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What the recent CET changes mean to me

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by ref59405, Dec 11, 2014.

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  1. newmans

    newmans VIP Whale

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    CET is a business..........like American Express, or any other financial institution etc. The company makes a business decision. When a financial instituiton makes a decision to reduce the benefits associated with one of their credit cards, there is no where near the complaining that is associated with resort fees. Does anyone actually look at the interest rate that is charged on a credit card....especially one associated with a store? Why not complain about the 20%+ interest you're being charged.
    I can understand peoples displeasure in having to pay a resort fee, but it's not just Vegas. "Resorts" all over charge a fee (often for things that you never use).
    If it really is a huge issue, stay elsewhere. Personally for me, I want to be on the strip so I don't even consider going downtown. But even a lot of downtown properties charge a resort fee.
    Also, room rates in Vegas in general are considerably lower than any other major city or vacation destination. Even paying for hotel and resort fee in Vegas is a fraction of the hotel costs in LA, NY, Phoenix etc.
     
  2. gradytripp

    gradytripp High-Roller

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    Just be aware that if you continue with minimal play, and decide to stay at a nicer MGM hotel, you may encounter other setbacks. Such as being given the worst room in the hotel (which I'm pretty sure happened to me a couple of weeks ago at Aria) or, depending on what you play, not finding much in the way of gaming opportunities for your $100 per day.

    You'll definitely be a very small fish in a fancy pond. Aria was beautiful, but as a $10-$15 blackjack/quarter VP player, I didn't exactly "feel valued" (as the survey they sent me later asked). And as a blackjack player, Monte Carlo isn't an option because it's all 6:5.

    Next trip is a guys' trip, so I generally downgrade the hotel anyway, but I'm looking forward to being back on the east side of the strip and wearing a groove between PH-Paris-Bally's-Ellis Island.
     
  3. REELmoneySlotFan

    REELmoneySlotFan High-Roller

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    Not a fair comparison IMO. People don't visit Vegas for its rich history, museums, culture, etc. People visit Vegas for the Strip, the lights, the gambling and the party atmosphere. So to compare Vegas room rates with NY, LA, Bangkok, Amsterdam, Tokio, Paris or Barcelona is like comparing apples with oranges. This is looking at the material from an American perspective. There are many vacation destinations around the world that top the average quality/style/luxury of resorts and hotel rooms in Vegas at far lower rates. That's why I think Vegas is hurting so badly during an economic crisis in the US. They are depending too much on domestic visitors. If rates go up further (air fare, hotel rooms, shows, tours, etc.) at some point international travellers will reconsider travelling to Vegas and pick other vacation destinations.
     
  4. Skyler

    Skyler High-Roller

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    Ok, to be fair I'm loyal to CET for the most part and haven't stayed at an MGM prop in years. I hear people say all the time that the rooms at MGM properties are superior and I just don't really undrrstand that. One poster in this thread just said the higher end CET rooms are equal to mid tier rooms at MGM props. Someone who believes standard rooms at MGM Grand or Monte Carlo are equal to a room at Caesars (not including roman tower rooms) probably hasn't ever stayed there.

    I had family staying in a room at Mirage last year that wasn't much different than a room I stayed in a few years back at Harrahs, except the bathroom at Harrahs was bigger!

    I agree that if you're unhappy about resort fees or how they handle their business in general you should take your business elsewhere, or at least try out some new places, but I really don't get all the hate.

    I'll take the way CET treats me over having to wonder what will be available with MGM. I see all the posts wanting to know if others have gotten their seasonal offers and wondering why theirs is lower than last time, etc. It just seems like theres no consistency with mlife at all as far as comps go, and at least Total rewards is more consistent.

    My experience has also been that the employees at most CET properties are much friendlier as well, and I felt this way before I had a higher tier card. I sure wouldn't take the treatment some gold and plat mlife memebers say they get from some MGM places.

    CET has a bad reputation, but they are taking steps to improve their properties and bring more revenue. It can't be done overnight, but some people will always only remember the bad. These will be people who would never even step foot in a CET prop and won't ever know what the rooms even look like by their own experience.

    I will not speak to the corporation's business decisions, they have totally screwed up with that and they will be lucky to make it out of the hole they're in, I am only speaking of the condition of the properties and the customer experience in general.
     
  5. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

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    I think you are dramatically overestimating the cost of the room from the hotel to the casino that will pick up the tab on a comp. And you are dramatically underestimating the ability of the casino to determine who to give a free room to and make a profit. A room could retail for $50. The let's assume that the hotel will give that room to the casino for $40, which is probably their cost plus profit. They are still making a $60 profit in gaming losses on a player who loses $100. And the resort makes money on all those shows and restaurants, even if it's just rent. I don't know why you think that comping rooms to low rollers was a unprofitable proposition but it's not. The comps aren't the problem. The debt incurred from the takeover is. They did not even comp the low rollers more during the recession. The players who got overcomped during the recession where the mid range people. And they didn't help themselves dropping rates for for the oh so valuable retails customers who were bringing in coolers and not spending money in the casino or anywhere else on property because it was too expensive.

    They have every right to change their business model. And whoever takes control after the bankruptcy will do it again. But I have every right to call bullshit when it's suggested that comping gamblers caused the casinos problem.
     
  6. searchin

    searchin Low-Roller

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    I cant believe I read this whole thing. All good points. IMO Its a mistake to charge resort fees on a comped room because now the customer will make sure to spend time using the resort amenities, decreasing gambling. And, as the op has found, will decrease loyalty.
     
  7. Aces and Eights

    Aces and Eights VIP Whale

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    If giving comped rooms helped hotels get through the lean years, why would it not help them during the prosperous years as long as there are available rooms?
     
  8. DReynolds86

    DReynolds86 Let's Go Pens!

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    An occupied hotel room costs the property around $30 per night in housekeeping, supplies and utilities. As for charging resort fees, a hotel looks at them as guaranteed revenue. I can understand the idea of letting people keep that money to spend at the hotel, but from a business perspective there's no guarantee that money won't walk out the door and go elsewhere. I hate them as much as the next person, but if any of us where the CEO or CFO of CET, we'd be doing the same thing.
     
  9. Jane42

    Jane42 Low-Roller

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    When I go to Vegas, I usually have around $1,500 to $2,000 to spend for four days on gambling. I usually stay at MGM properties, if I stay on the strip...only because I play myvegas and was able to get comped rooms. To pay a resort fee in any other place than Vegas doesn't really compare - I am not pouring money into their property while I am there, so the MGM properties are making their money back on my gambling. For the low roller I am, the comps do not come in after I leave.... I usually stay downtown (my first visit was to DT, so I have a soft spot for it), and prefer not paying a resort fee for things I do not use. Yes, that $20-$25 a day adds up and I would rather use it on gambling or playing or eating - not on things I could care less about while in Vegas.

    Little by little, DT is adding the resort fee, which is laughable, because they are far from being resorts. Except for a few, there are no pools or fitness centers and Wi-Fi is spotty, the rooms are run down and the bathrooms are usually tiny. I am ok with this, because I am not spending much time in the room - I am playing in the casino. I used to get offered comps for 3 nights at the Fremont and a $15 food voucher....the last few have been for 2 nights. Apparently, I am not playing enough to be comped much more than that. I was comped rooms at the Golden Gate - and as much as I love the history of that hotel/casino, they are at the top of my list of refusing to pay a resort fee at. Please, unless the rooms have been remodeled, they are the worst in DT. The bathrooms are disgusting. I am not fussy at all about my room - stayed at the Four Queens one year and the wallpaper was falling off the wall - but it was clean, a good size, and no resort fee.
     
  10. Tellafriend

    Tellafriend MIA

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    That's not what I said.
     
  11. Tellafriend

    Tellafriend MIA

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    If you want to take your business elsewhere because the casino has raised their rates or is charging new fees, then that is your right. Just as it is the casino's right to raise their rates when they feel the business climate warrants it. Maybe they are wrong, maybe they aren't. Maybe they gave away more than they needed to when times were hard. Maybe by changing their policy now that times are better folks like you will get pissy and leave (and go where remains to be seen?) But, that is really not the issue. However, if you think giving free rooms away to someone who is not willing to drop more than $100 a day into the casino makes good business sense, then I've got some ocean front property to sell you in Nevada.

    Using your numbers, which are erroneous, but still using them, if you stayed 3 nights (and didn't win --which does happen), then the casino makes a whopping $180 for letting you use a decent room on the Las Vegas Strip for 3 nights. Sure, that's a standard rate in any other major city with such amenities?!?

    And no one said comping gamblers caused the problems. Overcomping some of them certainly contributed to them though.

    Bottom line which has been repeated in various threads over and over: some folks are just mad that they aren't getting overcomped like they used to.
     
  12. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    If you think about it this way, CET's overall % of revenue going towards comps is fairly constant from year to year. And we know that visitor volume is hitting record levels again but average spend is dropping. So if visitor volume is growing faster than revenue, the average dollar amount comped back per person has to go down even if the company's comp rate hasn't gone down. These "prosperous" years aren't the same as they were pre-recession. As far as available rooms, if they had low occupancy numbers I'd agree they probably should try comping more of them, but I don't think that is the case anymore.
     
  13. BCMike

    BCMike VIP Whale

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    I think saying a Vegas room would retail for $50 is insane personally. You can't even stay at a comfort inn in a half decent city for $60 and that's a corporate rate.

    Caesars is a business who seems to finally be realizing they were giving way too many people breaks. Anything less than $150 these days is a good deal on a room anywhere that had the amenities, climate etc of Vegas.
     
  14. nhcris

    nhcris VIP Whale

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    I'm a low roller with a daily budget of $500 for gambling plus another couple hundred for food, etc. My stays are usually 5 or more days so I often split my stay with CET getting half of it. They comped me low to midrange rooms at most of their properties. I made Platinum the old fashioned way through my coin in. By the way, I play, eat, drink, and get entertained where I stay because I am basically too lazy to hop around on strip. This year I decided to phase CET out just as I did with MGM a couple years ago These are the things that annoyed me and made me decide to move on.

    My comped rooms went from including decent options like Go rooms, Red Rooms, etc to base rooms. The condition of the rooms & common areas are unsatisfactory. I often travel solo and I don't feel that security is strong in most of their properties. That pesky resort fee pissed me off. And gifting some players tier points also pissed me off.

    But here's the biggest reason to move on. With the very same budget, Venetian/Palazzo and Wynn give me immaculate beautiful comped rooms with free play and some additional perks such as shows, tournaments, airport transportation and earning comp dollars is mush faster. With NO RESORT FEE.

    There is absolutely no reason to give CET another penny. CET players really should look at their options.
     
  15. Aces and Eights

    Aces and Eights VIP Whale

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    If a Resort Fee is for the swimming pool, gym, and WiFi, why don't they start tacking on a Utility Fee for water, sewage, garbage, electricity, television, etc.? And also a Housekeeping Fee for cleaning the room? Then a Toiletry Fee for soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, facial tissue, and toilet paper? Then a Comfort Fee for heating and air conditioning? Valet Fee for parking your car and Bellhop Fee for bringing your bags up to and down from your room? And finally a Linen Fee for use of sheets and towels? Almost forgot the furniture fee for using the drawers, closets, desk, chair, sofa, coffee table, and end tables?
     
  16. matti

    matti Low-Roller

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    I hope Gary Loveman doesn't read this forum!
     
  17. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    Interesting post. I've always thought that Las Vegas hotels were/are much less expensive than comparative resorts in othe US cities. I never considered the international angle though. Just out of curiosity what international destinations have the same quality as Las Vegas but at less cost? Thanks........
     
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  18. Jon E Coyote

    Jon E Coyote Low-Roller

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    I find this thread ironic, we have stayed a CET properties for years, rarely had a completely free room, we would get $17 per night rates at IP, Ballys, Harrahs etc.,,,This was back when we had a Harrahs locally in STL which we played a lot at. Harrahs in STL was bought out a couple years ago and all CET offers stopped, (they even try to charge $35 per night to stay at Tunica now lol)

    Anyway long story short, Mlife has been comping the crap out of us in Vegas and STL our last trip in Nov was free at Mirage, well anyway a few days after returning CET started almost spamming Emails offering free rooms/slot play.

    Needless to say, we're heading back next month, I'll gladly pay the $28 per night fee, still a cheap 5 day stay IMO. I just think of it as the room cost $28 per night not a "fee" big deal
     
  19. Aces and Eights

    Aces and Eights VIP Whale

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    I always get comped rooms (and also comped fees), and I understand how people are saying that $25 for a fee is cheap for a room if they get the base-rate cheap or comped. I just find it a little deceptive to advertise a base-rate and tack on a mandatory fee. Many times you don't see that there are additional fees at the initial perusal of the rates. If it was optional, it's one thing, but many people are required to pay this whether they use the amenities or not. It's basically an added 12 to 50 percent tax which the hotel keeps for itself.
     
  20. REELmoneySlotFan

    REELmoneySlotFan High-Roller

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    When comparing Vegas rooms to hotels in other major US cities (or other out of the country destinations) you have to take gambling into consideration. The average Vegas visitor brings $600 to gamble (that came from a study a couple of years ago). Those $600 gambled do have an effect on the average Vegas room rate. When I just look at the quality of a resort (food, number of stars, amenities, service) and leave out the gambling, as a European (at this point) the number of places to travel to that are cheaper than Vegas is huge. If I was a first time traveller thinking about going to Vegas I would have to factor in the following costs: air fare, hotel room (paying full price, no comps), food & beverage (at least). For a mid-tier hotel in Vegas (say Mirage) for an 8 day stay, my calculation amounts to: $1800 air fare, $800 for the room, $800 food & beverage. Total $3400 for 8 days.

    I can book 5 star All-Inclusive resorts in tropical destinations (Turkish coast, Thailand, Jamaica, Marakesh-Morocco, Indonesia, Egypt, and more) for 8 nights at about $2500 MAX. For example the Turkish coast: we stayed there last year, during a school vacation period, for 12 nights in a 5 star All-Inclusive resort (far better than Mirage for example) for $2100 total. We had 30 minute massages every day for $25 for the two of us.

    If you go to Vegas, you might want to see a show and do some gambling which makes for even een bigger price difference. It doesn't keep us from going to Vegas but I can understand why people from out of the US (in the decision making stages) choose a different destination over Vegas. Especially considering the fact that you can practically gamble anywhere nowadays. Ok, gambling in a local casino is not going to get me a free room or a free show or some free play. That's one of the incentives to come to Vegas. If those benefits are taken away little by little why would visitors from out of the country continue to come back? Vegas makes it easier and easier for people to decide to go elsewhere and I'm seeing it happen around me. It's not the American economy alone that's been horrible the last 5 years. Europe has suffered just as much, so people are looking at their budget more than they did 7 years ago. Now, Vegas is starting to do better and prices are going up. A lot of people are not willing to pay those increased rates because they are not in the financial position to spend more than what feels comfortable. So they go elsewhere and get a great experience (in style) for less money. How can you blame them?
     
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