Negotiating Comps

Can you request the type of comp that you receive from a casino?

For example, a friend of mine is going to Vegas and is getting his hotel suite paid for directly by his company. He normally gets his room paid for by the casino as well as a $50 meal comp per day. He wants to know if he can ask his host to not pay for the room but give him a larger meal voucher per day. Any experience with this?

I'm assuming it depends on the casino, host and how big the player is. My Riviera host wouldn't change my comped show tickets into food comps.

It varies by casino and may even vary by employee. I've played $50-100 a hand for a few hours only to be turned down a buffet, but I've also flat bet 25 for a couple hours and been comped $100 to the steakhouse (no alcohol allowed on the comp). My home casino would not convert a food comp into a hotel comp or vice versa.

Assuming his room is already paid for and he has 50 dollars for food at that property, might I suggest playing at another property and getting discretionary comps there (don't know his level of play).

I play ALOT at Silverton and since I live maybe 5 miles form there, I never need a room. I asked my host if I could use my play to generate a free room for a retired pro footballer. She was delighted to do so and even tried to give him a suite. BUT the suite was occipied till his 2nd night so he got a king deluxe Host was upset as was the player. The man got a little light fingered and caught on videotape. My host called me upset that this had happened and thought he'd been registered under my credit card. Luckily he had used his own CC. After we discussed how to deal with the situation, security knocked on his door and when there was no response, relieved him of his 'treasure' and returned it back to its rightful place on the property. The 'situation' was not brought up to him by anyone, but I'm sure he noticed the object when he left. Lesson to be learned; don't give anyone your free room as you're also giving them the privilege of destroying your relationship with a casino that you like to patronize. True story, happend the 1st week of Dec 2012.

I ain't no retired football player, but I've been on the receiving end of a number of different comped rooms under other people's names situations. I ain't never lifted no ashtrays or artwork or stuff like that. Probably lifted some shampoos but that is what they are there for. Never brought noisy drunken broads into someone else's room. I just meet my benefactor at the arranged time and place, get the room key cards and room number data, get the checkout booklet and thereafter enjoy the tail end of their stay which can usually be anywhere from one night to four nights. Then I drop the key cards into the booklet and place the booklet into the appropriate quick checkout box so there is no bill presented or host who shows up.

Hotels have to be very careful about how they address women since often its not exactly a wife that the man has brought with him, yet this is rarely any sort of problem. Hotels also have to be careful about making assumptions based on Luggage Tags: If Mrs. Smith arrives with all that expensive luggage, it doesn't mean the gentlemen in the car should be addressed as Mr. Smith.

Its the same way with stores who honor shopping sprees, its rare to ever have the rich old guy really be her uncle.

These things get handled with very few problems.

As a hotel manager I always say, "If I didn't see it, it didn't happen, and if I did see it, it still didn't happen."

Quote: Juyemura

Can you request the type of comp that you receive from a casino?

For example, a friend of mine is going to Vegas and is getting his hotel suite paid for directly by his company. He normally gets his room paid for by the casino as well as a $50 meal comp per day. He wants to know if he can ask his host to not pay for the room but give him a larger meal voucher per day. Any experience with this?

You can definitely ask. The worst they can do is say no. The host's job is to make the guest happy, so I would expect them to try to be accommodating.

My host is usually ok with requests like this. But, different casinos may have different rules.

Agreed. If you ask, you have a chance of getting what you want. If you don't receive it, you'll know why. Knowledge is never a bad thing.

Fleastiff talking about women who show up with men at a hotel reminds me of a story involving the old Pan Am airline. Back in the 1970s they had a promotion called "Take Me Along" where wives could fly along with their husbands on business trips. Well, Pan Am thought this would be a wonderful marketing opportunity to boost its leisure business -- since it was already a giant in business travel.

So, after each flight, a letter was sent to the wife at the husband's address thanking them for taking the trip.

You know what happened, of course. Pan Am received a few too many calls from wives asking "what trip did I go on?"

And responding to the original post: You have to ask your host. It's been done for me, but I never really made a change that was very significant in dollar value.

Victoria's Secret will not mail any order to an address different than that on the credit card. At least that was the rule a few years back.

Buzz, you only buy underwear every few years?

Quote: Buzzard

Victoria's Secret will not mail any order to an address different than that on the credit card. At least that was the rule a few years back.

That's a pretty common policy among ecommerce companies. Not universal by any means, but it's used by a bunch.

Quote: AcesAndEights

That's a pretty common policy among ecommerce companies. Not universal by any means, but it's used by a bunch.

Really? I've never once run across this limitation.

I buy almost everything online (I hate shopping, but I like getting stuff) and I get everything shipped to work because it's easier for me (shipping and receiving delivers right to my desk; can't beat that!) I do most of my shopping at amazon but I also buy from other places when I can't find what I want at amazon, and they are all fine delivering to my work.

Quote: AxiomOfChoice

Really? I've never once run across this limitation.

I buy almost everything online (I hate shopping, but I like getting stuff) and I get everything shipped to work because it's easier for me (shipping and receiving delivers right to my desk; can't beat that!) I do most of my shopping at amazon but I also buy from other places when I can't find what I want at amazon, and they are all fine delivering to my work.

The first time you use an address, that is not your billing address, Amazon goes through the complete CC verification process. Once a shipping address has been verified, Amazon internally associates it with the verified CC; and you can even use 1 click with it. But if you ever want to use a different CC with that address, or ship to a new address, the CC must be reverified.

Quote: GH

The first time you use an address, that is not your billing address, Amazon goes through the complete CC verification process. Once a shipping address has been verified, Amazon internally associates it with the verified CC; and you can even use 1 click with it. But if you ever want to use a different CC with that address, or ship to a new address, the CC must be reverified.

Yes, that is definitely true. I've done this before when I switched jobs, and when I wanted to send a gift to someone. I just need to re-enter the CC info, including the "security code" on the back. But it certainly doesn't need to match the billing address (which is my home address).

Quote: AxiomOfChoice

Yes, that is definitely true. I've done this before when I switched jobs, and when I wanted to send a gift to someone. I just need to re-enter the CC info, including the "security code" on the back. But it certainly doesn't need to match the billing address (which is my home address).

Hmmm, now that I have been called out, I can't seem to recall the specific sites about which I was thinking. I know I've encountered it before (and it was an annoyance), but I can't put my finger on it. Definitely Amazon is flexible with it, which is great for gifts and shipping to work as you do.

Maybe you were buying from Victoria's Secret? :)

Quote: AxiomOfChoice

Maybe you were buying from Victoria's Secret? :)

Ha! I did order something from them once, for my ex-girlfriend. Added benefit was that I got the catalogs for several years afterwards.