What is the $20 Trick & how do you do it?

Discussion in '$20 Trick Section' started by Sonya, Jun 25, 2007.

  1. deansrobinson

    deansrobinson VIP Whale

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    I was poking around on another site (Quora) and ran across this. This sounds pretty legit, so I do sorta wonder how successful the "$20 trick" is. If you've got personal experience that you got a killer upgrade for $20...that's one thing. But this guy sounds like an insider.. What do y'all think?
    .
    https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-way-to-get-a-free-complimentary-room-upgrade-at-a-Las-Vegas-hotel

    "As a former front desk agent at Caesar's Palace, I used to shake my head in amazement when I would check in either a very nice couple or a cocky, arrogant person who asked me if any upgrades were available, especially if we were a few hours into my shift. With well over 1,000 checkins in a day, the guest checking in must have believed that they were the one and only guest asking for an upgrade that day. It was especially ridiculous for those checking in on a Saturday when most arrivals check in on Thursday and Friday. What they failed to grasp was that they were like the 50th person that day standing in front of me and considering there were 20 other desk agents, well, do the math. Everyone was asking for an upgrade. Whether they were arrogant in asking or as polite as can be or even if it were their honeymoon (yeah sure, it was everyone’s “honeymoon”), the answer was the same; “Sorry, all our suites are sold out.” Without that answer, there is no way to decide who gets it when you are asked the same question 50 times.

    The solution was what others here have referred to as the “sandwich” although many times, the greenback was simply placed on the counter. But there is more to the game than just offering a sandwich. With the higher end casinos, $20 will get you, “Sorry, our suites are sold out” with the money getting slid right back at ya’ and this was in the 1990’s when I worked there. $20 was insignificant and we had only a certain number of suites and we were patient. When I say “we” I mean me and the supervisors in the back who controlled the room inventory. The desk agents only control the basic rooms and a few lower end suites. At Caesar's, it was called “the rack” and veteran hoteliers should know that term (old hotel term). And while Caesar's no longer had an actual rack, the room in the back was still called that and that was where the supervisors sat and worked the phones with housekeeping and casino management. They had the user rights to release the mega suites, not the front desk agent. It was these supervisors that I needed in order to get my guest a mega suite and the supervisors knew this, which is why everything was split 50/50. I needed them since they had the user rights to the suites and they needed me because I had the guest.

    Therefore, if you want a mega suite, then you need to show your appreciation and that you REALLY want it. If you really want a suite, better have at least $50 and more realistically $100. The higher you go, the better the chances. No one will take your money and tell you “no” and not return the cash. That’s an offense for termination. However, the risk is that you slip in a $50 or $100 and get a junior suite. If that happens, that’s that (unless you go back to the agent and threaten to speak with his manager unless he makes it right and even that is no guarantee you will see your tip again).

    I made thousands in tips and believe it or not, I was successful at it because I didn’t take the little bait ($20) on Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays. It was always, “sorry, all our suites are sold out.” I got good at it because I really felt uncomfortable at this game at first so I always used my standard line. I didn’t want to participate. But then something funny happened and it was a pattern; after I told them we were sold out, the guest would open their wallet again and lo’ and behold, they had a $50 in their wallet. I’d repeat the line. Then, OMG… they had a $100 in the wallet! Whoa! They were holding out on me. I began to understand the human psychology of it. The more you say no, the more the guest pushed. The ones who really, really wanted it, were willing to take care of me if I took care of them. I also knew they were coming to the casino to spend thousands of dollars on the casino floor, they had more in their wallet and if they really, really wanted the suite, they would show it (called supply and demand) and the best customers were the ones with the largest egoes. Large egoes need large suites to hold the ego. Not everyone was like that, but I once I detected an ego, it was $100 minimum. But I also knew they would become my “customer” and they’d check in with only me upon their next arrival. At that point, the amount was set.

    Remember, suites go for hundreds of dollars more than the rate of the room you booked, so handing over a $50 for a three-night stay is only an additional $17 a night. That’s a terrific deal and really puts into perspective why $20 is almost insulting (although Sunday through Wednesday checkins have a better chance at it than Thursday-Saturday checkins).

    But those mega suites, which are held for the casino with a rack rate in the thousands of dollars, may go unused and slipping a sandwich with $100+ is not out of line considering what you are getting. To put it in perspective, it was not uncommon (back in the 1990’s) to get a $200 or $300 tip for a suite upgrade. There is money in Las Vegas and you have to decide how much you want that suite because you are competing with another 1,000 people who also want an upgrade.

    Last tip… I mean, note, if you tip $20 or $50 and get an upgrade that far exceeds your expectations, go back and give the desk agent a little more appreciation and remember his/her name. I guarantee that even if you return a year later, they will remember you and gladly take care of you upon arrival. In fact, it was not uncommon for former guests to call me a few days in advance of arrival or a week in advance, remind me of who they were, and tell me point blank that they will check in only at the time I am working. If I was not working on the day of their arrival, I always insured I had one of my buddies take care of my guest and give the guest that person’s name. The message was clear and I’d definitely go to bat for the guests who really took care of me however, if they did not make an impression upon me. Then, unfortunately, “sorry, we are all sold out of the suites.”
     
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  2. cphllps

    cphllps High-Roller

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  3. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    Great post Dean. Thx for sharing!!!

    :clap::clap::clap:
     
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  4. ginmqi

    ginmqi Tourist

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    Very very very interesting and informative.

    And FINALLY we get to hear about this "trick" from the other side...so to speak.

    Now issue is he is just 1-checkin agent from hundreds of others and he may be expecting something nicer than $20. But it does make sense. I'll likely be trying to tip $50 instead of $20 from now on.....and from other sites and this foroum, it appears that whenever ppl tipped $50 the agent tried real hard and/or got really nice upgrades.
     
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  5. WelshBlonde

    WelshBlonde Wishing I was in Vegas

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    deansrobinson - Great post. All makes sense really.

    I had major luck last time in PH and got upgraded to the VIP floor for 9 nights.

    I dont hold out much hope for the $20 trick on my next visit in the Linq as its a 14 night stay. I may go straight in with $100+ and see what happens. Thanks for the post!
     
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2017
  6. duoglide

    duoglide Tourist

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    I can't seem to find an answer to this so perhaps someone can help.

    If you offer the $20 and the clerk can't do anything do they still take the dough or do you take it back? Is the tip only kept if they can offer some sort of an upgrade?

    Feels kind of weird to tip $20 if nothing is done and you're in the original room you booked online anyway.
     
  7. dreric

    dreric Low-Roller

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    To remove the awkwardness, just have a $20 visible in your hand as you inquire about a 'complementary upgrade'. If the person delivers, hand them the $$, if not, back in the pocket or head to a slot.
     
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  8. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    It might be interesting to be a fly on the wall in the employee lunch room of (fill in a hotel) and listen to the desk agents swapping stories of how various guests tried to bribe their way into suites with $20s. :)
     
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  9. remmerde

    remmerde VMB's Resident Cigar Sommelier

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    It's worth pointing out that the article with the former agent stated he worked at Caesars Palace. So that doesn't surprise me that a mere $20 didn't impress an agent there. Your "trick" amount obviously needs to be aligned with the typical (incremental) room cost at the resort.

    In other words, clearly $20 doesn't move the needle at places like Aria, Wynn, Venetian either. But on the other side of it, don't be a dummy and fling a $100 around at Excalibur.
     
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  10. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

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    Taking my weird perspective on this as usual, I think that part of the reason why slipping the clerk $20 doesn't work as well as you might think it does is because it's become too systematic. People are doing it far too much, with an expectation of it happening almost mechanically. That hasn't just drawn scrutiny from hotel management, it makes all guests with $20 in their hand one and the same. Why should they upgrade me, when there are only three suites to give away, a lineup of 200 people, and clearly many more people than me with $20 in hand? Furthermore, adding onto Dean's posting, $20 is the minimum. No different from $1 for a drink from a cocktail waitress. No cocktail waitress is going to go out of her way because I tipped her $1. Everybody is going to tip her $1 for a drink, just as "everybody" (figuratively) is going to tip the clerk $20 for an upgrade.

    Ever tipped a CW $5? $10? $20? Noticed the difference? It's for a reason. While everybody is holding out $1, you're holding out $5. Everybody wants a drink, but you're demonstrating an appreciation for it with a more tangible value to it. Likewise, everybody wants an upgrade, but if you think you're going to be the one to get it by offering what everybody else is offering, then you're just dreaming.

    Now, the $20 trick may have been novel when people first started trying it out. But there are forums like these, and even an entire website dedicated to "the $20 trick". You might have stood out as being "that person who slipped the clerk $20" about 30 years ago. But now that it's become common knowledge, there are too many people offering the exact same thing, and that creates an inefficiency of supply and demand. So, to me, it's no wonder that many peoples' $20 bills are being turned away. You've got competition - and as is always the case in any civilized society, money talks.

    Since $20 is the minimum that you can tip a clerk for an upgrade, "there are no suites available" is the minimum response they can give you.

    You go past your minimum, they'll go past theirs. That's capitalism, baby.
     
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  11. BlueBellThunder

    BlueBellThunder VIP Whale

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    The $20 trick used to work for me up until this year. This year I was turned down at the Cosmo & Linq. I'm never looking for a suite, just a room with a nicer view of higher floor. I guess with everyone now trying the $20 trick there's not enough availability for everyone. Those that do get upgrades probably have higher player status with the casino. In the past I've gotten fountain view rooms at Paris & Planet Hollywood, Palace tower at Caesars after booking the cheapest room. I think it's still worth trying as you have nothing to lose. But personally I wouldn't go higher then $20.
     
  12. kklas76

    kklas76 Tourist

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    I agree. I really don't care what my room looks like as long as it's clean. I figured I'm not going to be in the room much anyway. I mean it is Vegas!
     
  13. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

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    In place of $20/$50/$100, has anyone here attempted to bribe the desk agent with something that isn't money?

    Perhaps a box of chocolates, or a couple of tickets to a Golden Knights game?

    I feel like this might stand to create a higher level of desire. Money is just numbers - but unique gifts with an appeal beyond spending power, I think might have a bit more sway.

    Anyone done this? Anyone have any thoughts?
     
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  14. SH0CK

    SH0CK Stylin' and Profilin' Quasi Tech Admin

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    Would you want to accept food from a person that you don't know, or have a place to stash it after accepting it?
    Cash is still king, in my opinion.
     
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  15. Packeral

    Packeral High-Roller

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    I’ve been watching the “20 dollar trick” section since forever. The one thing I’ve learned from this is you never know what you can get unless you ask. I know this section is for questions and tips But please stop asking what your chances are. The only way you’ll find out is if you try. If you’re successful we’ll all be glad to hear about it. Or if you get shot down let us know too. Hope I didn’t offend anyone in this fragile world of ours. Just my thoughts. Good luck everyone.
     
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  16. Diana Flores

    Diana Flores Low-Roller

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    Perhaps the name "$20 trick" could use an update.... "$50 minimum trick"
     
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  17. SH0CK

    SH0CK Stylin' and Profilin' Quasi Tech Admin

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  18. EdRut25

    EdRut25 Low-Roller

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    Just a question to anyone with an opinion....Do you think the sandwich would taste better at a VIP check in counter or a normal check in scenario? Any feedback would be great.
     
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  19. Kachow

    Kachow VIP Whale

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    If you’re comped already I think the room type you are set for is pretty well locked in by your offer.
     
  20. SH0CK

    SH0CK Stylin' and Profilin' Quasi Tech Admin

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    There are also posts around the board about the increase in the room type by asking for an upgrade on a room booked by a host can hurt your back end comps. The reasoning being that the original room is "paid for" by the host at X rate and the difference in room price after an upgrade, even though comp to the player, has to be covered by the host/casino as well.
     
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