Any complimentary upgrades available?

Have you received complimentary upgrades in Vegas simply by asking at check-in (not including the $20 trick)? Have you received them without asking?

When, where and how?

 

Every upgrade I've ever head in Vegas and elsewhere has been like that. I never do the $20 thing, I still see that as kind of crass or something. I just ask nicely if there's anything they can do.

 

Would you provide some examples from Vegas, Kickin?

 

That's the exact phrase I use: "Any complimentary upgrades available?" First, I ask if they can double-check that they have my players card number in their system, then I ask about the upgrade. Sometimes I have a $20 in my hand, but I don't know if they always see that. Just asking, nicely with an enthusiastic smile, has worked at: Bellagio, Bally's, Paris, and Planet Hollywood. Not that I've been updated to a suite or anything, but at least one or two notches up from my reserved room. And then I tip them $20.

 

The only ones I can remember were on early trips where my comp was for a regular room. At places like MGM, Mirage, and Caesars I got upgraded to low-level suites or something like the Augustus (or Octavius?) tower at Caesars, from some comp room in an old tower, shortly after it opened, and I had no higher tier or anything. I remember the early ones at MGM were something like a regular room to a "bungalow suite" which was just a bigger room and are something different now, also the first time I stayed in their spa suite was from an upgrade. I usually don't ask for a strip view since I prefer seeing the mountains or airport, so that's not an upgrade I can comment on.

Since I learned from this board that upgrades cost against your discretionary comps I'm less likely to ask since I don't really care about the upgrade, whatever I'm comped in upfront now is usually cool.

 

This is covered in the $20 Trick section of the board.

Not everyone uses the $20 trick, some just "ask nicely." Those responses are in there too.