Vegas Q&A: Will A $20 Tip Get Me A Better Room?
UPDATED: 10:48 a.m. EST March 3, 2003
Vegas Q&A: Will A $20 Tip Get Me A Better Room?
Question: I have read that giving the desk agent a $20 tip when checking in will get me a room with a view of the Strip. Is this the case with most hotels? My fear is they will take my $20 and give me a room with a view of the parking garage.
James in Columbus, Ohio
Answer: The $20 tip trick may get you an upgrade, but it doesn't always work. In fact, some hotels -- especially the nicer ones -- forbid their front-desk employees from taking such tips.
I personally don't use it very much. Granted, most of the time when I stay at a hotel they know I'm there to review it so they treat me well, but even those times when I go incognito I haven't found very many times when I needed to tip to get a better room.
I've found that a pleasant smile and some conversation can get you good rooms almost as easily as the $20. Don't forget that these people have to deal with guests all day and most of them aren't as nice as we are, right? So it can be refreshing when someone smiles and laughs with them, and they often reward it. I chatted up the agent at the last hotel I was at, just being friendly, and got a 20th-floor room facing the Strip.
I usually only use the tip trick during very busy times like holidays, when good rooms are at a premium.
If you have a question you'd like to submit, click here.
Answer: The $20 tip trick may get you an upgrade, but it doesn't always work. In fact, some hotels -- especially the nicer ones -- forbid their front-desk employees from taking such tips.
I personally don't use it very much. Granted, most of the time when I stay at a hotel they know I'm there to review it so they treat me well, but even those times when I go incognito I haven't found very many times when I needed to tip to get a better room.
I've found that a pleasant smile and some conversation can get you good rooms almost as easily as the $20. Don't forget that these people have to deal with guests all day and most of them aren't as nice as we are, right? So it can be refreshing when someone smiles and laughs with them, and they often reward it. I chatted up the agent at the last hotel I was at, just being friendly, and got a 20th-floor room facing the Strip.
I usually only use the tip trick during very busy times like holidays, when good rooms are at a premium.
If you have a question you'd like to submit, click here.
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