My wife and I just got back from a weekend getaway to Las Vegas, a one of a kind city that is full of excitement. It was just awesome spending a few days having some kidless fun, eating amazing food, and getting the chance to stay at a world class hotel. Since this was my wife’s first visit to “sin city” I wanted to do it right and decided to book a room at the luxurious Bellagio. As a proud bargain hunter, I found a great promotion which gives you a $100 resort credit when booking two or more nights at the hotel. I also briefly considered paying extra to upgrade from the standard resort room to a suite of some sort, but the cost to do this was a bit too rich for my blood. What I was after was a way to find cheap Vegas rooms.
Shortly after booking the room, I stumbled onto a website that mentioned the “Twenty Dollar Trick” as something that is used frequently to get cheap Vegas rooms. The basic premise of the twenty dollar trick is to slip the hotel front desk cashier a little bit of money at check-in time, in hopes of scoring a better room. While this practice isn’t particularly well known, desk clerks are often more than happy to participate, and even better–most hotel managers don’t seem to mind. Booking an upgraded room ahead of time can represent a significant price increase, but you can likely get the same upgrade for just a small tip if you wait until check-in time.
The tried and true script goes likes this: Upon getting to the front desk, you hand the desk clerk what is known as a “sandwich.” This basically means, putting a $20 bill in between your credit card and driver’s license, as you pass them over. At the same time, you calmly say to the desk clerk “I was wondering if you have any complimentary upgrades available.” If things work as expected, the clerk will take your $20 bill and start plugging away on the system to see if anything is available. If they can’t do anything to help you, they will most likely tell you there are no available upgrades and hand the “tip” back to you.
During the conversation that ensues, you should be as friendly as possible. Hotel employees deal with a variety of rude and impatient customers throughout their typical day, and a smile and a little bit of kindness can certainly go a long way. If there are any anniversaries or birthdays if they correlate with your stay, you might want to mention them as well, as some hotels can offer special perks for these occasions. If all goes well, you will find yourself with an upgraded room, and your billed rate for the hotel be unchanged.
While it will work at many hotels, you should know going in at that the 20 dollar trick will not always be successful. If you get matched up with a new or paranoid employee, they might not be willing to assist. Also, if you are booked during one of the busier times of the year (New Years Eve or any major sporting events per se) there likely won’t be any cheap Vegas rooms available no matter how big of a bill you pass over with the sandwich.
You probably don’t want to bother with this trick unless the hotel is a fairly nice property, with a variety of different room options; the sandwich will likely not get you anything more than confused looks if attempted at a suburban Best Western. Conversely, if staying at an extremely pricey hotel, you may want to consider using more than the standard $20, depending on what type of upgrade you are after.
Upon walking into the Bellagio lobby, I was determined to give the 20 dollar trick my best attempt. We were guided to a small queue near the front desk, where at least 10 different employees were all working with customers. After a few minutes, a friendly middle-aged woman waved us over. Since the Bellagio is one of the nicer hotels in Vegas, I decided to double the standard amount, and put $40 in between my driver’s license and credit card. As I handed the sandwich over, I smiled and calmly said, “Hi there. This is my wife’s first time in Las Vegas and we are celebrating our wedding anniversary. As such, I was wondering if you had any complimentary upgrades available.”
The desk clerk put the cash onto the back of her keyboard, smiled at me, and said “I will be happy to look for you, sir.” We then made small talk for a few minutes as she searched through the system. Finally she said, “I found a junior suite that would be very nice for you two. It has an extra 150 square feet, a luxury steam shower, and a jetted tub. It is also at the end of the building, which means that you will have windows on two sides of the room, offering a great view of the city.” I was thrilled and immediately told her that this would be wonderful. She then offered us line passes for the buffet or cafe that would allow for us to get immediate seating for meals without having to wait in line. Another nice little perk, thanks to the 20 dollar trick!
The room and the views were amazing and my wife and I had a great time staying at the Bellagio. When we got back home, I looked at the hotel website and saw that the price for the mini-suite upgrade would have been an extra $160 (for two nights) had I booked it ahead of time. When the moment came, I was a little bit nervous about asking for the upgrade, but the $40 that I spent was clearly more than worth it.
The $20 credit is a great trick and I would recommend it highly if you are looking for cheap Vegas rooms, or are traveling anywhere else with a high-end hotel. I know that this won’t be the last time that I give it a try!
We are dedicated to helping to helping families get and stay out of debt.
The authors featured on this site are not financial experts, but are instead normal folks just figuring out how to make ends meet. The opinions and advice featured on See Debt Run have worked well for our families, but may not work for yours. If you choose to incorporate any ideas included on this site into your own financial planning, you do so at your own risk. We do NOT take any responsibility for the decisions you may make, even if they were based on something you read on this site.
Articles may contain affiliate links | Site Designed by Nuts and Bolts Media | © 2023 See Debt Run