Transportation: Taxis-how much does it cost for a taxi from the airport to the Strip? Does the $20 trick work outside of Vegas? Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is renowned for its opulent luxury and grandeur, boasting world-class dining, entertainment, and amenities fit for a Roman emperor. Federal law has established a maximum tip credit of $5.12, which means tipped employees can earn an hourly wage as low as $2.13. Luxor. It is more important to me to get the room I want, than to get an "upgrade." Does the $20 trick still work with comped rooms? Doing it your way meant, win or lose, you had an awesome room! Don't be demanding. They would obviously keep the note as a tip. The $20 trick is a technique in which you slip a twenty-dollar bill into a hotel room folio (the folder with your summary of charges) along with your credit card when checking into a hotel. This thread is to discuss the $20 Trick at MGM Grand. Id booked the cheapest room off of Priceline; it was a hell of an upgrade! I am MLife Platinum (courtesy of Hyatt) which may have helped. $30 per night for an upgrade isnt bad, to whatever it might be, Me: Okay, well just give me whatever youd like. I always make a comment about the people before me who demanded better service and telling the agent "we always get (blank). Fwiw we would have done the same. We were upgraded at the MGM from 2 grand tower rooms to 2 Bungalow Suites with the $20 trick. And service was good too.this is what happened. The room is not that nice looking either. I'm hearing these self-checkin kiosks are a nightmare, especially at the new Park MGM where you cannot talk to anyone or complain about room assignments (no $20 trick). I know, because I speak from Experience. If being stuck in a tiny old cramped room will ruin your trip dont rely on this trick to get you out of a hole. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Some tipped employees mistake the lower the legally required minimum wage paid to . Yeah, its not really a trick, just seems to have taken on that moniker, you are just, very nicely, asking about free upgrades and offering a nice tip in return for the help! My advice would be at check in to hand your ID and cc and a $20 and say "anything you can do to improve our stay would be greatly appreciated" and you'll be very happy. Had it not worked out, I would have still gladly given $20 anyway. A Credit Cardand some form of ID. And never heard it directly from anyone who has had it happen to them. 99.9% of check-in Staff are great, but there is always the odd one, having a crappy day that just doesnt want to be there! An enjoyable read - Thanks for sharing. I noticed the check in guy was non hetro, with a huge ego, so I bantered with him a little, complimented him on his clothing selection, and then asked him if he could give us a free upgrade, while assuring my wife, that je could make the magic happen. For $100 per night I can upgrade you to [I forgot the room type]. Because it angers customers. Ben, any wild guess: would the 20$ trick work to get upgraded to eg a club room on an IC award stay ??? Really it's pretty simple. For example, Ill intentionally fall for scams that arent dangerous just to see how theyre executed, because I find that interesting. New York CityPASS Review Is The New York CityPASS Worth It In 2023? Your exchange just sounds awkward personally. I offered $50 and requested an upgrade to a Hollywood Suite. I'm looking forward to hearing more about this stay. This guy foolishly recorded himself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gBak9PlzrA, When it's not crowded, I think it's worth a bet, You wonder why CET & other casino's are loosing money and are now charging for parking and installing "drink lights" to justify a free drink?..The money lost on upgrades is going into the pockets of the agents. Feel free to report back your success or failure! front desk agents have a lot of leeway in choosing your room (so comparisons to upgrading on a flight don't really work here) - i've given clerks more like 30 euros, and said i would appreciate anything they can do to make my stay more special - sometimes they say with a smile that i've already been upgraded (and make sure i take my money back), sometimes they take the money and i get a front desk agents have a lot of leeway in choosing your room (so comparisons to upgrading on a flight don't really work here) - i've given clerks more like 30 euros, and said i would appreciate anything they can do to make my stay more special - sometimes they say with a smile that i've already been upgraded (and make sure i take my money back), sometimes they take the money and i get a better room than last time, but nothing specific is said - remarks re: management getting pissed off about this don't really obtain here, since again, part of a front desk clerk's job is to assign rooms and they have a lot of discretion. Just stayed for one night and left this morning. $60 is crazy money. The Clerks are authorized to make minor adjustments to your room allocation and often itshelpful to the hotel to upgrade people as they overbook basic rooms. So I slipped her the $60. What about touring the Grand Canyon from LV? The $20 trick isn't just for Vegas, it works everywhere. I'll preface by saying I'm one of those people too scared of the possible awkwardness in trying the "$20 trick.". $20 - MGM Grand | Vegas Message Board Like it angers me. Not that the $20 trick is a scam, but. Yes. :) I don't write a blog but even if I did I don't think I would share all my strategies Wouldn't want to devalue or end what works for me the vast majority of the time all over the world I'm simply to selfish and I like to help only those I know personally and or care about in my circles I'd ask for big Lucky Lucky Lucky lol still learning?! He told us he couldn't upgrade us in room type, so instead he gave us 100 dollars per day per room resort credit, and made so when we checked out we had three of the four days resort fee waived. Fresh towels, chocolates, ocean views and room upgrades, go along way, when you travel. First a stunning revelation. You said you would like to know if anyone did not get an upgrade and the clerk just kept the $20. I was there for 4 nights. It depends on your goal. We know the Hotels do not mind these little upgrades as the rooms are sitting empty anyway, Food Credit is more of a cost to the Hotel so maybe they are less inclined to give them away in exchange for tips. We'll see how things go and I'll be sure to tell everyone how it went over. $20 - Park MGM/Nomad | Vegas Message Board The Venetian September 2021 upgraded us to strip view, up higherAND waived the resort fees! The MGM Grand is generally not budget-friendly. So there is no need to mess about with clandestine passes of the money out of the eyes of the bosses. and we are booked into a "Grand King" room. Did you still have to pay resort fees? Get Social. Arrived at hotel around noon, went to check in and when asked for ID and Credit Card, I stuck $20 in between and asked if there was any complimentary upgrades, clerk said let me look at what's available. Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ). We stayed at the Venitien earlier this year and got bumped up a level, high floor strip view, Loved it! Of course, as you move up in the quality of the hotel and even the class of room you booked, the more likely it is you may need to bump the tip-up. Does the $20 Trick Work in Vegas 2020? Stay connected with the latest travel, aviation, and credit card news. Lets call it travel insurance, while others wait in line for their favorite eggs done right, or the nicest piece of fish, i get served first. AG Healey Issues Emergency Regulation Prohibiting Price Gouging of Dining: what is "Open Table"? The $20 trick is executed by discreetly passing a $20 bill to the check-in employee sandwiched between your ID and credit card while simultaneously asking for a complimentary room upgrade. Tried for first time in late October checking in on a sunday at Ballys and was disappointed. Save. A bigger tip is unlikely to help secure a bigger or better upgrade as they are not really supposed to bump you up too high. thanks. I don't know what kind of room you booked but if you just got a "standard room", you have quite a few of options : 1) Ask for the Jacuzzi suite with a strip view ( in world /premier tower), 2) if denied, ask for casino suite / executive suite, 3) If denied, ask for a delux suite in premier tower (avoid regency tower at any cost !). There is also the added notion from the hotels perspective that guests that save on one aspect usually spend heavier on others. I gave her my ID, cc, and a $20 bill in the middle. When you check into a hotel you simply slip the front desk clerk a $20 bill with your credit card, while asking "Do you have any complimentary upgrades available?" This check-in agent can really be in trouble after describing her in detail here. Without missing a beat, she asked if I had a preference between the Venetian and Palazzo. The so-called "grand bargain" bill will ultimately raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour, implement a guaranteed paid family and medical leave program, and establishes a permanent sales . What about touring the Grand Canyon from LV? Dining (UPDATED 2017) - Las Vegas Dining 101 - all dining needs in 1 resource, Dining: Dinner & breakfast buffets? ; budget options; Pool season? Downtown locations; UK drivers, Weddings: Chapels; Wedding Wagon; Vows renewals; Formalities; Photography; Proposing, Helpful information: availability of wi-fi in hotels and elsewhere, Helpful information: Calendars of events, including forthcoming shows & headliners, Websites for researching forthcoming attractions. I don't write a blog but even if I did I don't think I would share all my strategies Most of the time if you're just nice, smile, ask them how they are, etc.you know, just be a nice, normal, decent person.that gets you pretty far in life. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. God I love that word, In Nassau Bahamas, I was so charming to the nice lady check in clerk, that she gave us a nice partial ocean view room on an upper room, above the pool. What I will share is that if I were to do what you did I wouldn't compensate until after the upgrade was cinched and I was satisfied with the upgraded accommodations in or out of Vegas ). Transportation: Airport- International arrivals- how long is the arrival process? Helpful information: Where is a low fee ATM? (and no construction) I have also encountered success with the $20 at Bally's and the Stratosphere. This only works out well when you know specifically what to ask for ;). And we are going Sun-Thur so hopefully that helps.. So essentially you are asking the wrong individual in this case a mere check in agent who needs permission/authorization to get access to the best luxurious, spacious premium room inventory . If they do, it's more than worth it. I research availability at the hotels and cost of the availability. The more they get away with not having to return the money the more theyll think its acceptable to keep doing. Downtown locations; UK drivers, Weddings: Chapels; Wedding Wagon; Vows renewals; Formalities; Photography; Proposing, Helpful information: availability of wi-fi in hotels and elsewhere, Helpful information: Calendars of events, including forthcoming shows & headliners, Websites for researching forthcoming attractions. This morning upon check out, the sweet desk agent asked me if I had a great stay. Carrot Top Meet & Greet. It's still a upgrade from standard rooms !! $20 trick - Does it work in MGM Grand? - Las Vegas Forum According to our user reviews, MGM Grand has a 55% success rate. I go to Vegas a lot, possibly 30 times in the past 10 years and many times I have 2 rooms in separate hotels , mostly comped or cheap based on my play (usually one in Caesers group of hotels and one in MLife/MGM group of hotels). In conclusion, does the $20 trick work at MGM Grand? The difference between the state or federal minimum wage and what employers are allowed to pay tipped employees is called a tip credit. Until its shut down from the top it will continue. 7 years ago Save We are returning to Vegas next week staying in MGM Grand for the first time.I wondered if the "$20 sandwich" trick works there. While there are many factors to consider before attempting this method, our users report that if done properly there is a 50/50 chance that you will be able to score some freebies or upgrades during your stay at MGM Grand. But still, we find its enough. First of all, MGM Grand is home to some of the best amenities in Las Vegas from their amazing pool complex to its countless incredible restaurants and live entertainment options such as Cirque du Soleil, David Copperfield, and Jabbawockeez. As we said, these are people, just like youwho would you be more likely to give an upgrade to?