Cheap MGM Room upgrade?
 

Hubby & I plan to stay at the MGM from Sun. Dec. 17th to Fri. Dec. 22nd. We're getting a Grand Tower room, but have heard of getting an upgrade if a $20 or $40 is slid to the front desk person. Has anyone heard of this? How possible could we get such an upgrade during this particular week (I still don't know how busy Las Vegas usually is at this time of the year)? Thank you in advance!

I don't think the tip ploy works, and I wouldn't try in a casino which has cameras pointed on every transaction.

A better approach is to have a bellboy take you to your room and to have him get it changed for you if it displeases you in any way.

It's kind of tacky to do this. The week of Dec. 17 to Dec. 22 is one of the very least expensive weeks in Vegas (but it will be crowded just the same). Room rates are actually "deals" that week (I know, that is one of the weeks we always go up there & I have the Mirage for $79 that week). Chances are you will be upgraded anyway, just be polite, smile and don't act like a jerk at checkin :-) (People do, we've seen them).

We've never had to slip the res. clerk money to get higher floors, views, etc. and we go several times a year.

I just looked, the MGM rooms start at $79 that week - for that price I'd stay at the Mirage (just my thoughts). If you have not been to Vegas before be aware that some hotels shut pools down for maintenance that week (the Mirage did last year) and there also may be some routine maintenance work going on in the hotels. Some shows are "dark" but several of the current "biggies" will be performing, i.e. "Love", "Phantom".

NO! You think a desk clerk is going to risk their job for $20?

If you want an upgrade ask about getting one - if available they will tell you how much it will be.

If the hotel is empty it may be nothing. If full - a lot. If it really matters to you just pay for it.

YES this works and I have used it before. Clerks will NOT get fired for this, las vegas is a town that lives on tips.

The last time I went to vegas was a last minute trip and there were several large conventions in town, everything was pricey and booked. The company would only pay $100 a night. I booked the sahara for $79 (a good deal for that week).

When I checked in I slid the clerk my license with a $20 under it and asked if there were any suites available. He saw the $20, said hold on, about 5 minutes later I was upgraded from a 12th floor standard room to a top floor suite. I checked sahara's website that night, the room I was in was going for $349 and sold out.

Now the hotel was older, but the suite was two rooms, had a full bar, floor to ceiling windows and a strip view. I've used this at the mirage, bellagio, and mgm before. It works 80% of the time. Tip: if possible look for the younger guy clerks, avoid the older women (and men). mainly, be nice, and if they take your money and give you a crappy room, look at it as your first lost bet :)

I think stinkypants might have just found a clerk with no scruples, and fortunately for hotel operators is the exception rather than the rule.

It is an employee's duty to maximize revenue for his employer, not line his pockets with money rightfully due the boss; even in LV Anyone with any doubts should ask ALOUD to the clerk with supervisors nearby if duking the clerk for an upgrade is permissable.

I am a p/t clerk (who at one time worked in management before changing fields) and I can tell you that for most of us, the $20 would be an affront to us. Be assured, we always appreciate some token of appreciation for something we did afterwards, but a #20 ahead of time is a bribe, no matter how you dressup the wording.

Does your employer (or you, if you are management) take kindly to employees "giving away the store"? If so, post here as you might have some goods I'd like to buy!

It dosen't seem like something a "lady" should do.

Thank you for taking the time to respond, especially those who focused on answering the questions ONLY instead of making stupid, judgmental comments.

Here's a tip; call the hotel and ask for the upgrade and what it will cost you.

That way you won't be guilty "of making stupid, judgmental" actions.

Lady Phoenix,

Your question suggests somebody told that you that desk clerks at MGM are unethical and would risk their jobs by giving you something that belongs to those who employ them. I believe you were giving incorrect information.

I further believe others are trying to explain to you how the world REALLY works. Why not thank them rather than berate them?

HTTY

Well, I hate to add to this, but I grew up surrounded by gamblers and spent a good bit of time in LV. That was a long time ago, but one thing gamblers all believed in was tipping for better service ahead of time.

I watched folks get rooms in sold out hotels, tables in restaurants that were fully booked, etc. This was a way of life for these people. Tipping was just what they did.

So... I never really had the nerve to try it, and not because I think it is all that morally wrong. Someone is going to get that room; why not you? Anyway, I tried it just this summer. Put a twenty folded under my CC at check in. Asked for "a lovely king room" and don't you know we got one.

I am not sure if I would do it again. But LV is the land of tacky. Why not be tacky in the very heart of Tacky Land? Why not tip? If the clerk doesnt want it, he/she only has to say "No thank you."

You can bet that the gamblers tip the desk clerks at check in. I would put hard money on it.

HTTY, apparently you did not read my post. I thanked everyone for their responses. The "judgmental" comment was toward posters like "MorganRey" who didn't bother to address the question. My questions were very specific, yet 1 or 2 responses were unrelated. Why bother to be a smart azz? And you are correct: on a Vegas website (reviewjournal.com), posters stated that they have rec'd room upgrades in this manner. I decided to see what the Fodor posters had to say.

Thank you GoTravel for your tip.

LadyPeoenix - please don't let any comments keep you from trying anything you can do to get that free upgrade. Some clerks will be glad to "help" you (and themselves) .. and some might be just as likely to take the $20 and give you a standard room. Will you have any receipt in order to get a refund should you not like the room?

As always, it's best to just ask. If you get it, great;, if not, then as long as you got what you paid for then you're doing ok.

While it doesn't work in LV (few chain hotels) it's always good to be a member of a hotel chain's "loyalty club" in order to get free upgrades in other cities.

Best of luck, and should you lose your wallet, I hope an honest employee finds it, not one of the crooks. yes, I believe in karma.

Thank you rb for a straight-forward response. I appreciate that, and wish others would take a lesson from your example!

Lighten up. MorganRey was obviously aiming for humor, interpreting "lady" in the sense of "A woman regarded as proper and virtuous."

Kind of low class....why not just pay for a better room? Why go thru life trying to get something for nothing.

I agree with others. Just ask about room upgrades and they will tell you how much.

Iambooth,

Touche!

I, a true lady, would never stoop to bribery.

I get room up-grades by being kind and appreciative of room clerks' efforts.

L.M. Sunshine

Curious, isn't it, that people who describe what is, in essence, an ethical or moral issue, take umbrage when it is responded to as such?

I've never done it and don't think I ever would, personally.

At the same time, I can't help but think "It's Vegas!!!" People wouldn't know about the "slip the clerk $20 for an upgrade" routine if it didn't happen all the time.

I can't help but think it isn't all part of the game. I realize it would be a ridiculous idea anywhere else.

I don't want to get flamed, but I'm just sayin'...........

You are right buffalo girl. We expect the hotel to not cheat us when we play the tables. In return we should not cheat the hotel.

If we are offered an upgrade, that is a different story.

Ever go to a Vegas show that has general or host seating? I absolutely promise you that a red chip or 2 to the host will get you a better seat in the showroom. Full valet lots suddenly have space when a $5 bill appears. Waits are not quite so long at restaurants, it goes on and on.

To each their own who have posted here but my guess is that some of these folks have not been to Las Vegas. Tips talk in this town, everybody knows it and lives it, management included.

Oh and to LadyP...

You want an upgrade for 4 nights cheap? $50 is cheap for that, in fact $100 might even be reasonable. Put a Benjamin with your CC and I would place your odds at a virtual guarantee.

Thank you for that tip, placeu2!

Check-in clerks have some discretion at what rooms they assign and I have gotten room upgrades by simply asking. At the Sahara, which I got on priceline, my eyes were stinging in the smoking room that they gave me. I called the front desk and explained that I couldn't stay there. I got moved to a huge sweet, still a smoking room but not as bad.

Money talks in Las Vegas, that is for sure. A tip may or may not get you an upgrade. If it is for one night, and it is night time when you check in, and there is a lot of availability then you have a better chance and I doubt that the hotel cares. But for 5 nights, the clerk is going to have a lot less discretion. Their management and the hotel's inventory control program is going to make it a problem for a clerk at a big place like MGM to give you a free upgrade for a week.

rb_* mentioned frequent guest programs and some of them (Westin, Hilton) can be used in Vegas). The MGM, like other casinos, has a player rating program that provides comps. In your case, you want the comp (a "free" upgrade) to be provided before you play. I am sure that this can be done.

mrwunrfl, thanks and funny you mentioned player's club...we signed up for one 3 months ago, and today noticed an offer posted that included the time frame of our visit. I called the Direct Marketing number, and they told me that the discounted room rates were $59/night!!!!! Can't get any better than that!! We are very excited! Again thanks to everyone (including the arrogant ones) for giving their advice.

That's fantastic. You got what you wanted while remaining every-other-inch a lady. Have fun.

Good job, that is a very good rate. Free is better, and an upgraded free room is even better. If you are going to play while you are there then you could call the hotel and ask to speak to a casino host and ask questions. Ask about a comp upgrade and what level of play you might need. Definitely use your card. Last year at the Flamingo I was at a blackjack table and was very pleased with myself that I got a comp room. I mentioned it to another player, he was playing a couple of black chips per hand, and complained that he has played a lot and never got a free room. When he asked me how I got one, I told him: "I asked". I asked a pit boss who called over a casino host who looked at the record of my plan and then arranged it with the front desk. It was not a busy night, kind of like the weekdays in the week before Xmas...

Wow...I have even better news...when I called the Marketing Number to book our rooms, the price went down AGAIN...apparently there is a new online offer that just began 2 days ago: $49/night!

Patience is definitely a virtue!

There is nothing morally or legaly wrong with the $20 trick. Clerks are allowed to accept tips, and they are allowed to give upgrades at their discretion. If you feel comfortable trying it, go for it.

One thing though, the less you pay for your room the less likely they are to offer you an upgrade.

Good job getting the deals. One place to keep checking for deals at all the hotels is www.vegashotelspecial.com

If there is nothing with the &quot;$20 Trick&quot; then why don't you just state OUT LOUD and in front of the supervisor, <b>&quot;Can I give you and extra $20 to upgrade me to a more expensive room?&quot;</b>

The reaction will put to rest for once and for all how legal, moral, and acceptable this practice is.

rb,

There are certain unwritten rules of conduct in this country...probably apply to the world.

Do you say in a loud voice outside a department store dressing room to your wife:
That dress does make you look fat!

To your boss at a meeting:
You are completely wrong, why would you think such a thing?

To your child in public:
How could you be so stupid?

etc., etc. cmon now, be realistic.

I tend to agree with others that Vegas is different and has different practices than other areas of the country. I have received free upgraded rooms in Las Vegas simply by asking at the time of check in, with no manager approval and no tip.

placeu2: Each of your examples are cases where the comment would be embarassing to the object of the remark. People keep saying here that it is normal, it is expected, it is legal, and it it moral.

So since there should be no cause for embarassment, there is no reason to be discreet in making such a &lt;strikeout&gt;tip&lt;/strikeout&gt; bribe.

While there are certain unwritten rules in this country, there are the written ones too, in law, in religion, and in hotel operation manuals. They all state that stealing is wrong.

Geesh! What about this principle is so hard to understand???

Naysayers, kindly put a plug in it. Helpers, thanks again for your assistance. Now we just got to find competitive airline prices....

I'm catching this a bit late, but here are my comments:
Most places will give you a perfectly above-board upgrade for $20 a night upon check-in. Not for a $20 tip(or even $100), but as an upgrade fee. This can be an upgrade to a room with a view or a nicer room in general.
If you want to tip the check-in clerk, please do, but don't expect to get a room upgrade based upon that. I think there is a lot of grey area in what exactly a 'room upgrade' is, too. Was tuscanlifeedit's 'nice king room' an upgrade? Since the hotel wasn't mentioned, a 'nice king room' might have been what you were already slated for whether you knew it or not.

You should be able to get specials at most casinos for that week that include room upgrades, food comps and FreePlay. It is the slowest time in Vegas.
As you are learning, as long as you booked your room through the casino, you can always rebook at a lower rate or with a better offer until 48 before you arrive (sometimes 72 hours), without penalty. The $49/nt will be hard to beat on the Strip.

A few years ago I booked a special at the MGM for $89/nt in September with various comps and a Bungalo Suite upgrade (based upon availability). When I checked in, they were out of Bongalo Kings and upgraded me to a Celebrity Spa Suite.

Have Fun,
Mark