Total rewards insanity - Rio

The junior vice presidents are at it again -- ``improving'' the TR web site. The five nights in April I've already booked at Rio (comped) would cost me over $300 if I booked today, on the ``new'' site.

Other hotel/casinos seem to have been similarly ``improved.''

 

Doubt it has anything to do with the "new" site. These things fluctuate all the time, based on how many bookings they already have for the hotel.

On my september trip, when I first booked it showed Flamingo comp for the week, and no others but IP. Later Bally's came up and I switched (Flamingo was gone by then). And two weeks out a couple comp nights at Caesars appeared.

I torched my rating last trip and hardly get anything anymore, but it still showed some January dates comp when I looked last week ... they are gone now.

I guess my point is ... don't read too much into seeing your rates fluctuate.

 

The rates/comp days change by the hour. It is possible that during your dates they had a large group booking for a convention of something. Often times they will block out rooms for an event/convention coming in, only to open some of them back up again once they get the hard numbers. I've had rooms show comp/pay/comp for years depending on when I look at the calendar.

 

If your room is already being comped for your stay, what were you checking for? Better rates?

That aside, if you are booked under an offer (as compared to just using the rate calendar) they only allocate so many rooms for each offer... so could be that the number of rooms allocated for those nights is already taken up.

 

I always check rates EVEN after I've booked. Last trip started with Paris @ 39$/nt for 4 nts. Couple weeks later same nights comped, and then about a month later same 4 nights comped @ Caesars. So we went from paying @ Paris to comped @ Caesars just because I checked the rates. Re-checking is a wise thing to do and all it costs is a little time.

 

I gave up on the new site look. There is an option to go back to the old site format.

I didn't bother to see if the rates changed based on which website format you used.

 

Just went back into the ``old'' site and found the Rio rates back around where they had been, although Paris and Flamingo still drifting higher.

I've played the rate game for quite awhile. I book a week comped at Rio and then keep watching to see if Caesars or Paris gets suddenly generous.

The ``beta'' site really surprised me with the prices and maybe they were mainly looking for reaction to the appearance.

 

I use the website just to see what rates would be for specific dates I always call and talk to reservations and go from there, most times I come away with a better deal.

p

 

I wish I knew what I was doing wrong. Every time I try to check out other CET properties for the dates I've already booked at Ballys I get an error message telling me their system shows I already have rooms booked at one of their properties and won't let me get room quotes. I booked online through TR website. Are you only booking over the phone?

 

That's always the case for me, too. I just sign out, check those rates as a non-member, and have still found rates to be lower than my current booking. When that happens, I've called up and had my rates adjusted to the lower price. And they will do it on a night-by-night basis.

 

You can't check specific dates you already have booked. Instead, use the rate calendar and it will show you the rates including for the nights you already have booked.

 

I did do that originally when I first booked. It quoted me, I believe, $35/night. But after I selected the dates the site said it's rates were based on a one night stay and had a button that would recalculate my rates. It gave me a lower rate of $24/night for the South Tower Classic 2 Queens because I was staying 4 nights.

Now I'm only rechecking the site to confirm I can't get a better rate or a night or two comped. I don't think it's possible to get lower than $35 night without selecting the dates.

 

Odd.

But yeah, it wont let you pick dates to book if they are within 72 hours of an existing reservation. You can call the reservation center I suppose, but if you're just looking to get a better rate and you don't see it online its very unlikely to work.

Keep checking the calendar though.

 

I think I'm going to just leave my reservations the way they are and try the $20 trick. Never tried it before but after reading a little bit about it I figure it's a no lose situation. I figure if I bring enough twenties to vegas I could end up flying Jay-Z's private jet home.