Do you tell your host at your "regular" hotel (where I already have a reservation) if you're now staying at a competitors hotel? This probably sounds dumb but I'm just wondering how they treat that information. Do they veiw you as not loyal and become less friendly in the future, possibly try to entice you to continue staying with them or totally understand and just hope you return again in the future? I know comps are primairly mathematical these days so the idea that they may offer some add'l comp to get you to continue staying w/ them seems unlikely. So if that is true....my thought was to just say we can't make the trip and keep it low key but as trivial as it sounds....I really dislike not just telling the truth.
Almost alway have rooms at CET for part of stay and MGM for part of stay (since MGM will not do 6 days for us). Usually just say we are in town but staying with friends. And leave it at that.
The one time my host found out I was at a competitive hotel I told him I was at a business meeting and it was easier as the all the meetings and activities were onsite. Even though I'm a Platinum Mlife, Diamond CET,etc.my level is not going to have them try to entice me with better offers. However if you are a Nate, Shifter,and others,that may work.
My hosts know I switch between competitors on different trips, but they have never asked me specifically where I am staying and when.
I just don't know why it would even be an issue? unless you just chat with your host on a regular basis, how would he even know you were going to be in town? but my hosts know I stay at multiple places and even if I don't tell them they can see the trips in the computer. but it's a non-issue because they all know nobody stays just one place every trip. so if it does come up, just tell them you decided to stay at X this trip and leave it at that. that's just part of the business for them.
The only reason it's an issue is I already had a reservation (thru my host) before we decided to stay somewhere else and haven't cancelled it yet. Just wasn't sure if they somehow take offense that you take a better offer somewhere else and that it would affect future dealings. We don't "chat" on a regular basis but we're friendly enough I'd say....we e-mail occasionally and always visit or do lunch when in town. Nothing to see in the computer (as if both are MGM or CET properties) in this scenario as they are different companies/player clubs. I'm sure you're correct that the see people move around all the time and it's no big deal....it's not like we're big money to them anyway.
in that case, you need to be upfront. just let him know you got a great offer at X and decided to stay there this trip instead. he may just say have a great trip or he may talk about bumping up his offer to get you to change your mind.
I think it depends on the host. My Aria host knows that we alternate between Aria and Wynn and stay more often at Wynn just because we like Wynn better. We are friends with the Aria host and she has commented in the past about knowing she has to try a bit harder to get us to stay there rather than Wynn. On the other hand, our Wynn host could care less where we stay and I think even whether or not we stay at Wynn. I've noticed a marked change in Wynn in the last year or two (maybe it's just our host there) where we barely get the time of day from our Wynn host anymore. It's still a great property, but I'll be staying at Aria in a few weeks instead. If I were you, I would do precisely as shifter said....let your Wynn host know that you have a better offer and you're going to stay somewhere else this time.
Lol, my last couple of trips I asked my host to send the limo to a competitors hotel to pick me up to start my stay at their property.
So...that's exactly what I did and she was very cool about it. She told me I should take the offer, wished they could match it, told us to enjoy the trip and don't forget to call her when we're ready to come back. My other reasoning besides having a reservation there that I had to cancel was we'll probably stop in and gamble some there when in town and I don't feel it's good business to let your host find out through the back door that you came in to town after all. Who knows....if we're not feeling it where we are, I may call her mid trip and move!
Mine are not big enough to do this, though I have thought about it. Most trips for us involved stays at CET and MGM, so a transfer mid stay is part of the deal. In reality, a cab is just as easy, and cheaper than the "free" limo. From Caesars to Mirage we just walk. Same from Paris to Bellagio.