Asian Fellow was typing away on his terminal and only gave us a fountain/strip view. We expected a resort room but it was just a standard room. Very nice but, the last time we did the $20 trick at the Aladdin we got a resort room. We didn’t get early check-in/check-out either

Fellow was typing away on his terminal and only gave us a fountain/strip view. We expected a resort room but it was just a standard room. Very nice but, the last time we did the $20 trick at the Aladdin we got a resort room. We didn’t get early check-in/check-out either

Checked in Thursday afternoon around 3pm with an already awesome rate which worked out to about $100/night. Did the sandwich, asked for any complimentary upgrades, worked like a charm!

The chick was a Filipina chick, probably just under 30. I was asking her about the upgrades, and she said she is asked for the complimentary upgrade about only once a week. Oh, and also, they’re not really allowed to do it.

Got a Resort room on the 23rd floor (top floor for that particular wing). As a construction engineer, was pleased to have a nice view of the jobsite across the street– but that’s just me. You probably wouldn’t have liked it too much.

I just checked the website, and confirmed that for $20, I got an upgrade worth $50/night for each of three nights.

My buddy also tried this an hour later at the Luxor and got upgraded to a Tower Deluxe from a regular pyramid room…

We felt pretty good about our chances since we were checking in after the weekend rush and since our clerk was at the end of the counter away from the others. We gave her our info and she typed away for a bit then when she asked for our credit card and driver’s license, we slipped $20 in between and asked for a complimentary upgrade. She said there weren’t any available but made a note in the computer and said we could call at 11 a.m. the next day and ask. She gave us the $20 back. We booked on Expedia and thought that might have something to do with it but she made several reminders for us to call back the next day to ask so perhaps she was telling the truth. We didn’t call as we didn’t want the hassle of moving rooms after settling in… It was a good trip overall with one small complaint: if many of the strip hotels have no problem with their elaborate fountain shows, glittering lights and countless other bells and whistles that make their resorts amazing, how come they can’t keep their escalators working?? I’m guessing at least a half-dozen have non-working escalators leading into their casinos… Very annoying for those who need the assistance.

With husband outside smoking it up, I decided to take the $20 tip trick plunge…I had always wanted to try and was determined this time. I sandwiched the $20 between ID and CC, as recommended. The young lady seemed truly surprised and immediately slipped it into her left pocket. I asked if there were any upgrades available, that I wanted a view of the Bellagio fountains and away from that pesky construction across the strip!

Out came the 3 ring binder. She had to confer with the clerk next to her. She asked if I wanted smoking or non. We got a salon suite with double sink areas, a really comfortable couch and a fridge. What a fantastic view of the fountains at night! Plus, because it was on a side wing, the construction noise was non-existent! Also had a bird’s eye view of the pools. Both my 20 and 24 year old sons were aghast. They both said separately, “How’d you know about that $20 tip trick thing????”

Absolutely worth the $20. Also used the FW promo code on my existing reservation and got 2 spice market buffets FREE (that bill would have come to $53.) To top it all off, I also used the RUGBLAST code for Phantom tickets for the Venetian and got 2nd row tickets for $117 instead of the $157 they’re advertised for.

We did this at the Planet Hollywood last week. When we checked in on Monday afternoon, I gave the guy at the front desk the $20 along with my cc and dl. There were five of us traveling and we had three rooms. All three were upgraded from the standard room to the resort style room. It equated to about 100 sq feet more per room.

There wasn’t a line at check-in. Walked up to the counter and they asked for my name. Had to show a picture ID, thus showed my credit card with my AE card and the $20 folded between and asked whether there was a chance of a complimentary upgrade. Clerk immediately knew and quickly put the $20 beneath my credit card in front of her keyboard and said she’ll see what she can do. Found a) and I asked politely whether there’s another choice. Clerk asked me to wait and went behind the doors, came out and offered b) and said that’s the VIP floor (need card key for elevator access to floor) and those rooms are not for sale. I couldn’t decide, asked dear SO and he wanted view. Chose view (b) and happily went upstairs with complimentary 2-for-1 spa pass ($25 value), free $10 slot per $20 coin-in, and 20% off golf coupons. Bathroom had separate toilet, bath, and shower with TV to enjoy while taking a bath. EXCELLENT VIEW, WATCHED THE FOUNTAINS 3 TIMES DURING NIGHTTIME. AMAZING VIEW!!!!!!!!!!! WELL WORTH THE $20!

Enjoyed my stay at PH..went to the Miracle Mile twice to go shopping while my dear SO gambled (I like to gamble at night). Had a great time there as it was the SALE time during my stay there. Great variety at Spice Market buffet (ranked #1 for 2007). Residents get $5 off with hotel key ($19.99 total) which is an excellent deal for vegas buffets.

We didn’t leave PH for the first 2 days! There weren’t a lot of people, thus gambling was more fun and I had my time for shopping!

Plus, the $20 trick…was my first time. Was nervous, but would definitely do it again as it worked like a charm.

Worked great. He didn’t seem to know what to do but he figured it out.

I was very happy to be called over by this “younger-looking” gentleman who was completely separated from the rest of the check-in staff. He asked for my reservation info and then I slid the CC, license and $20 on the counter. He seemed to have absolutely no idea what to do with the money. He said he was new in town…which was obvious, since it seemed like I knew more about Vegas than he did. In any case, I asked for a comp. room upgrade (I asked specifically for a resort room w/ a view) and he was able to find one on the 34th floor. It was a smoking room, but for the 4 of us guys…we could care less. The clerk actually brushed away the $20 about 3 times before I casually took it back off the counter and was on my way. He had his chance…!

Usual way – folded the $20 between credit card & license, kindly mentioned “If there’s any upgrades available I’d appreciate it.” The credit card & license disappeared below the counter very briefly (2 seconds) and reappeared without the $20. He said he’d see what he could do. A person that appeared to be a manager was standing right next to him and seemed completely uninterested in the whole process. The clerk said he had a resort, fountain view and I said “sure”. Room was very nice – flat screen tv, huge bathroom with soaking tub/separate shower, marble counters, very fluffy king bed. View from room was incredible. I booked using the CNEW9 code in the promotions thread ($109/night). We signed up for the player’s card right before we checked in but I was never asked to show it.