Aria Comps = or lack thereof

Hi, what are your guys thoughts on this? I have mentioned before, but have stayed at Aria last couple trips. Last one I was there for 5 nights, averaged $287 a hand for 4 hours a day at BJ. Also, dabbled in video poker and slots losing probably $1500 that trip on machines.

Looking at another trip and the host will only comp 3 nights of the 5 with no upfront food, shows, anyhing..

Very weak in my opinion and it's making me think about my choice on where to stay.

And then tonight, a final straw. After about 3 weeks without a response from an email about requesting limo from airport, the host emails back that their new policy is limo transport only for guests staying in the Sky Suites. What a bunch of BS. I have never had to worry about comps of any kind, let alone something as small as limo one way.

What are you guys thoughts and experiences on this??!!

 

If you're playing 20hrs at $300 hand with an average 60 hands an hour with a 1% hold.. I think your theo is 3600 and they usually comp 30-45% of that but I could be wrong. And aria is pretty bad with comps as a whole. My offers jump all over the damn place. Although, it sounds like your host is being cheap. Did you try a different property?

 

I get the whole theo/comp thing, but from a common sense perspective, when you are playing $300/hand and you can't get a limo and a buffet, it is time to move on.

If you really like Aria, then apply the new "BeeeJay Comp-Yourself System". They are already comping your room. Take 1/4 of your bankroll, spend it on your own "limo & RFB", and give them only 3 hrs/day of play or $200/hand.

Better yet, take their room comp and do all the rest of the play, dining, etc at Cosmo.

 

Limos are a fairly worthless comp -- its a crying shame your so-called host wouldn't arrange that for you when you're averaging almost 300 bucks per hand. I think you are being royally screwed but if thats the way Aria wants to play the game they aren't getting my black chip business. Let them see how much of their heavily indebted hotel they can fill up with 1000 buck and higher average bettors if those are the only gamblers they want to attract.

I bet that rapper in the Maserati and the thugs in the Range Rover who started their fight in Aria and eventually killed innocent people were big bettors. Let them attract that crowd. Hoods and other no good sons of bitches.

 

That's a weak upfront comp, based on your previous play. Out of interest, did you go in with an upfront comp last trip? How were you treated at checkout? Aside from any machine play, I would hope that $287 a hand as you describe would get you the room comped and most/all F&B depending on what you charged to the room.

 

Aria has been good to me so far but these stories are disconcerting... Also my property specific offers from Aria (both fall and winter) were lower than my Mlife corporate offers (which includes Aria) by a significant amount - they both included suites and shows (Aria was Zarkana only and Corporate was any MGM show), but the corporate offer has been for RFB both times and Aria has been for $300 and $400 resort credit (total, not per day), respectively. When I booked on the winter offer, I was told the RFB was $700 or $750 a day (I think, I forget exactly, but a really high #).

It's weird that Aria is the only MGM property I play and the MLife offers are better by so much, isn't it?

 

Call another MGM property and ask for a host. Ask that host for an offer based on your last play at Aria. That worked very well for me.

MLife has been notoriously difficult to get more than 3 nights from in up front comps for a long time, even back when comps were good.

 

We need a comp calculator around here. Seems like most threads are "am I getting screwed?"

Let's do the math:
You say your last trip was $287 for 4 hrs/day over 5 days, but it's not just your last trip that gets averaged in, it is your previous trips usually within two years as well as your current discretionary comp fund balance. We'll work with the $287 figure since that's all we know.

- $287 * 1.5% theoretical loss rate (MGM uses between 1-2%) = $4.31 theo loss per hand
- 60 hands/hr * 4 hrs = $1034.40 theo loss per day or $5172 theo loss for the 5 day trip.
- If your trip happened after Oct 1st, 2012, you earned 5% back in EC's or $258.60. If you haven't spent any of these, you could confirm if these numbers are correct by checking on Mlife.
- The rest of your theoretical loss comp comes from your discretionary comp fund. We're not clear EXACTLY how much that is, but between 25-30% of theo is a good guess. $1293 to $1551 in your case.
- Aria's comp rate for a standard room is $150/nt, so $750 of that was chewed up by the room. If you were in a suite, take that to $250/nt. If you were in a Sky Suite, take that to $500/nt. If they had comped off any meals, shows, etc subtract further.

So in the end, based on the info we've been given, you look like you should warrant at least an upfront room comp. It also looks like you should have not trouble getting the room taken off the back-end and also have some meals taken care of after the fact. You can always attempt to have a frank conversation with your host and see if they can explain why your comp status has dropped. Be prepared to wade through some BS, but they should be able to produce hard numbers when pressed for them.

 

at your level you will have a hard time getting more than 3 nights upfront from a host, that's normal. but Aria is very stingy on their comps and certain hosts want to keep you undercomped because it looks better to them. I would definitely shop around to other Mlife properties and stay where you can get the best offer. you will likely get a much better offer from another property because the host there will want to poach you for future visits as well.

 

I like this philosophy. Paying for things seems to be the way to go, with a little gambling thrown in for fun.

 

unless your entire reason for the trip is because you love to gamble. then why not take what they're giving you anyway?

 

Shifter is 100% correct. I use to go to Vegas to have fun (party, site-see, etc.). Now, the only reason I go out there is to gamble. If they didn't give me free rooms, I probably would go 1-2 times per year. Instead, I'm there 6-8 times per year.

If you're going to gamble, why not take the free stuff? I'll always take what the casinos give me.

 

I have a trip planned at Aria in a few weeks, and I will be VERY curious to see how the comps may or may not have changed. I have been very well taken care of in the past, but the communication with my host has been sub par compared to previous trips. I play 500ish per hand table games, and last trip I was closer to 1k/hand (winning trip), and I put in marathon sessions....avergage about 8 hours a day on a 3 day trip.

I normally expect sky suite (penthouse), limo, RFB (probably use about 5-700 per day) and a good chunk of spa services. Anything less than this will be disappointing, and the idea that I have to basically wait until checkout to find out what the final verdict is, sorta frustrates me.

Quick question...if I am there on a corporate offer, do I need to work off my suite as part of my normal comp before additional comps are given? For example, if my suite is 3k for 3 nights, and this is a corporate offer, do I basically need a theo of 9k before I start getting additional comps?

 

yes, all upfront comps have to be played off before additional are granted including on corp offers. 500-1k/hand with a Pent and RFB at 5-700/day is a lot to ask for. usually you need about 1500 or more for that kind of comps. but if you put in 8 hours a day at 750-1k, that would be enough.

 

I was in town earlier this week and a friend of mine who enjoys and stays at Aria invited me down for a couple drinks and some blackjack. We had a nice time... I don't think he's a hood, so he must be a no good son of a bitch.

Seriously dude... now... in your opinion, because Aria's tight with comps, that's who their clientele is? Really?

 

This has been discussed in detail before. There is a lot of evidence that 4+ nights are readily available from hosts. I have always been able to get a 4/5 night comp at Bellagio with a play level usually below that of the OP.

Corporate offers seem to be different and usually only include up to 3 nights accommodation.

 

Thanks Shifter.....last time I was in Vegas, I saw you, so it has been a while. This whole Comp system get s a little fuzzy if you dont stay on top of it ALL THE TIME.

 

Some background, this would be my third trip to Aria. Both have been 5 day trips. 1st trip was a bit more VP and slot play, and had 26 hours at $211 a hand. Was a normal room and I lost probably 5 k or so. I typically wire btw 15-20 to the cage and bring a couple K in cash.

First trip was standard room, charged some things to room, mostly buffets, etc. Too busy gambling and drinking to eat! She did comp the other two nights and only about a $100 out of $300 or so charged to the room btw the wife and I.

2nd trip was a offer from Mlife for 3 night Sky Suites. Host said of I had same trip gambling wise, they would cover the 5 nights. Well, I had a good trip winning around 10K, and therefore, I paid about $400 for 1 night and $100 for the next and she knocked off $200 in f&b. Love the poroperty but I think I must be one of this hosts smaller players based on her treatment and response time.

Wroter earlier about whats happening this trip.Wife loves the property but I'm thinking of calling a host at the B to maybe see what the can do so I can convince the wife to make the move. It's Really pissing me off. I have steadily increased my play over the years due to some career moves and this is the worst I've been treated by a host.

Just trying to answer a few of the questions that were asked.

 

For what it's worth, you will probaby not be impressed with the "quality" of the comped room you will get at Bellagio at your level compared to Aria. To me, the penthouses are outdated rooms with an extra 600 sq feet. Nothing more.