I never suggested and did not mean to imply that there was any "wrongdoing" by The Board.

All I said was a) I did not know that The Board got their rooms comped and b)the fact that they did damages their credibility when they argue in support of The Riv. This is my opinion. Here is why:

I had read ALOT of negative feedback when I began investigating the rooms at The Riv. I am sorry, I can't help it, but I am very particular about some things, and where I sleep is one of them. I made a post here and had Board Members contact me, both here and via email, saying the rooms at The Riv are fine.

At the same time, I got MORE THAN several from club members "off the record" with a less glowing assessment. I had a hard time reconciling the difference.

Hotels/Desk Clerks have alot of latitude in assigning a room, even rooms at identical rack rates. If you don't think so, I challenge you to try this: Next time you check in at a hotel you have stayed at before (particularly in Vegas), slip a $20 bill between your credit card and drivers license and give it to the clerk. See if it makes a difference. In an unofficial study, this worked over 70% of the time in Vegas. I am 2 for 2 with it, and I have a pretty favorable review of the rooms I received.

Is there a chance Board members got a better quality room than the folks who emailed me? It makes sense that the staff at The Riv would not assign a sub-standard room to a Board Member. That is plain old good business sense. It certainly makes a reasonable explanation of the difference in opinions I heard.

Politicians fall into this dilemma all the time. You accept the freebie, you lose credibility, even if the argument is solid.

And Todd, if you want to book the bet about me never having met the Steffners, name the amount. You will lose. I met them and spoke with them when I volunteered last year, and I am sure Jim will remember me 'cuz I teased him about his "figure". They are indeed fine, good people.
Does meeting them and respecting mean I can't disagree with them?