Favorite Hotel/casino

[MULEDRIVER]

My experience is that everything has increased in price in Las Vegas and
the casinos are stingy with their comps.
What is your experience?
MD

[charr18]

I found that Paris is very generous with comps; also a great place to stay, Once you get rated there, you will receive invitations at excellent low rates and other goodies like free nights, free slot tournaments, etc.

[andrea]

like all other goods and services everywhere, vegas, too, has seen increased prices. labor costs more, utilities cost more, food costs more and the gas to transport is through the roof--averaging close to $3 per gallon +/- for premium. so, in many ways, vegas is just like anywhere else. also, the huge demand for resort-style mega hotels has caused prices to go up. but that doesn't mean that the "values" have disappeared. you can try staying off strip at one of the newer "local" hotel/casinos. silverton lodge and casino, for example. and also, whenever you come to vegas, be sure to check out the website of the hotel where you want to stay. it seems that all hotels post their best prices through their websites. and, sign up for their email lists, that way, you get the news from them as it happens.

enjoy. andrea from las vegas.

[tcbraden]

We always stay downtown, where the comps are better. Some people are afraid of it, but we have never had a problem, in 12 years. Depends on what you want. But the downtown places don't have 2 billion dollar mortgages to pay off. They have to work harder to get you back.
Tom

[hambone]

We have been treated real well at TI and have nice offers from other MGM Mirage properties.

[hambone]

We have been treated real well at TI and have recieved nice offers from other MGM Mirage properties.

[kasey0000]

i have to agree unfortunately

[brotheral]

It has been my experience that in the past few years... The strip casinos are becomming a bit frugal with their comps. However... If you can give the casino the impression that you have lost a good bit of money while playing... They seem to loosten up their comp purse strings a bit. The downtown casinos seem to appreciate the business that you give them and they seem to be a bit more generous. Again... This varies from casino to casino.

[kpham]

I would agree with you that getting fully comped is like pulling teeth, however I still find it beneficial to use my players card. Occasionally I'll receive a postcard offer from one of the hotels for a comped room, tournament, or reduced hotel rate even though my actual money play falls shy of their normal limits to give a comp. Signing up on-line at the various casino websites will also give you access to any on-line specials that may save some money as well. Anyway, it never hurts to ask...though it is getting tougher!

[lucky134me]

But then it could be because I won $10,000 on a slot machine in Jan and they want their money back. :p

[brandy407]

I agree. I don't receive the amount of offers I used to. Shortly after 9/11, tourism plummeted and I got offers coming out the "whazoo". I understand in the last year, tourism business boomed. Practically all the hotel rooms, as many as they are, are always sold-out. So with so many visitors coming and patronizing, they are not as generous with the comps anymore.

[GILUV2Gamble]

I haven't noticed that. When I ask for something the hosts/pit are pretty accomodating to my needs

[sybgal]

We have very pleased with Caesars & its other properties. We live near one of their riverboats & go frequently. We save most of our comps for 6 - 9 months to use on our annual trip to LV in Sept. We get great offers too. This year we have 2 free nights at Paris & a $40 birthday coupon for food, etc. Our comps are paying for our other night there ($89), our kids rooms at Bally's & Paris (thru offers we got) & alot of the food for everyone. We also spend at least $200 in the gift shops at Margaritaville, Paris, Caesars, etc. We would not be able to enjoy our trip as much without the perks. :)

[GREGRIO]

I stay...well, at the RIO. I've have over fifty weeks logged there from
over the years. I'm a mid-roller, payed my share of the going rate but now enjoy a couple fee nights and good casino rates.
It's quite a different place from the good 'ol days with Tony Marnell.
Harrah's Total Rewards certainly isn't very generous, but I still make it
work for me. Prices keep going up, we keep going back, I STILL LOVE IT!

[xciceroguy]

Agree with you, but i figure as soon as people stop going as often things will change. It's a supply and demand thing. These things go in cycles. My favorite place is the Orleans. Reason being is that me and girlfriend always get a great bang for our buck, win or lose. I don't care for the way they give points on the club cards ( coin out verses coin in ) but it's something we have come accustomed to. They have been fairly generous with free or highly discounted room rates. Free drinks easy to come by and the food is fairly priced in all the restraunts, especially when you use easy to get coupons.

xciceroguy

[auntvonna]

It is true that the prices have gone up and the comps have gone down. A few years ago, we decided to try the Stardust. We got a West Tower suite for the same price we'd pay for a standard room center or south strip (wonderful view of the strip,whirlpool bath, sitting area and the rare coffee pot in the room). What really stood out about the Dust, however, was the outstanding customer service. Great people! We are pretty low rollers, and were surprised when they started sending us offers Every month for free rooms during the week and $10 in cash. The Orleans (off strip, on Tropicana) is another one that sends us free room offers and has great customer service. :)

[gizmodog]

We were Vegas fans for years and visited about 4 times per year, always got great rates, the food was affordable and the casinos were generous with comps for frequent visitors. Now I am looking to do my gambling elsewhere, Laughlin, Reno or even riverboats. Not that we are big time gamblers, but a few times a year we enjoy getting away and spending a few days gambling.
Vegas prices have gotten me a little angry, yes we still get the occasional postcard for $89 or $99 dollar rates, but gone are the comps, gone are the deals for food, taxi cabs prices are ridiculous. Vegas has turned into a town now that wants to cater to the upscale shoppers, the people who want spa and pool vacations, elegant dining experiences, not that there is anything wrong with those vacations, I enjoy that too, but just not where I am gambling. The people who are just looking for a nice hotel and a few days to just have fun gambling do not seem to matter to them so much anymore. By time you spend the money on the hotel, the food and the transportation, your gambling money is depleted. I am sorry but I think until Vegas thinks about the gambler again, I will look elsewhere to lose my money.

[sybgal]

We get great offers from our favorite hotel - Paris / Bally's. We save our comps during the year when we go to our local Caesars riverboat & they pay for our room, food & gifts on our yearly trip to Mecca. Great deal for us since they send us great offers & sometimes free rooms & some food. We are T-5! :)

[gator904]

We have been signing up at a new place(getting players card) each trip, and playing a little bit there, get better offers from them then the places we are established at, and doing most of are playing, Got card last Nov, at Paris, played 1/2 hr on dollar video poker , lost $25, got offers for 2 free nites at paris, or 3 free nites at Ballys, did same with Sunset Station got cards, I played poker for a couple hrs, wife played nickles, no big amount spent, got free offers now for Sunset Station, will stay there in Jan. Golden Nugget still my favorite, But thet are not as giving as use to be, use to get RFB and concert tickets, Elton John Billy Joel, Alan Jackson, all comped at MGM, then offers really went down hill, and play really didnt change, maybe with that casino show their Business picked up and my small amount wasnt as worthy anymore,??

Also signed up at Bellagio a yr ago, played .25 video poker for couple hrs, me and wife, started getting $89 offers from them, not free but quite a deal for Bellagio.

[legalois]

We were Vegas fans for years and visited about 4 times per year, always got great rates, the food was affordable and the casinos were generous with comps for frequent visitors. Now I am looking to do my gambling elsewhere, Laughlin, Reno or even riverboats. Not that we are big time gamblers, but a few times a year we enjoy getting away and spending a few days gambling.
Vegas prices have gotten me a little angry, yes we still get the occasional postcard for $89 or $99 dollar rates, but gone are the comps, gone are the deals for food, taxi cabs prices are ridiculous. Vegas has turned into a town now that wants to cater to the upscale shoppers, the people who want spa and pool vacations, elegant dining experiences, not that there is anything wrong with those vacations, I enjoy that too, but just not where I am gambling. The people who are just looking for a nice hotel and a few days to just have fun gambling do not seem to matter to them so much anymore. By time you spend the money on the hotel, the food and the transportation, your gambling money is depleted. I am sorry but I think until Vegas thinks about the gambler again, I will look elsewhere to lose my money.

I totally agree! Once all the old-time casinos (Frontier, Stardust, Riviera) are gone and replaced with huge mega-resorts, the "deals" as we've know them will all be gone. Maybe we'll have to go back to the old Saturday night poker games with our friends.

[davidinvegas]

Yes, room prices have edged up in the last two years as well as food in some of the nicer places to eat. But if you want comps, be prepared to be a PLAYER ! Then you can get many comps!

[sonntex]

My husband and I stay at Harrahs because we get coupons for free rooms and always have enough points to get free food and sometimes take in free shows. My daughter and I have stayed at the Paris and it was nice. I had a coupon for 2 free nights and enough points for one free meal, but we went over to Harrahs to eat, also, because I had so many points with them. The room was nicer at Paris, of course. We also stayed at the Rio on a 5 night coupon. (You can usually stay at either Harrahs or Rio on their coupons) Again used Harrahs points earned to pay for all the food and they comped two tickets to the Scintas. My husband and I will be going to the Rio for a slot tournament the weekend before Halloween and we have over $800 in points built up to use for food but we won't need to use many of them because Rio will give us food vouchers and there will be a banquet on the last night. Everyone gripes about Harrahs, but we like their system. We get a lot of free stuff. However, I will be a little upset if they take our points away like some are saying they may do if you don't use them in 6 months. We will have to eat a lot expensive meals to use what we have. Anyway, right now we are big Harrahs and Rio fans.

[cindyinnj]

Although we usually stay at Bellagio, they are not big on comps. We've had more comps from Mirage and Paris and we didn't even stay there. Now we're going to stay at Mirage instead of Bellagio and see what more they can offer us!

[judyqu]

:mad: Cindy, we've stayed at most all the MGM controlled properties on the strip; our least favorite is the Mirage. Rooms are no where near as nice as Bellagio. Even Treasure Island's rooms are better. Bathroom at Mirage is so small that, if you are sitting on the toilet, knees almost touch the door if someone opens it. These are the remodeled rooms!!! I complained last time we stayed there and was told that upgraded rooms were better.

[YSinAppleton]

My favorite hotel is Paris, followed by the Monte Carlo. We are pretty low rollers, but do get some offers from both places for discounted rooms, etc. We also got some comps from TI this past year, cash back for dining.

[YJAJJ]

My experience is that everything has increased in price in Las Vegas and
the casinos are stingy with their comps.
What is your experience?
MD

It is interesting that many look for comps rather then what Vegas is all about!
Fun Fun Fun!
I have stayed at the Flamingo for years! We get some comps but I go for the service I get from my Host Mike!
He sets up my rooms! I call him when I'm in town, never wait in line! We don't need the over priced new places comfort, clean and friendly is my goal! You don't get that by jumping around to the new places!
Comps are for gamblers - $25.00 average bet & 4 hours play a day seems to be the over all starting point!
Slots are a bit different as they are the money makers of Vegas!
My point in all this find a place you like never go or play for comps - take what you get and have fun! Over the long haul you pay for the comps!
JJ MI

[Boston_Bill]

My experience is that everything has increased in price in Las Vegas and
the casinos are stingy with their comps.
What is your experience?
MD

Have to agree. I love the Golden Nugget but their comp system is pretty outrageous. Im a low roller but sitting at the slots to earn 1500 points takes quite a while.

My favorite hotel is the Mirage. I still love that place.

[GNH2000]

We have stayed at TI 5 times in the last 3 years. We are treated very well there and will continue to stay there in the future.

[Terri]

The Monte Carlo is good with comps - use your players card and contact an Executive Host who will check out your play, etc. Since 1996 when they opened - I have never paid for my room, food or drinks! It pays to have a Host, not to mention it is much more personalized and saves time when you plan your visit and can just pick up the phone and have your arrangements all set up without going through reservations!!

[tryon4]

I guess when you find a place you really like it is hard to move. For us it is the Excalibur. Over the years we have been treated royally (ha Ha) while in Vegas. 2 - 3 times per year. Comps add up fairly easy. We generally get a very good rate for Sun. thru Thursday and a reduced rate for weekend.
We check out activity in Vegas when booking. We stay away from big convention weeks.

[Pete711]

Everyone may laugh, but the IP has been very nice to me and keeps tricking me to keep coming back. This was the first place I ever stayed and it has pretty much sucked me in. I'm not a big roller yet and they tend to treat us pretty well. Rooms are typically free and the rooms are good enough for what we need. I'm not a big fan of Harrah's taking over so I'm sure we will be finding a new home in the future. One more stay at the IP in Dec, and then we will be on the market for a new home most likely. We did stay a few days at the Aladdin in August and was very impressed. Hopefully they don't mess it up too much with PH.

[vu-doo]

here is the thing . years ago the casinos didn't care if the restaurants made any money. the were loss leaders. get you in the casino and keep you in the casino.

ever since the big corporations came to vegas that all changed. they put there business model into play . that means that every facet of the resort has to make money. restaurants , hotel, even the casino bars in some cases.

(a few years ago the flamingo put a policy into place. that no drinks were comped at bugsys bar, unless you put at least a twenty dollar bill in the bar top VP. and you woludn't get your drink untill you started playing.)

i know cuz i was there. they quickly changed that though.

but that just goes to show you how greedy the corporate big wigs are.


but you also have to consider the fact that vegas is drawing more vistors than ever , regardless of how high they raise the prices.

I love vegas today, but vegas was much better when "the boys" ran vegas