Waving a crisp twenty-dollar bill to the front desk attendant at the Riviera may have benefited your father in 1995, but it likely won't secure you a room upgrade in 2023 Las Vegas.
Oh hold on, didn’t your best friend say it was effective for him just last week? That’s merely how he might have viewed the situation.
When visitors inquire about the possibility of an upgrade, a front-desk agent can respond in three ways:
1. I’m sorry, but we’re all booked up.
2. Yes, and it will only cost $X extra per night.
3. Yes, and we can offer that at no extra charge.
Approaching the lengthy gleaming counter with a $20 bill ready, just like your father did in 1995, or even presenting it carefully folded between the ID and credit card you must display — referred to as “the $20 sandwich” — will rarely lead to the desired response No. 3.
Reasons It Likely Will Fail
This is due to the fact that, in contemporary Las Vegas, each front-desk transaction is captured on video. While the policies vary from hotel to hotel, it is typically seen negatively for front-desk staff to hand out benefits based on which guests offer them bribes.
Nevertheless, if you happen to receive answer No. 3, you then free Mr. Jackson from your wallet once your room upgrade is assured. In that situation, that would be seen as a completely appropriate tip for the clerk to receive.
This also suggests that the $20 trick wasn't effective, as you could act rudely and deny the agent their tip while still receiving the upgrade.
“You aren’t paying for an upgrade, you’re thanking the front desk clerk for helping make the most of your visit,” explains Scott Roeben, founder of Casino.org’s own Vital Vegas blog. “The reality is that a clerk will help if they can — usually based upon directives from higher-ups — gratuity or not.
“The service will still be provided because Vegas is a service town.”
When the $20 Trick C
take a shown $20 if they exhibit low risk aversion or are not interested in pursuing a career in hospitality. The tactic may also remain effective if the hotel usually ignores the situation and/or rarely checks the employee footage unless something obviously unlawful happens.
However, there is no precise method to obtain this information beforehand.
Nevertheless, Roeben claims it’s now the $40 trick in any case, stating that “$40 is the new $20, just as $5 has become the new $1 for complimentary drinks.”
Reasons It Will Soon Fail
Approximately 75% of hotels currently provide self-check-in kiosks. Similar to kiosks for airlines and car rentals, visitors can use their identification to access their bookings. Once they complete the payment with a credit or debit card, the kiosk dispenses their room key.
The $20/$40 trick cannot be done at a kiosk. The device will provide paid upgrades or, if there are sufficient higher-priced rooms available and the customer has exceeded a set loyalty points threshold, offer one at no cost.
Confronted with the option of waiting in a 45-minute line to talk to an agent who may or may not provide a free upgrade, kiosks have emerged as the favored check-in method, particularly among younger (read: future) Vegas travelers.
What to Anticipate Afterwards
This trend is expected to persist until kiosks fully take over the role of front-desk agents. It is probable that only one worker will remain, who — similar to the self-checkout lane at a supermarket — oversees the zone solely to assist customers with machine issues.
Vegas resorts, similar to all publicly traded companies that need to respond to shareholders, are pleased when they can eliminate human roles from their operations. Humans, with their annoying requests for a fair salary, health insurance, paid holidays, meals, and other breaks during work, are their second-largest expense.
The largest expense for most Vegas resorts is the monthly rental payments they owe to their corporate property owners. And that expense cannot be removed.
