates on my original fax. I wrote back immediately on the same fax sheet my acceptance and credit card details. Shortly afterwards I received a credit card authorization form from their Credit Office with clear instructions to supply them with a photocopy of the both sides of my CC plus a photocopy of a valid photo identification card. I obliged in order to get things done quickly. The point is that I have never got any confirmation of this booking, although I explicitly and repeatedly asked both the Reservations and Credit Office to do so. After three days wait I decided to write to their general manager, but no reply came my way yet. My concerns are three-fold: first, the abuse of personal information – Flamingo Hilton solicited my personal data for the purpose of room booking and never came with any info as to its outcome; second, I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get any response from this place while the prices in other establishments went higher by the day; third, is something going wrong with the great American traits of hospitality, professionalism and efficiency (also)in the service sector? Can anyone share an insight, advice? Thank you in advance.
Svetlana

Why the need to faz? Couldn't you have just done all this easier with a phone call to the 800#?

Al,
I couldn't, I live abroad. There is also a toll-free number from Europe for Hilton reservations, but they no longer handle Flamingo Hilton. Faxing seemed much cheapper than calling the hotel. What a waste of time anyway.

I don't think I've ever thought of faxing for rate info. I've always used online reservation inquiries. I can get specific rates for each date of my stay when I do that and there's no cost to me.

As to your question about hospitality and service, I would offer the following: the quality of service at the hotels in Las Vegas, and virtually everywhere else in the US, has declined steadily over the past 10 years. This is due to 1) a critical shortage of available suitable employees in LV in particular, 2) the US workforce is becoming increasingly educated and thus the pool of people suited to those types of jobs is not getting any larger, 3) I sense a very real trend toward increasing rudeness/intolerance/impatience most everywhere in American society.
Also, faxing reservation materials to casino hotels which process literally thousands of people per day (in person, by phone and a very few by fax) is asking for trouble. Too much potential for things to get lost or misplaced during the back and forth. You have a computer, right? Why not an online reservation? Or spend a couple bucks on the 1-800... phone call.

Too bad about your experience. Take note that the Hilton gaming properties have ceased to be Hiltons and are managed/owned by Park Place Entertainment. This includes Bally's, Ceasars Palace, Paris, O'Sheas in Las Vegas, which you may not have even been aware were Hilton Properties. Hilton has been removed from the hotel exterior and is now just the Flamingo.
www.flamingolv.com
you can reserve online here-securely.