Casino Hosts... Do You Get Value From Yours?

I read alot of posts from players that talk about booking offers and looking for the best way to use them. I have had a host (2 different ones) since about 2009 and have always let the host do the bookings for anything we want. It seems to have always worked out whether booking rooms, dinners, or shows. We are not expensive diners and 1 high end meals each trip with our host and his wife, and usually 1 with just the two of us.Breakfast and lunches were often at a golf course . When leaving, we always drop off a bottle of wine and a bottle of liquor at VIP check-in. I have never had any bad surprises and am hoping our return this New Years after 2 years absence will continue as in the past. I sent our host an email asking for 6 nights and got a text back saying "see you in December". We have ,through the years been to quite a few shows , Rod Stewart, Elton John, Celine Dion, Meatloaf, and others I can't remember all comped by our host. If you have a good rapport with your host they can really make a difference. Maybe VMB should have a section for rating a host !!

 

I feel that I get benefit from my host

Most important, it's a contact for back end based on my play, current stay. I check with host night before departure. Host on duty can handle, but I feel like my host is more aware of my history, more inclined than others to push the boundaries a bit. I had a low play stay due to quick & heavy losses, and my host moved unused comps from prior stay to help... I am skeptical that an on-duty would bother.

Other things... host initiates my airport transit... I imagine I can do it myself, but dont know how.

Host has offered to get restaurant reservations when I cant.

Host books my stays. I booked june myself as I wanted to buy airline tix, and host was off....when I had problem with June arrival, host opined it might not have occurred had she booked room.... not sure that's accurate.

Overall... it's a contact. I'll use a personal contact in the service industry any time I can.

 

Years ago I would say yes, but in this casino era of playing more and getting less, I just don’t see any benefit. Today it’s just playing enough to keep the mail and offers coming from the select few properties that even use such metrics to extend offers to players.

 

I will see how New Years goes. I haven't been to vegas for 2 years and emailed host and he replied within an hour. Didn't say no so so far so good. Will post results when i get the final result.I am hoping tht a good host still has leeway to support his customers.

 

I got tickets once to a private event. Everything else is taken care of with my points. Really the only thing I get now is a better room than I would otherwise be able to book myself.

 

Depends on which host you're asking about. My local CET hosts have always been great, but Vegas was worthless until the past year. Oddly as I started to think about leaving CET, my host in Vegas started doubling my FP offers and adding resort credits to my stays. Previously, Vegas didn't give me anything I could not have gotten without a host.

 

Well....I have had Caesar's hosts for about 9 years. The first host I had was named Brian....I absolutely adored him. He made all my reservations in Vegas and AC. He also let me know what rewards were available during my stay. While he couldn't do Suites for me all the time, he always noted it in my reservation and gave me hints in getting one. I have a host now, and she is very helpful when getting reservations in LV and AC...however, any other requests are met with the famous "I can't control that" or "you will have to see when you get there." I asked her about a Suite or upgrade for our upcoming trip to Vegas this week, and she said "I can't control the Suites". You should call and request the Suite and pay for it. Let me know so that I can cancel your comped rooms". If I wanted to pay for the suite, I would have said that 6 mos. ago when I made the reservation. I just dont feel like she goes the extra mile. She is pleasant, but I can get a room online...but no complaints. Brian may have not been able to get me Suite either, but he would have worded it better, placed the request for a Suite upgrade on my reservation and gave me tips on how to get one.

 

Odd, wonder why so different. My LV host pretty much upgrades my offers/rooms for me without asking now. Before they didn't do that when I asked. Only downside now is I used to be able to get over 5 nights comped up front, now they won't do that until after the stay. Near the end of last year(I think...time is a blur atm), I was thinking of moving on cause CET started lowering my comps alot, but its come back stronger now for LV, but locals still have less FP than before, which annoys me but I let it go since my host their takes care of me.

 

My host has never misled me into believing they're responsible for my offers, upgrades, whatever. There're some extras they can provide. But the details of room comps, upgrades, freeplay in offers, f&b in offers.... that's based on my play and determined, or calculated, by the great computer system.

I'd hypothesize someone would need to be a very big player, with a fairly senior host, for the host to calculate offers. Most of 'em are processing what the system determines. No one with the title slot exec, marketing exec, etc. has much authority or discretion. A title containing the word Host may indicate more "power"

 

Have had a host at Bellagio for about 5 or 6 years. Talked to her once about room for my wife’s parents and she offered some minor discount off rack rate. Couple of years later asked if she would prefer that we book trips thru her instead of online and she didn’t care. Has never given a back end comp or arranged any kind of event tickets. Prior host at Monte Carlo got us event and performance tickets, sent strawberries and champagne for my daughters 21st birthday. I assume that means our level of play was more appreciated at the lower property and play isn’t sufficient to get more than the upfront comps.

 

It's not the host, it's the play you give to the casino.
What if you stay at the hotel, eat the resort credit, use the free play and then no play the entire trip. And do it again and again.
Will the host still give you free show tickets and limo ride?

 

Short answer for me is no, I’ve had 3 different ones over the last 6-7 years at CET and while two of them were friendly enough/responsive, I rarely felt like they went above and beyond, or did something I couldn’t have myself. Occasionally combining offers but that’s about it.

Granted I don’t play big enough to warrant a ton more than my marketing offers but frankly, and this my opinion, I think a lot of people like having one just to say they have one and sound cool. Again, my opinion but I think that’s probably the “perceive value” to some people.

 

I was shocked when my host upgraded me to a suite last trip.

It was the first time in my 12 + years with CET that the host did anything for me (other then late check out) that i could not just book myself.

 

absolutely the truth.

 

I think I get value on mist trips I am trying to work out ways to get cheap or free rooms for the “little ones” and she comes up with a free steep discounts for them (me). When it is just MrsBrew and myself we get into a suite and comped spa days. I think the working on rooms us where I get my value from her.

now when I look back I played 7000tc last time which is about normal. so maybe I should expect more or ask for more I should say.

 

Pre-children, my husband and I landed a host at Mandalay Bay. She approached us on the casino floor and told us to call her before our next trip. We did and the next trip ended up with a limo and a suite. We then moved to the Bellagio and had a host for almost 5 years. She was fantastic. We were always picked up from the airport, we always had a suite, she made our dinner reservations and even got us tickets to O, Madonna, Celine and Bette Midler. I'm not saying this to brag, but we didn't realize quite how out of the ordinary she was until she left to go to a different casino. We had the same status with CET and couldn't even get a ride to the airport from them. We were not necessarily "high rollers" - but we did play for long periods of time. (Usually through 2 shifts of cocktail servers. ) Now - post children - our trips are certainly less frequent, but I still use a host. My current one has booked my room and airport transportation - and we haven't even met in person. I could have booked the room online - but only the host can book airport transportation and VIP lounge access. Just remember - it never hurts to ask for something. The worst thing they can say is "no."

 

On my most recent trip, my host saved me some time by settling my folio for me in the middle of my last full day -- without me needing to ask for a review of my play. Without that, I would have needed to visit a host on duty, the rewards desk (to ensure that a tier benefit was properly credited), and the hotel desk (to apply comp dollars). I ended up visiting a host on duty anyway to get more comp dollars applied to my folio for last-night charges, but then I was told I needed to do that at the hotel desk.

The time-saving part is important because it allows me more contiguous time to enjoy my stay and more time to be gaming (especially right upon arrival). I am otherwise super low-maintenance and never request extravagant things. If anything, I should be using my hosts more for booking things for me.

 

If I don't use a host, all I'll get is a regular room at PH where I like to stay. My host gets me either a resort room with a view or a vista room.

 

I have 3 CET hosts. One in New Orleans, which basically haven;'t used except to book a room when he first was assigned to me after two other hosts left couple years apart.I was last there in 2018 and he emails me every so often but I didn't go down there yet since Covid. Really have no opinion if he will do anything extra for me.
I have a Atlantic City host who has been my host for almost 10 years. He's given great rooms when Showboat was open. He gave me suites with balconies for several AC airshows and that was great. He also came though for several dinners with him. He's best think was during winter this year. I went down bu=y bus from NYC and a snow storm was on the way the day before I was supposed to leave I was thinking of going home early before my check-out day.
He called me to tell me that he arranged for a Limo to take me all the way home almost 3 hour drive. I asked hime how much it would cost he said "don't worry about it." He insisted that I go. he said the car is outside just go. I go and there is a stretch limo waiting for me outside and I'm the only passenger going directly to my home. Enough said - I call that good hosting.
My other host I have about 8 years in Vegas. She's given me some nice rooms over time. I really don't spend time in the room and Caesars August room is fairly nice and I don't really need anything larger. I'm going to Vegas this trip this Saturday with a friend and I looked at my reservation says Queen Suite.
Other times she's given me a 2nd room for my friends additionally this trip she got me discount Rod Steward tickets and takes us every trip for such to Oyster Bar restaurant. No limit on what we order. She also gave me an extra $500 FP.
My verdict is that I have two good hosts and one I really haven't used yet.

 

I usually get very nice rooms with mine and that’s it. No extra fp, no limo, nothing. I’m a 7 stars. He’s not on site. I also don’t ask. I do usually get 2 rooms fully comped on my 7 stars trip but this time staying at Caesar’s and have to pay resort fees which I’m not happy about. I asked about this and was told because it’s Caesar’s. I never get backend comps because I have a high amount reward credits.