Host gifts

I have never given a gift but plan to give my Wynncore host a Visa or Am Ex gift card for this upcoming trip. He is CONSISTENTLY FANTASTIC.

 

I read in the Frugal Gambler that it can be good to bribe, er I mean gift your host. Even though we've always just had a personal "phone" host at Paris, we always made time to say hello and give her a small gift. I think they are allowed to accept gifts valued at up to $50.

 

We give AmEx gift card for $100 or more.............Rick

 

I have given my host at PH bottles of a nice local wine. she's a peach

 

At least $200 for host.
Big winning trip more.
I also give his assistant $100 gift card as she makes all the reservations.

 

It is not a firm equation but we usually give 100$ after staying over/under fifteen days cumulative. I went in January (4) February (6) and now April (6) and will drop off a bill upon arrival. MSS is not the "resort" but I get good food and a free room. My thought is 100$ comes out to 6$ a day which then sounds cheap when you think of it like that but the gesture seems to make a difference in booking. And the pecans and the homemade cookies.
And I also know some people say 'but your gambling so that stuff is actually being bought with your losses' and that is true. But we are so silly, we would gamble and pay for the rooms and food anyway (just not as often). The comps just make the budgeted trip more on "budget" so a 100$ every once in a while seems ok in the big picture.

 

In my opinion it is important to answer two questions at the outset - the first is what is your host doing for you (and is capable of doing); and the second is what is your motivation/goal in giving the gift?

For the first, there are a wide range of "hosts" in Vegas. Most properties have "hosts" that are in reality entry-level marketing personnel. They set people up with the marketing offers they are already entitled to. The host doesn't (and can't) do anything that marketing doesn't allow them to and is vested with virtually no discretion whatsoever. They have a wide range of titles, I think some properties refer to them as "slot hosts" or at V/P they are called "casino relationship managers". A gift for these hosts, while a nice thing to do, will make absolutely no difference in your offers because the host has no authority to allow it to.

Then there are HOSTS, the ones that are able to get you special requests and have a lot more discretion with regard to what they can comp. At the end of the day, they still have to justify their comps to the bean counters, but those hosts may be willing to take a bit more of a chance or work extra hard for a customer who is being generous with gifts.

If you don't know what kind of host you have, put in some requests and see what happens. We have a basic host at TR properties and then a host with slightly more authority/discretion at V/P, we aren't high rollers, but he's able to do a bit more for us (we can get rooms added to marketing offers, or combine offers, etc), so a gift to him might make him more willing to work with us on the front-end of a trip.

If you know what your host can do, then you can decide how that plays into your motivation.

If you are altruistic and want to be nice, then there's nothing to lose.

If you're looking to leverage it into better offers, but you're dealing with an entry level marketing employee, then you'd probably be better off taking the money you would have spent on a gift and running it through a slot machine - up that theo and enjoy a slightly better offer on the next trip.

 

I agree with everything Fuzzy above said. If your motivation is to get stuff because of a tip, I'm not sure you're going to get it unless you were already eligible. I tip my host because she gets me almost everything I ask of her and sometimes more. Try to have a relationship with your host, get to know them and have them know you and what your needs are.

 

So I am getting my first comped stay from a host and from what I gather I should take a gift for her. Any ideas on what would be a nive gift. Is there some sort of unwritten rule on value of gift related to value of the comp?

As always any help appreciated.
B.

 

Sorry admin was on my way back to delete before it wad merged seen too many that were closed

 

With the casino greed. My Casino host tip would be. After I pay all of my Vegas charges for my experience. They probably are at the end of my $.

 

If it is your first time with that Host, I would plan on NOT giving a tip/gift. I didn't tip my current host in Vegas until my second visit. I only tip on extravagant weekends. If i go solo or with 1 person and only have $600 in FB that needs to be comped; usually no tip. But, when I go and he comps off $2k-$4k on the backend because I have some fancy dinners, then I do tip. If I know ahead of time I will be doing a $1k dinner, I invite him to the dinner and tip him during the dinner; usually $100-$200 in Amex Gift Card.

 

I don't have a host. I have an "account executive" which I understand is a step below a host. He helped me get an extra night comped in A/C when we had the bad snow storm a while ago. I told him next time I'm in Vegas I'd buy him a drink and give him a cigar. Not sure I'd ever gamble enough to warrant a host!