My husband and I just returned from 4 nights in Vegas. Here are a few points I wish to hightlight:

1. Travel was smooth. Both our departing and return flights left on time, without incident. Security was increased and took a little longer, but we did not need nearly the 2 hours recommended by the authorities.

2. We stayed at Bellagio, which is a great hotel as always. We booked a regular room ("deluxe"), but managed to get upgraded to a "lake/fountain" view room for $20 to the check-in clerk. I highly recommend such a view. Watching the dancing fountains right in front of the Eiffel Tower with a surrounding view of the strip was a real treat. I also really appreciated the electronic curtains which could be operated from the bed. Very convenient.

3. Phantom of the Opera was wonderful. Beautiful music, voices, costumes, and venue. 90 minutes with no intermission (the average Vegas attention span, including mine). Expensive, but our 4th row center seats did not disappoint.

4. Second City show at the Flamingo. Funny, definitely enjoyable. A bit anti-climactic since we have one where we live. Still a fun show.

5. We dined at Sensi, Michael Mina, Okada, and Delmonico. Each meal was spectacular, really. I would highly recommend each restaurant, and would be happy to impart details to anyone who is interested.

6. We explored the Wynn for the first time. Although I did not see the guest rooms, I would definitely be open to staying there next time. Colorful, beautiful, modern, new...lovely bars and restaurants.

Ah...the old $20 to the check-in clerk for an upgrade trick. I remember a heated debate on that topic a few months ago.

Spill the beans on how you did it?

I stayed behind and let my husband take care of it. From my understanding, he simply asked the female clerk if there were any upgrades available for a "big tipper," placing the $20 on the counter. She indicated that some owners suite or something was available for some ungodly amount of money. My husband replied, "not that big of a tipper." Then she stated that she could give him the same size room we had booked (more than adequate at 510 sq. ft.) but with an upgrade of a lake view. He accepted, and she pocketed the $20. I was pleased.

"not that big of a tipper"...classic!

Sounds like you had a nice time!
I used to work front desk on the Strip, and if the hotel was really low in occupancy, we could upgrade guests for no extra charge. Some clerks would really work it, they would say they "might" be able to get them an upgrade, then they would slip away for a minute and go in the back and talk to an imaginary friend, come back and say "yes, I was able to convince my supervisor to upgrade you"...when all along they could have done so without the dramatics. We had one guy in particular that was "good" at this. Maybe because people are getting ready for "back-to-schools" they are not out traveling and the occupancy was low, so the clerk may have been able to upgrade even without the tip. When occupancy is high but not sold out, we used to offer upgrades, but guests had to "pay" for them on their bill, still we didn't mind as clerks because we would get paid on each upgrade we sold. Upgrades/tipping/Vegas always seem to come into play somehow or another though!