MLife Comps - Am I getting the most I can out of "the system"

Hi again everyone. I wanted to throw this out there to all the vets to see if I'm short changing myself as far as comps go.

About me:
I make 3 - 5 vegas trips a year. Always stay 3 nights.
I usually stay at Delano or Belliago (but the trips upcoming in Nov/Dec I'll be staying at Vdara)
I always pretty much play exclusively at MGM Properties (Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Aria, Belliago, Mirage)

Play:
I play about 13-14 hours a day solid at a minimum of $25 per hand. I do occasionally press if i'm on a winning streak.
I play exclusively Pai Gow Poker and Blackjack
I'm currently Platinum but that really means nothing. I do tend to pay for more expensive rooms (suites etc) which no doubt got me to that level quicker.

Current Comps:
I currently have about $120 in express comps.
I usually get about $100-$150 off a night on the good suites (Penthouse suites at Belliago/Aria/Vdara)

I know I'm out of range of having a host which honestly is fine because my play is spread across their properties. It's more Focused on MB and Belliago mostly (it depends on where I'm staying). Is there something more I can get out of the "system" when I'm leaving at the end of the trip? Not talking about the classic: They burn your express comps for you.

If so, what are the first steps?

Thanks!

 

I've been loyal to mlife for the last 4 years, including some pricey suites at vdara, mlife is just shite for comps unless you are devoting a LOT of action to one casino in the group (in which case a host is a must, because mlife itself sucks)

my decision has been to check out CET and after Cosmo gets sorted out with the new ownership, see what they offer

but yeah I hear you that MGM really doesn't give the table players very much, unless you're a whale that comes often

 

Well, your play should be enough to be getting your offers for 3 nights in standard rooms at most if not all of the MGM properties. What kind of offers do you get?

When you say you get $100 - $150 a night off suites, is that by booking through the MLife website with your Tier Discount, or are you calling and basically getting them to apply a standard room offer against a suite price.

You have to look at it as, you're playing the equivalent of 3 - 4 hrs a day at $100 a hand at BJ and Pai Gow.

MGM's comp system doesn't really have a lot of nuances, and like me, you're not really playing at a level where you can expect to squeeze anything much out of them on the back end.

If those are the games you like to play, I wouldn't change anything. You're probably playing enough to get a host, who could arrange additional nights if you were staying on 3 night comp offers. But if you only go for 3 nights anyway, there's no point.

I would just always make sure you're getting rated accurately, but if you're usually at $25 a hand, with the occasional press, that's what you're going to get rated at and it would be hard to get rated less than that.

 

Sure. You can go to the mlife desk and ask them if they can take care of any of your room charges from your primary comp account. Worse they can do is say no. Sounds like you're earning about $135 a day in comps. So if they are already discounting your room about that much per day, you probably can't expect much more than that (other than the EC you're generating). But hey, it never hurts to ask

 

MB/MGM Grand send me free nights. Yes I always book through the Mlife website witih my Tier Discount.

- - - Updated - - -

I wonder if I can get my resort fee waived at the end of the trip? That's something.

 

worth a try.

 

OK, there's a couple of things I can suggest.

If you want to stick with suites but don't mind experimenting, try booking a comp offer for a regular room (instead of using your Tier Discount), and when you arrive, see if they'll upgrade you to the suite you want, for an upcharge. It might end up costing less than the 25% or so Tier Discount. The risk is, I have seen accounts here both ways - people have said MGM props won't upgrade a comped room even for a charge, and I've seen people say they've done it. The other risk is there's no availability when you arrive, or the upcharge is more than you would have paid if you'd booked it on MLife.

The second is, always use up as much of your Express Comps against your bill as you can at the end of a trip. I've banked mine, and it's really a mistake, because I only go twice a year. If I miss one of those trips, I could end up leaving ~$500 on the table. On my next trip, I'm only staying at an MGM prop for two nights, and with Resort Credit, I expect my bill's going to be zero anyway, so I'm going to be carrying them over again. I should have used them up on my last trip, where I had a huge bill for a suite I booked on MLife.

 

I know first hand Mirage did (at least in 2013 they did). We had 3 nights comped and when we checked in the lady at the front desk offered us to upgrade to a suite for $50 a night. We were platinum at Mlife at that moment, maybe they don't offer this opportunity to every customer. Maybe it depends on tier status. Don't know, just guessing here.

 

I tend to think it should be based on inventory, and how long you're staying. They have to balance "how many X suites do I have available and what are the chances I'm going to sell them today for full price" vs. you standing there in front of them ready to pay something now.

I'm sure it varies day to day, the operations managers communicate with the front desk, and so some days, you'll get that kind of offer and some days you won't, that may result in the different accounts from people.

 

I think when people say M Life won't upgrade a comp, they mean ahead of time (at least I've never had any luck with this). Once you get there, they will if there is availability.

I stayed at the Vdara last week, planning on using EC's to pay for it. I wanted a no obligation to play few days in Vegas. Ha, ha, ha - that didn't happen. So I stopped by the host office at the Aria before leaving and they comped my entire stay, plus the little food I had charged to the suite. Even if you already got the 25% off with the tier discounts, it's still worth stopping by to see if there is anything else available to you.

 

Well I think that's logical. The total comp (number of nights, type of room, FP and/or resort credit) is based on your previous play. If your previous play granted you a bigger/better room they would have offered it right away if they thought that was needed to motivate you to come back. If you never stayed in a suite before, I can imagine them not offering you a suite through a marketing offer. Just making an educated guess here

 

something I started doing because the mlife website seemed buggy was call main reservations number and ask for casino/VIP services..they connect you
then you get asked for your mile #...75% of the time I'll get them same rate as their website, but sometimes much better
in fact last time I got upgraded at vdara from 1bd penthouse to hospitality suite for the same VIP price over the phone on the weekend no less