Obviously people come to Vegas to party, and probably party too hard... What's the best story you can remember of throwing either a person or party out?
What actually has happened in Vegas, that hasn't stayed in Vegas? Ever had anything reported to you that has just made you sit there, and actually say "What the fuck?!"
One of the first few days I was working at my hotel there was a bachelor party in town. They ended up getting a midget stripper for entertainment which is fine by us. As long as everything is confined to the room and nothing is illegal that we know about it is ok.
About 3 hours later I see the midget run by the front desk completely naked being chased by 4 guys. Naturally we threw them out but I couldn't stop laughing during the eviction process. Was classic.
Sadly most of the evictions are due to drunk people getting out of control and throwing things off their balconies and then lying to us when we have them on camera. If they just tell us the truth and say it won't happen again we generally let them stay.
I almost forgot. The other day a young lady with some guy, both intoxicated, were trying to get into her room that she had with 2 other friends (female). However, when I went to check for her name on the room it was removed by the other two people in the room. I spent the next 20 minutes talking to her about the situation and her continually telling me there has to be a mistake.
She finally gets ahold of her friend and she puts me on the phone with her. Her friend starts ordering food as if she is at the drive through at McDonalds. Her friend then tells me she doesn't want to deal with this now and promtly hangs up. When I tell the guest what happened she is enraged. She went from crying, which she had been for the past 20 minutes, to laughing hysterically (scary). She went off on how much of a petty bitch the other girl is and her friend is only upset because she (the person in front of me) call the other girl a slut for sleeping with a guy she met at a club with no condom on for $800.
I found it odd because that would make her a prostitute, not a slut but w/e. After that she walked away joyfully and was talking about what a filthy slut of a friend she had, showing my bellman and valet naked pictures of her friend.
What kind of illegal activity do you get?
We know prostitution and drug use will happen in the hotel however as long as it doesn't disrupt our daily operations or you don't do it right in front of us we don't mind. We are not the moral police.
I actually had a guest checking into the hotel and she just reeked of weed. During the check in process she put her purse up on the counter and I see a bag a weed, around an oz. I let her know I am unaware of what that flower is but tell her it smells nice. She discretly places her purse in a better spot. She invited me back to the room with her however I declined because I love my job but also because she was gross. More because she was gross...
Ha, priorities!
I like the cut of your jib. Classy.
I can hear the Benny Hill theme going already...
Regarding multiple people in a room. A lot of hotels cost more if you have 4 people vs 2 ( like 2 queen beds and 2 people per bed). If we had 4 but paid for 2 what are the chances they find out and what would they do?
Always put down 2 people because most places in Vegas charge more calling it double occupancy. Just don't add anyone else's name to the reservation. Asking for 4 keys isn't abnormal even with only 2 people.
Pretty low. I usually ask for more keys upon check in "because I may lose one" with a small tip, and they get the point and hook me up no problem.
I imagine that once the party is over, the rooms can take a beating. What's the weirdest/grossest/best thing you have seen after the guests checked out. (And I'm thinking Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas dinosaur tail type weird)
I don't actually clean the rooms, my TSA's do. When someone decides to trash a room all that happens is we charge them and we charge them a lot of money. Normally it's someone having a fun time in their tub and it overflows because they forget about it, causing damage to not only their room, but multple. The most common complaint is people leave thier used condoms in between the beds (from our TSA's) as if no one will ever find them. If they get an oz of fluid on the bed we will charge them.
Given that the average load is like 3 mL, I hope you change them before it hits the one oz mark.
he said charge them, not change them. as in charge the customer for ruining the linen.
At 3ml a load, 10 splooges would be enough for a oz and a charge. Easily doable.
I would hate to be a cleaning lady in Las Vegas. :| Thanks for the answer!
I feel like they have the worst jobs in the hotel. They deal with all the people who think they are lower than life and expect them to clean anything and everything. Some people are very rude (duh).
They do have the worst job in any hotel. I used to work as one near Banff and, to this day, still traumatized. Every time I travel I leave at least $5/$10 just for them, and strip the bedding...remaking the beds for 10 hrs/day is the worst. Especially all those pillow cases and crap - so many sore muscles for such a thankless job.
td;lr: Leave a tip for your hotel cleaning staff and strip your bed.
strip the bedding
Looking for more details on this. Do you mean pulling off all the sheets, covers, and pillow cases? Should I just pile them on the bed afterwards? Should I do anything similar to the bathroom laundry?
i've worked as a maid before one summer during university, and leaving the towels all in a heap in the middle of the bathroom floor makes things easier. Also, taking the sheets and pillowcases and leaving them in a pile on the bed makes things waaay easier for us. honestly i hated the job so much, and guests who even took 2 minutes to make the job easier was appreciated so much, the kind of thing that is so rare we talk about it at lunch and probably would love you forever.
If you want to be especially helpful, in my experience, it was as good as a tip if people just took off the pillow cases and sheets. They can be piled on the floor (along with the used towels), and just stack the pillows and the conforter on the bed. If you're feeling extra nice, putting all garbage in the garbage can and tying a knot is also much appreciated.
Now that I'm not in that industry anymore, I know it seems like doing a lot of the housekeepers work for them - but where I worked, we had quotas for rooms we had to finish before we could go home. So, what takes me as a guest 3 min to do before I leave can really just make someone's shitty job just a little easier (IMO). I know some people go on vacation to get away from housework and all that jazz, but I dunno...I just don't see it as that big of a deal.
Totally agreed. If I do have a used matter (be it condom or tissue) I always tie the bag up if there is bag in the can or dump it into a grocery bag or dry cleaning request bag (and put it in trash of course). Not sure if the cleaning people actually get why I've done that but I'd hate to have to clean up someone's bodily fluid mess. UGH.
I've worked in hotels for the last five years and I fully believe housekeepers should make so much more money! The day after Valentines Day tends to be the worst for clean up.
I saw a room that a girl had been sleeping in and when she woke up there was shit....EVERYWHERE. Walls, floors, beds, TV, you name it. Some guy apparently got into their room completely shit-faced, had bad diarrhea, and just washed the room with it. I couldn't help but laugh while covering my face from the smell.
Now that would be a bad day at work.
I worked front desk for a chain hotel in a small town for a while. The janitor used to tell us about gross things people tried flushing down the toilet. Most memorable call he had? Being sent to the honeymoon suite to remove a zucchini from a clogged toilet.
What professional organization would you perceive as the least professional when conferencing?
I am still low man on the totem pole so I am not involved in conference calls. I mainly oversee the front desk, bell desk, and valet services. Since I work overnight I am technically the highest athority during overnight however I never actually reprimand anyone from a different department, I merely send a message to their boss. Generally engineering the least professional in my experience because they have limited engagement with the guests and seem to get away with the most.
I think(?) maybe WarMace meant which professional organization (i.e., American Medical Association, American Psychological Assocation) is least professional when they come to your property for a conference. I'm curious, too.
I don't think you understood his question....
Have you ever dealt with or met any celebrities?
I have. I have met numerous celebrities and have yet to meet a rude one. They normally have their managers check them in while they wait however they are extremely nice to the staff. I have heard horror stories however our guests have all been nice. We have a harder time with people who are just important enough to be on our radar however think they deserve the world. Like "special" casino guests or a relative of someone important in the company.
Ugghhh dont you know that celeb stories are useless without actual names??
Have you heard of The twenty dollar bill trick? Does it really work?
I am assuming you are talking about putting a $20 inbetween your ID and your CC. It really depends on the front desk agent. Some will take the money and still give you a crappy room because they are bitter, some will give you a better room, and some would have given you the best room they could have period. Our hotel doesn't have ANY complimentary upgrades to a better suite so it's really only higher floors or views/balcony.
I'm going to Vegas for the first weekend of March Madness (Mar 15-19) - chances of getting an upgrade that weekend? If it helps, there are four of us and we're planning on making it the "$100 trick" instead of $20.
Also, Caesar's, if that changes things. Lastly, the room is almost fully comped from prior play (like $110 total for three nights), if that helps or hurts.
Wow, what the hell happened here???
It was an honest question. There is an entire website dedicated to The Twenty Dollar Trick. I was asking if it would work on a weekend as busy as the first weekend of March Madness.I also asked if $100 had a better chance at an upgrade than $20. What's wrong with that?
I mentioned that the room was at a reduced rate wondering if that hurts the chances of getting an upgrade (i.e. maybe they don't upgrade people with reduced rate rooms. I don't know. That's why I asked.) I also mentioned the hotel as that may have bearing on our chances of getting an upgrade.
All honest questions. Sorry to offend the hivemind so badly
I don't know the answer to your question, but I'm baffled by the downvotes on this as well. Maybe people think you're flashing wealth by mentioning your plan to give a $100 tip and that you got a mostly-free room at Caesars, or something? Of course, as you mentioned, those are important details in a casino hotel.
Yea I have no idea. Definitely no notions of being uber-ballers with our $25 (per person) tip and getting a reduced rate room. That doesn't take much these days.
Generally, $20 will get you the same as $100 because it's more the thought than the amount. I have only receieved 1 $100 tip and it was when i worked outside of Vegas.
Caesar's Palace fucking SUCKS. Go to the Cosmopolitan or the Wynn.
Your chance of an upgrade could depend on how booked the hotel is that weekend. Vegas is usually busy during March Madness. I'd suggest checking the Caesar's website right before you go to see if there are any upgraded rooms even available.
In my research of the $20 trick, I've found most people suggest to not go above the $20. Generally, if they are going to upgrade you the $20 should be enough. I would hate for the check-in clerk to take the $100 and tell you there are no upgrades available. $20 is a lot less painful to lose.
As for the reduced rate, I don't believe it usually has any weight on it but I could be incorrect on that part.
Planning on counting any cards, Rainman4?
I have been to LV 3 times, stayed in 3 different hotels (Ballys, Golden Nugget, MGM Grand). Success rate is 3/3.
At Ballys we got upgraded to the newly renovated tower. At Golden Nugget we got updraded to the Rush Tower, which has the most expensive rooms there. And at MGM we even got upgraded to a Celebrity Spa Suite on the 23rd (?) floor.
Well worth the 20$ every time. Plus: You make someone happy.
Exactly. People want to help you. We only really get to talk to the people who are pissed off or upset with something so if you are nice we go out of our way to do everything for you. Even just a smile is nice. Some people come to Vegas and always look depressed.
The folks at the Bellagio, a couple of weeks ago, seemed too pretentious to care about my stay or anything like that.
If the room is already booked and paid for ahead of time, is there a good $20 trick?
Thats exactly why I dont like to stay at the Bellagio, Venetian, or Wynn anymore.
Yes Im a 30 something guy traveling on business thats not wearing shiny shirts and tossing around stacks of cash. That doesnt mean that I want eyes rolled at me every time I ask for anything, or the cattle car treatment for everything from elevators to checkin/checkout. When Im paying over $300 a fucking night for a bed, and dropping $100 for every meal I eat in the building I would expect them to not look at me like Im white trash every time I deal with an employee.
Seriously fuck those guys, Last time I left the Bellagio mid trip and moved to the Golden Nugget downtown. World of difference, the staff throughout the entire place is so much nicer to deal with than the douche bag places on the strip.
Next week Im going to Vegas and I am going to give the new Cosmopolitan hotel a shot just because I pride myself on having slept in every casino hotel in Las Vegas. But I get the feeling that I will be moving back downtown to the Golden Nugget before the trip is up.
The Nugget wasn't as glitzy, but service was great. I'd stay there again.
in the check in lobby of the cosmo they have a massive 384 display video wall that wraps around all the columns
its just cool
I can't speak for the service
Cosmopolitan is a cool hotel, good bar scene. A lot of people go to their Wicked Spoon buffet too
I hear the hidden Pizza shop alone is worth the stay. Hopefully it turns out to be a good stay, the whole place looks pretty different than the typical strip casino/hotel.
With as many trips as I have made to Vegas over the years its getting harder and harder to find things I actually enjoy in that town.
i've been there, its pretty good... not the best, but its good and you feel like a boss when you find it
Ive always had good service at the luxor.
No, the Cosmo is great. The rooms, the bars, the restaurants(well the ones I've been to...Comme ça, and Jaleo) are all stellar. I'm young, not rich, don't pretend to be, and I have never had a bad experience there. Hopefully you will have a positive experience this time around!
Parents got a free upgrade at the Nugget to a suit. The Nugget is awesome. Not far off the strip and they even have a damn charter going there.
The one thing I miss about Vegas is Metro. The only good pizza I have had outside of Chicago.
This is an excellent tip! I've been to Vegas 5 times and have never heard or tried this trick before. I'm going in June, hopefully it works!
Is this a vegas only type of thing? Or can it work anywhere?
frontdesktip.com
All you need to know
There's a comprehensive list of success/failure ratio for "the sandwich" on fatwallet. Search this thread before you go: http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/travel-discussion/529706/
This is great to have! Thanks!
I was luckily enough to get upgraded for free at the Stratosphere without doing the $20 trick. I was there for CES and I figured the place would be booked solid. The place was alright, and it was far away from the larger hotels.
How big is the hotel? Number of rooms?
Are your maintnence guys in-house or contracted out?
What about the gambling machines? Does the hotel have techs to work on them, or is there an outside company that fixes the machines?
Our hotel has around 2,000 rooms.
Our maintenence guys are in house.
And I have no comment on the last question.
Cool, I figured that last question was a long shot.
I work maintenance at a large (2000+ room) hotel/convention center, and I'm still amazed at the complexity of the operations it takes to keep a large hotel running smoothly (I'm sure it's a whole lot more complex with a casino, though).
Also, in regards to housekeeping/maintenance, do you have seperate departments for on the casino floor vs. in rooms, or is it all the same people?
Is there a difference in the hiring procedures / backround screening for people who work with money or in the casino floor, versus people who don't work with money / work back of house? Or does everyone go through the same hiring process?
I am not commenting on anything gaming related. It is just one of those issues you don't fuck with.
Dan_the_moto_man is actually Danny Ocean, trying to get some dirt.
If you can share anonymously, why not? Did you sign an NDA for this?
There are different departments, Porters clean pretty much everything but the rooms, those are taken care of by housekeeping.
Hiring process is roughly the same, If you're in gaming you have to get approved by the NGC which "can" be strict, but I know a LOT of people that are dealers and have priors/etc.
Most casinos have one hiring process. The only difference being whether or not you need to have a gaming license. All employees have to be screened by your states gambling commission, and certain casinos you can't work with money if you have priors.
All of the casinos in Vegas have in house slot techs that deal with 99% of problems. For the rare slot problem that they can't fix the company is contacted.
Table games machines (shufflers) are all fixed by Shufflemaster since they lease all of the machines and none of them are actually sold.
I am sitting in the lobby of a Vegas hotel right now...we might be in the same room.
Mind = Blown.
Get off reddit, go have fun.
I have to hang around here and wait for clients to show up at the hotel so I can greet them. Only waiting for one more group that should have been here a couple hours ago. Anytime now.
I have been sitting here talking to people and playing on the computer while a waitress brings me free stoli and tonics the last few hours. It's not so bad for a workday really.
Wish I was in Vegas right now.....
I live in Vegas and really wish I didn't...
Eh...here for a conference. I can have a good time, but there are quite a few people lurking around town that would not be very impressed if they caught me having too much fun.
It'll still be a good time...just have to be careful so that I don't take it too far. I have a lot of important meetings to attend this week and several dinners with important customers.
Last time I was in vegas for a wedding and I drank so much I swear I was hungover for a month.
I will be in vegas next week for my honeymoon!
What's your hotel's policy on dealing with the bed bug complaints?
How often are the comforters changed/washed?
I can help with this one. Bed bugs are a huge problem with hotels that have a lot of international travelers, especially airport hotels. If a problem comes up, the hotel hires a pest control service to clean the room and does damage control with the guest who reported it.
Most decent hotels no longer use comforters. They all use a three sheet system so everything is clean. When hotels used comforters, most only cleaned them 2 to 4 times a year.
From my experience, they ignore the guest entirely and don't do squat about the room, lol. 4 Queens though, so it's not like they give a fuck about their guests.
When I stayed in an MGM spa suite 3 years ago, they had duvets in our room and comforters in the regular rooms.
Common misconception is that Hotel's carry bed bugs. We do not. People bring these bugs to our hotel and anytime someone beleives there are bed bugs we need to move them to a new suite and have a testing company come to check the room for bugs. If there are we need to test rooms all around that room to verify there are no further infections and also sanatize the room. It is a huge pain however very rarely do we actually have it.
Can you help me find my friend? His name is spelled H...E...R...O...I...N...
ask the valet, he/she has prob. seen your friend.
Whats the worst/most twisted thing a guest ever done, but still been permitted to stay?
We had a guest throw a quarter off his balcony and hit a security guard and because we couldn't prove it was him we had to let him stay.
Did Caesar really live here?
Any recommendations for first time Las Vegas travelers? I've never been and plan on going in May.
I work with a woman who grew up in Las Vegas, her parents still live there and she tells me how much of a ghost town it has become. A lot of people living in subdivisions moving out, etc. The only "real" jobs being working at a hotel, casino, bar, club. That's it.
Get here early. If we are oversold on rooms, it is normally the last people who show up who get sent someone else. I had someone arrive at 1am the other day after driving for 10 hours with his wife and kids only for me to tell him he cannot stay here and we have made accomodations elsewhere for him. He was livid.
And I find Vegas to be very alive. It is coming back and I feel like there are more people here now than ever however I haven't been here that long.
I recommend seeing some shows while you are here. Jersey Boys, Beatles Love Show, Mystere, Ka in that order.
Hotwire apparently has the best rates however if you book directly through the hotel you have a better chance that the hotel can work with you.
Don't see the Michael Jackson show. It was terrible. Terrible.
I'd be livid too. He probably made reservations because he knew he'd be driving 10 hours and get in late. Nothing pisses me off more than buying/reserving something only to have the business sell it again out from under me. (Airlines, I'm looking at you.)
Usually if you call up and say you'll be late, they would hold it longer. I've done this a few times for vegas and haven't had an issue.
Well that's helpful and all but half defeats the purpose of the reservation. I shouldn't have to just know that I need to call. My confirmation email (and sometimes near constant reminder emails) should be enough. To me, confirmation means confirmation not "well, confirm again on the date if you want it for serious."
Hey, I've worked for airlines, and my family have worked for a lot of hotels and other airlines. The reservation systems that they use have this thing down to a science. They overbook flights/ rooms because there is a very good chance that multiple people will show up too late, miss connections, or just no show. Sometimes it doesn't work out and more people show up then the computer expected.
Because they do this tickets and rooms are cheaper than they would be if they didn't.
And just a tip, if your hotel is overbooked, don't get mad. There is literally nothing that can be done. They can't exactly kick someone out of a room that is already occupied. Now most hotels have agreements with others in the area to take their overflow. And they have an option which one they send you to. If you are a jerk, guess who's going to the Motel 6. If you are nice, free night at a 5 Star Resort.
It can't be worked out to too much of a science if people get bumped from their rooms or flights, which they do. I notice I get charged even if I don't show, so it's really just a way for them to legally sell the same product twice in the hopes that one of the people who bought it doesn't show up. Which, when I take the time to make plans and pick a flight or hotel very deliberately, pisses me off greatly.
And I do get mad, but not at the desk jockey. But there are people in the organization that can make things more right after the fact and they most certainly will hear from me.
I'll definitely look into going to some shows. I've looked at deals too and compared to traveling to the beach, las vegas is actually pretty cheap (though I'm probably spending more including gambling). I had one friend tell me to definitely see the Penn & Teller show and to avoid the Chris Angel show.
Recommendations on hotels? Bars? Casinos? (I believe I read earlier your not a big club person and I'm not either, but I figure I should at least go to one to say I've been to one).
also the Chris Angel show is retarded
but if people like Chris Angel than they are probably retarded and will have a great time
I always recommend people see the Blue Man Group. Never disappoints.
Penn & Teller was pretty good.
I'll be in Vegas next month for an industry convention. I'm dying to see the Beatles show. Got any tips for me to get tickets? Are the seats good anywhere in the amphitheater, or is there a specific section I should sit in? Wanna come with me (I'm a girl, btw. LOL)?
Ever have any rooms completely destroyed?
I know you don't do the cleaning but have you ever heard any funny stories of items left behind?
Pimps / hoes?
Funniest story of people checking in?
Thanks!
How fulfilling is living in Vegas socially? I imagine someone who likes variety and new things would find it engaging. Does it offer general recreation or hang outs?
Right now I am working on overnight and I dislike it. I'm not someone who enjoys going to clubs but overall I enjoy living in Vegas. The bars have amazing specials all day long to attract locals, it is cheap to live here and there are no state income taxes. I plan on living here while I potentially earn my master's degree in finance.
Im 22 and I also just moved out here not to long ago. My company moved from Southern California and they asked me to tag along so I said "fck it, why not."
I haven't came across a handfull of attractive people at any "local" spots.
But I must say it is cheap to live out here. Wanna be friends? lol
The only good thing about living in Vegas is that it's next to amazing outdoor recreation opportunities. Otherwise, it's kind of a shitty town to live in. The strip is a pain to get to for locals (and ten times pricier than anything off the strip), and the rest of the place is either rundown, or strip malls and housing developments...
Being from Metro Detroit, I love Vegas.
It's on a culinary level with the best of em, Paris, New York, Etc.
It's got an amazing bowling culture (important to me), hiking opportunities, golf courses with reasonable locals rates. I don't know what more people want from a big city.
What's the right way to ask somebody at your hotel about a prostitute? I've been considering going to Vegas for that reason. I know it's illegal in Las Vegas, but not enforced unless you force them to enforce. Is their a right way and a wrong way to get prostitute while in the main area of Las Vegas?
Not the OP, but I will answer based on experience: do your homework ahead of time. Join a site like Redbook or The Erotic Review, find a well-reviewed lady who won't rip you off.
Yes, you can "improvise" and pick up a working girl at a casino bar or out on the Strip (the pedestrian overpasses are a popular spot, especially at midnight or later). But that's a total gamble, with worse odds than many casino games!!
While your in Vegas just make eye contact with any hot girl you come across, if she is available for takeout she will make it obvious to you.
Just walk around the Miracle Mile inside the PH after hours.
just take the time to go to a brothel where you will be 100% safe... state mandates condoms use and weekly testing... street hookers dont. shivers
Is the hotel beeper friendly?
Is there a payphone bank? Buncha payphones? Business.
Glad someone asked.
Hi... High five?
I like a you
I'm honeymooning at the beginning on July (we will be there during the 4th), and neither of us have been to Las Vegas before. All we know of Vegas is from movies and rumors.
Is it true that if I am gambling people will just bring me free drinks?
Are there prostitutes on every corner?
It is true that the buffets are complimentary?
Can my (soon to be) wife and I make sex wherever we want?
Is there anything dangerous to be aware of that most tourists have no idea of, such as human trafficking or drug rings?
I doubt my wife will have the energy to move around when I am done with her, and we will have to spend most of our time in the hotel room. Is there anything in Las Vegas that we just have to see?
What can I personally do to make things easier on the hotel staff?
If it helps we are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel (we got some sweet suite Groupons!)
You don't even have to gamble to get a free drink on the casino floor, you can just stand next to a table game and LOOK like you're gambling and they will hook you up. Those "free drinks" make the casinos a ton of money since people gamble more when drunk.
There are not prostitutes on every corner, at least on the Strip.
By default, buffets are not complimentary. But casinos do comp people with free food all the time.
No, you can't have sex anywhere, people will throw you out.
There probably are drugs and human trafficking in Vegas but it isn't something that a normal person needs to worry about. I felt safe walking along the Strip at night, there are always other tourists around and it's pretty well lit. It's not like Mexico or anything.
I'd strongly recommend just walking up and down the Strip, it's free and you get to see all kinds of huge, cool buildings.
I can't answer the last question since I don't work in a hotel, but I think standard "Don't be an asshole" rule applies
Stay in the touristy areas (Strip, Freemont, etc) and you'll be completely safe. There are cameras and security EVERYWHERE in the touristy parts. I've walked around on the strip into the wee hours of the morning and never had any moment where I didn't feel safe.
- You do get free drinks for gambling.
- There are prostitues everywhere however it is hard to tell the prostitutes from the girls letting loose.
- There are no complimentary buffets unless it comes with your package.
- No...
- I wouldn't worry about that. Don't walk down dark alleys late at night and you will be fine.
- See a show. Thank me later.
- Don't be a dick. Understand that things happen.
If you work in Caesar's Palace, how many times have you heard that hangover joke?
Do you have a payphone bank?
Not getting a sig on my beeper.
What are some of the things that a front desk person can do for a guest? I see that the $20 trick might help you get a better room, but what are some of the other benefits?
It depends on the hotel. Most of the time the front desk agents have little to no ability to get you free things. Our front desk agents can only give out up to 50-75 dollars in things. I don't have a limit. THe $20 can work however being a nice person, asking or making up a special occasion can work depending on the person.
Does the staff have a bias towards people who book via Priceline/other sites Vs the actual Hotel?
When guests ask you for recommendations for steak or sushi or any other outstanding food do you refer them to your casino restaurants or other places?
Good luck on perusing your Masters!
Most people do not however when it comes to special treatment we are less likely to be able to do most things because you have payed so little compared to everyone else. Because your rates are low it becomes harder to justify to our bosses why we upgraded you if it comes down to it. And I always give recommendations within our hotel and places I truly enjoy. I like giving off-strip reccomendations more than strip ones but most people want to pay for overpriced food on the strip.
I'm going to Vegas for my brother's bachelor party in April. Is there anything we can do or say at the front desk to make it extra special or are bachelor parties so common there that the hotels don't really care? Thanks!
No one cares. My favorite is people tell me they are with the "bachelor party" in a hotel with 4k people in it like they are the only people here for that. Congrats on the nuptuals however we don't give a shit....
I'm planning travel for this year for myself and my wife. Is there really "no off season" in vegas? When, in your professional opinion, is the better time to go?
It depends on what you want. The summers here are hot (weeks of no rain, 100+ degree heat), the winters are mild (the average temp this winter had to have been in the 50s), and the week of spring/fall are nice.
The pools in Vegas usually open around this time, which to me marks the beginning of the travel season. I don't know how it is for Front Desk, but I dreaded working sometimes in the summer because of how packed it would be.
Novermber/early decemeber is pretty much dead in vegas and you can get really good deals on everything.
My fiance had your exact job, until he was laid off last year, the day before his five-year anniversary with the company. Do you worry about job stability?
Not at all. If I was laid off I have amazing experience working on a 4 star 4 diamond hotel on the strip and I could get a job almost anywhere.
With Las Vegas being a popular travel destination, what is the best time of the year to visit when trying to get rooms at the cheapest rates?
Thanks for doing the AMAA!
Vegas is pretty dead after Thanksgiving, up to a week before Christmas. That's when you'll get the best rates at most places.
Novermber/early December
I will be going to Vegas in March for my 30th birthday. We are arriving late (like 11 pm). Is there anything I should know to make the front desk attendants' lives a bit more pleasurable at that hour?
Thanks for the AMA. I know that Nevada has one of the toughest stances on drugs, but how often does your staff look the other way in your hotel? do you ever bust people for smoking weed in their hotel rooms?
Weed must be ubiquitous, as LV is comprised of thousands of thousands of californians on any given weekend.
If you are smoking weed and we catch you we will kick you out. If you complain and give us problems we will call the police or have the police waiting outside our property for you.
Do you happen to know of any deals or packages for a trip to Vegas(all inclusive)? The reasoning behind me asking, is that me and a group of buddies are looking to take a trip to Vegas when we become of age. Any advice on where to look would be fantastic.
Any hotel slang that I might find useful? I know there's "whale" but are there terms or words I might drop that would indicate that I'm an insider to the staff and maybe get treated better (or at least not get treated worse)?
Does Vegas have a "locals discount" where you use some secret codes or something to get deals? I'm probably heading there in a few months for a bach party and even though I'm not from there any way to save cash would help.
Locals discounts require ID. We get 2 for 1 show tickets quite often, free entry into some clubs, etc.
I saw your comment saying the hotel has 2,000 rooms, if your hotel is considered full are ALL those rooms booked with people? Or are there certain floors that they fill up first and some floors don't have anyone staying there?
Yes, that would mean all rooms are taken. There are no extras. The hotel wants every single room sold, period.
Full is a loose term because sometimes we have rooms but they aren't perfect so they are out of order unless absolutely needed. You trying to get a room at 2:00am doesn't count as needed.
if a guest comes to you and wants a connection for drugs or a prostitute, do you help them out or do you tell them to get lost? what if they tip you?
You're likely to get turned down unless it's someone who doesn't care about their job. I'd think you'd have the most luck at night with one of the nightclub staff.
Like they said, I care about my job and would never help people do this. Hard Rock actually got in a lot of trouble for this.
So I had a friend that went to Vegas last weekend, got black out drunk and crapped his hotel bed. When you get calls to the front desk like that, how do you handle them?
Security is called, sometimes engineering, and prices are determined to charge the guest. Also, pictures/videos will be taken.
I let them know it happens all the time. We will be forced to charge them to clean the room and for the cost of the matress. I then laugh my ass off with my co-workers and call a TSA to take care of it.
I know most hotels charge for the 3rd or 4th adult in a room, but how often (and how) do you enforce it? Do you ever give waivers? How about for kids? Some hotels have an age limit under which kids stay free, but others don't. The additional guest fee can often times double the nightly rate.
Simple, don't tell them. Ask for two beds and then call housekeeping and tell them you have a drunk friend that needs a roll-around bed for the night, they won't tell anyone.
Don't ask don't tell. If you are nice we don't look into the little things. Noramlly if you let them know you are coming with kids they don't charge you but it depends on the person.
How much sex occurs ?
I'm going to Vegas in April for my Bachelor Party. Is this worth mentioning when checking? Do hotels typically do anything special if its a special occasion? Or do they generally not care because every other person is there for some celebration? Thanks!
If a guest tells you, "i didnt eat all that shit out of the mini bar" but the stuff is missing from said minibar, what do you do?
As a dealer, I have to ask, what do you guys think of us?
I'm the night auditor at a small hotel in Maine, and I often get pissy about drunk morons in the hotel annoying other guests. This happens maybe ten times a year to me. How often does it happen to you? Or rather, how often does it happen to your night auditor, and is it different in Vegas as far as noise in the other rooms goes?
I usually tip $20 at check-in for an upgrade, which usually gives me a mini suite or a view. Would $40 get me a large suite, or is it all based on availability?
What do you say at the desk? "Here's $20, can I get an upgrade?"
How much bullshit do you guys put up with? I used to work Front Office for Marriott, and basically if they yell enough we have to cave after a while.
Any stories where you had to cave to an irate customer, or where you told someone off?
Would your hotel treat a guest who is using another guests rewards card (highest tier) as an equal to the person who owns the card? Lets say i use my dads tier card for the booking and gambling, would I be treated the same as if i was my dad?
How can I discreetly tip you at the front desk in hopes of getting a better room? And roughly how much? Can you suggest any key words I should use and how should slip the cash?
Do you need any front desk? I'm dying to work at a hotel on the strip (I have 5 years experience & I'd move there)! What's your turnover rate for employees? And how much ass do you have to kiss daily?
Planning on going to Vegas this summer. How risky do you think it would be using a fake ID? (Though a very good fake). My reasoning is I am only going to drink and if I'm just drinking and giving the Casinos money by drinking they won't care. What is your opinion on this?
I took a fake to Vegas in the 90's and didn't have any issues. If you're using someone else's ID be sure to get something else with their name on it.
Don't keep your credit cards etc with the fake.
I used a separate wallet for the fake and only used cash.
Also be calm and confident and don't do anything stupid.
I used to live in Vegas and I was wondering what kind of hookups you can give to locals? I used to waste a lot of money getting rooms to party and for free rehab entry.
I'm going to be in Vegas for St. Patrick's day, which hotel on the strip would you recommend?
I just stayed in the luxor for 4 nights last week. So my experience as a guest is fairly fresh. Vegas from my impression was entertaining but very annoying as it felt like most of the staff is trained to get money out of your pockets. I'm never one to complain about having to spend some cash to enjoy a good meal or be entertained but talk about shiesty. I sure do not enjoy being bullshitted to be nickle and dimed. Is this a common practice in vegas? Or perhaps just in the MGM Grand chain of hotels? Was with the girlfriend and almost every stop we made to have drinks/food you would get the unexpected charge on the receipt for the most common thing. Really? you charged us for the chips and salsa we didnt ask to have brought out here? You charged me for the sparkling water but not for her flat water? I ordered a 46$ platter of fish to enjoy with wine and some drinks and you doubled the price of the platter because there was two of us?
Left and right it seemed they all had their tricks to increase your bill by a couple bucks. "Sorry we didn't have the beer you wanted on tap instead i can offer you a corona thats loaded for you". Get the receipt later loaded coronas (coronas with a shot of bacardi lime in them) 4$ extra each? seriously?
I could keep going with examples... eventually its almost best to just get drunk faster so you are numb to the bullshit.
Not to mention a day after the trip my CC was some how compromised. Which whatever that could of been for a number of reasons but it was inconvenient, waiting in the mail for new one. Also the 35$ meal credit or whatever was never honored. It never posted to my hotel bill.
tldr: had a very good vegas trip but stay on your toes as you can get nickel and dimed with shiesty tactics.
What are the easiest comps and upgrades to get (room, tickets, buffet, etc.)? How would you go about getting them?
What about the more difficult ones?
This post may be too old for a response but I have/had been coming to Vegas yearly since the 90's. I know the economy has hurt Vegas but does Vegas realize that it has hurt itself badly through price gouging? The prices for food and drink have gotten completely and stupidly overpriced. These casinos deserve to suffer. I am not asking for the old days of bad food for mostly free but good food for reasonable prices. Vegas is not NYC damit.
looking for any interns?
I'm taking my fiancee out to Vegas in a couple weeks. I know this is more of a concierge question, but what are some fun things that couples can do there, especially with this being her first time going?
Also, do you plan on staying in the hotel industry there in Vegas? How are the chances for advancement in that city?
Can you give me a job?
Going to Caesars in April with a couple of american friends, i'm coming from the UK, where can i get sushi on the strip in large quantities for an ok price?
Why are people so anal about kids being near the slot machines etc?
I know it's law, but one time when I was in Vegas visiting grandparents we went to, iirc, the Rampart. My brother and I were in the arcade. I really had to pee and there wasn't a bathroom near the arcade so I walked out and got yelled at by a woman. I was like I'm going to the damn bathroom so I don't piss my pants.
Just got back from the Riviera recently, reserved a queen size room but during check in they didnt any room left so stayed at a double room with my SO. complained nicely and they upgraded us to a king size deluxe for the next two nights. =)
For the person who requested this AMA, we can keep our tips so if you walk up instantly with a tip we are more than happy to help. Most people don't tip the front desk staff so we make an attept to make your stay amazing.
I'm confused by this. What is expected in tipping the desk staff?
Room upgrades. Slip the guy at the desk a $20 when you're checking in and ask if there are any complementary upgrades available. Could end up with something as small as a strip view or something as nice as a luxury suite. Depends on what they have available but they'll generally hook you up if it's at all possible.
Oh! Ok gotcha.
I've never traveled to Vegas. My usual travel is to more mundane locations so this never occurred to me.
How often is it possible? I'd hate to be the guy shelling out $20s with my fingers crossed!
Don't people usually go to Vegas to gamble?
If you're staying on the strip, you can probably afford to not worry too much about that $20 anyway ;-)
Here is a site where people share whether it worked at certain hotels. If you google for 20 dollar trick you can probably find more info.
I don't think i'll be googling "20 dollar trick" anytime soon, thanks though.
For future reference, how do we go about tipping?
I was went to stay at a hotel a couple weekends ago and the girl who checked us in gave us an upgrade to a suite when she found out I was there celebrating an anniversary. She didn't tell me until she handed over the room key. I had no other chance to hand her anything (paperwork or other stuff). Can you just openly give her a folded bill?
I was under the impression it needed to be a little sneakier?
Personally, what I do is this.
Take the folded money and put it between your drivers license/passport and your credit card they ask you for. I also ask are their any upgrades available.
It doesn't really matter how you do it. A tip is not something that is not allowed however people like to do it in a special way. If you feel I did a good job or you like me feel free to tip and don't think of it as an abnormal thing. We live in Las Vegas, people apprecaite it.
When I stayed in Vegas I had to leave my bags at the desk for a few hours, and the guy who took them made a point of telling me that I would be receiving my bags from someone else when I picked them up. I stupidly missed the implication that I was supposed to tip both him and the other guy, so I ended up only tipping the guy who gave me my bags later. Could you apologize to that guy for me if you run into him?
Fuck those whiners. Tip the engineering guys or else they'll splatter shit all over your bathroom if you clog your toilet.
I would be happy to however at my hotel they all share tips. I would always ask to see if they pool tips.
OK, I'm actually planning a second honeymoon/drink,eat,gamble-fest in a few months.
If I have already booked a non-base room and tip a good amount, any chance I could get bumped to an even better room?