Aussie
Aussie
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April 5th, 2011 at 5:09:28 AM permalink
I have been meaning to post this for a few months and have finally gotten around to it. Before I get into the story my initial question would be if a casino sells a room in some kind of "buy 3 nights get 1 free" type offer through either their own or another website, should this affect the comps they give you based on your play?

My story relates to just this kind of situation when I stayed at Encore in October. We had booked our room through Expedia - buy 3 nights get a 4th night free. It was our first time in Vegas so we did more of the tourist walk up and down the strip etc than any serious gambling. Over the four days I did manage to play about 6 hours of Pai Gow at about a $70 average bet.

I wasn't really expecting to get anything in the way of comps but I asked anyway at one of those red card desks just before we were going to head across to the food court at the mall across the road for a cheap fast food dinner. The host told me they could comp a meal to the value of about $90. Just charge the meal to our room and it would be taken care of. As a result, instead of spending a few bucks at McDonalds we decided to eat at Wazuzu. $100 later we headed off to enjoy our last night in Vegas.

Upon check out the next morning I asked about the meal charge from the previous evening that was still on the bill. The girl at reception rang the host to ask about it and was told the charge stood. I then went to speak to the host about it and was told that because I had booked my room on a buy 3 get 1 free offer I had effectively already been comped 1 night and they would not be picking up last night's dinner. My argument that I wouldn't have even eaten at the restaurant if I hadn't been told it would be comped fell on deaf ears. Obviously I wasn't particularly happy and was told if I wanted to discuss it further I could contact the host I had spoken to the previous night when she came in later that day.

The end story is that after a few back and forth emails with the host that night while waiting several hours at LAX for a flight home, she did accept that it was their fault for giving me the incorrect information and agree to comp the meal.

Free meal or not though, I would be interested to know why a room offer like this should have any affect whatsoever on the amount of comps a player receives?
joehypnosis
joehypnosis
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April 5th, 2011 at 9:01:14 AM permalink
Aussie:
Good timing that I saw your post now, as we are now dealing with this issue. We are about to book our next trip to Vegas, having used Expedia for our previous trips. However, we are now considering booking directly through the casino/hotel we are going to stay at. I have read posts elsewhere that casinos don't really extend comps to people who book through agencies like Expedia or Orbitz, and several years ago my mother-in-law pulled some strings with a senior manager she knew at the old Aladdin to see if she could get us a surprise upgrade for our honeymoon. He wanted to help us but told her if was much more difficult because we'd used a booking agency. (He still came through for us big time :) ) I believe someone at the Mirage also told us last time that our comps would have been better if we booked directly through the hotel.

When I was reading your post I was surprised to read they offered you a comp at all when you had booked through Expedia. I imagine the host didn't think to check your booking before she made you the initial offer, and later someone realized you'd used Expedia. Of course, she should still honor her offer to you; that's only fair. But there is apparently an issue with comps when you use an agency like Expedia or Orbitz.
--Joe
FleaStiff
FleaStiff
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April 5th, 2011 at 9:20:21 AM permalink
This is yet another reason to not get rooms via any site other than the hotel's own site.
There is no way the host should have refused to comp you in the first place.
No way it should have remained on the bill once you explained about.

The worst thing though is to be in that situation in the first place. I realize that doing alot of touristy things means that you did not gamble all that much, but you foreclosed yourself from being comped once you accept the outside hotel booking. The casino's computers can't do anything about the price that room went for. Nor can the casino's computers do anything about your frequent flyer miles with that airline. So its a waste of time to expect a lowly paid Host to be able to do much for you.

If you book your room directly you will get comped more readily and more generously. Thats the way it is.
teddys
teddys
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April 5th, 2011 at 2:01:06 PM permalink
Shouldn't matter, the restaurant comp was in no way related to the room you purchased from Expedia. Host should be able to give soft comps to restaurants. I can understand why she may have been reluctant to comp your room, but food ... no way. Bad service by Wynn.

I assume Expedia purchases blocks of rooms from the vendor and repackages and resells them as they see fit. So it was Expedia who was offering the comp on the room, not Wynn. I could be wrong about that, though, so perhaps someone in the biz could clairify.
"Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe." -Rig Veda 10.34.4
Aussie
Aussie
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April 5th, 2011 at 2:59:13 PM permalink
I agree it shouldn't matter (obviously it does). I mean in a city like Vegas I could walked across the road and played somewhere else and (probably) got my comp there.
TIMSPEED
TIMSPEED
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April 6th, 2011 at 3:05:27 PM permalink
Most places, if they see that, say to themselves "We are already posting charges to the hotel from our comp account, so we're not going to give any MORE to this particular account."
I see that a LOT actually, more than just with discount travel sites...people charge things to their room, expecting to get a host to comp it off (even if they say they will!) I NEVER charge things to my room, PERIOD. If I don't have it in a comp account I can see, I don't do it.
Gambling calls to me...like this ~> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nap37mNSmQ
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