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FROM THE Las VEGAS ADVISOR. I bet it works great late at nite when only 1 clerk.
Q:
I've recently read that sliding a $20 tip toward the hotel check-in clerk and asking if there are any "complimentary upgrades" available can help get you a better room. I've never before heard of tipping a check-in person. I'm going to be arriving at Mandalay Bay in just a few days and wonder if this trick really works. Should I try it?
A:
Given the imminence of this San Antonio's reader's trip, we sent her a personal response and said sure, give it a try and let us know what happens. She did and here's her report.
"We just got back from Vegas. Here's how our experience with tipping the check-in clerk turned out.
"We hit the jackpot with our room at Mandalay Bay! We'd reserved a standard smoking room. When we got to the front desk, I held out my credit card and a $20 bill. I told the check-in clerk that it was our anniversary and asked if there were any complimentary room upgrades available, mentioning that it needed to be a smoking room.
"The clerk searched her computer for a while, then went and talked to her supervisor. She came back and said she couldn't put us in a suite, but she could give us a 'Gold Class' room that was recently remodeled and had a Strip view. She also gave us some free passes to Mix nightclub (though you can get into Mix for free if you go before 10 p.m.).
"We went upstairs and started unpacking. It was a beautiful room, with flat-screen TVs in the bedroom and bathroom, new furnishings, great bathroom. However, I wondered if we might have gotten the same thing just by asking, without the tip.
"Then I noticed there were no ashtrays.
"So I called the front desk and asked if it was a smoking room. It wasn't. I said we needed a smoking room. I pointed out that I'd even tipped the gal, so we wanted a room with at least as good a view as the one we had.
"The lady put me on hold for about five minutes. When she came back, she said they were going to move us to 'the penthouse floor.' Within five minutes, a bellman was at our door to help us move. We went to the top floor (62) and he put us in a gorgeous suite: big bedroom, large living room, wet bar, huge bath with whirlpool tub and upgraded toiletries, extra half-bath, fluffy white robes and his-&-her slippers in the closet. Fridge with icemaker. Turndown service at night with an orchid and Godiva chocolates on the pillow. Private elevators serving just the three penthouse floors (60-62) so there was never a wait. And the most awesome view in Vegas, with floor-to-ceiling windows in both the living room and bedroom. It was absolutely stunning -- we could see directly down the Strip to the Stratosphere!
"Frankly, the upgrade seemed totally out of proportion to the problem, but we happily accepted it! I do believe that it was the fact that I'd tipped and mentioned it when I called to complain about the non-smoking room. I think that's what made the difference between just being moved to a standard smoking room and getting a penthouse suite."
So there you have it -- one personal experience with a very happy ending. Has anyone else had any experience trying to get a "complimentary upgrade" by tipping front desk clerks? Let us know and, as always, we'll pass along the responses.
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