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This January the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is coming to Vegas as it always does. It is one of the biggest conventions anywhere and our town takes full advantage (room rates jump, table game minimums jump ($100 min becomes the "cheap tables" at many properties), everything that can jack up it's prices does.
As you know I work for a casino player's club making phone reservations for players (discounted and free rooms based on a guests past play as well as our hotel occupancy).
For most of the big conventions I have encountered guests who happen to have players cards trying to use them to get the best deal for their convention lodging. I HATE when they aren't upfront about it (hi, I'm going to the convention and I'm wondering if my players club card can get me a better deal on my room).
I just TRIED my damnedest to get a guy to book a reservation for dates that just happened to perfectly match the CES dates. He is about to get a harsh ass wake up call.
He is a fairly small player (loses less than $100 each day he gambles). He called in at the very end of night shift (I think some people call callcenters right before close thinking that the closers somehow are less knowledgeable and can be tricked). He tells me "I'm planning a trip for 1/7-1/11, and I'd like the best deal possible). The hotel he calls happens to be kinda-sorta convenient to the convention center (a free shuttle bus and the monorail will get you there, or a cheapish cap ride).
I pull up the rates and I see right off the bat he has a discounted rate in the neighborhood of $300 per night versus the $500 per night prevailing rate). Sensing his definition of "the best deal possible" = "as much free as possible". I don't quote those rates right away, I come through all the marketing department mailings in his account and try them one by one. I somehow find one that gives him 3 of the 4 nights free (I'm thinking it's either a computer glitch or the offer hasn't been marked as sold out yet though it should have). The one lone night (the one in the middle) with a rate I manage to find a rate of $140. I quote him what I think is a SUPER AWESOME deal "3 nights free + 1 night at $140 = paying $40 a night for a hotel room during CES". He rejects the idea like it's the biggest rip off he's ever heard.
He then goes for the fail. He plays the "I'm a GAMBLER card" with a combo of the "Your competition can beat this card". He explains to me he is coming to gamble (bullshit, what gambler in their right mind would come to town during the biggest convention of the year? (huge crowds and jacked up table minimums).
He tells me he'd stay with us if I could get all 4 nights free and if I can't he'll just go to the Venetian where he claims they'd do it and give him an upgraded suite. Double-bullshit, the Venetian is on the strip and quite close to the convention center, plus the Venetian happens to have a meeting space where some of the convention actually takes place. That means A) demand will be super duper tight B) there will be some BIG players (CEO's, company owners, investors, ect) who are going to want to stay there. I don't think if his daily lose their was anything less than 10 times what it is with us they'd pay any mind to him.
Plus, I assume that someone who is looking to use their players club card to save money on a convention room would first call the casino they've played at the most.
The guest has me quote our hotel that happens to be the closest in proximity to Venetian. The best I can do is $300 a night for 3 nights and ONE free night. He gets all huffy and does the "I'm about to hang up to call the competition song as dance".
I stop him and remind him that our rates WILL increase as availability decreases and this being so if he doesn't book on this call, there is no way at all to promise he'd be able to call back and get the same rates. I also remind him there would be no deposit whatsoever to book the room and lock in the rates and he'd have all the way up until a few days before arrival to cancel with no penalty. I try and suggest to him this would be the best way to shop around (book with us, call other hotels and find out YES you got a good deal, and if someone-how someone beats it, boom you can cancel). He refuses and insists that it's too much of a hassle because he will just need to call back and cancel after the other hotels give him every night of the convention free. Heck, if the can't beat us he insists if he calls back our rates will more likely than not stay the same lol.
I wish I could be a fly on the wall while he "shops around" and FAILS
As you know I work for a casino player's club making phone reservations for players (discounted and free rooms based on a guests past play as well as our hotel occupancy).
For most of the big conventions I have encountered guests who happen to have players cards trying to use them to get the best deal for their convention lodging. I HATE when they aren't upfront about it (hi, I'm going to the convention and I'm wondering if my players club card can get me a better deal on my room).
I just TRIED my damnedest to get a guy to book a reservation for dates that just happened to perfectly match the CES dates. He is about to get a harsh ass wake up call.
He is a fairly small player (loses less than $100 each day he gambles). He called in at the very end of night shift (I think some people call callcenters right before close thinking that the closers somehow are less knowledgeable and can be tricked). He tells me "I'm planning a trip for 1/7-1/11, and I'd like the best deal possible). The hotel he calls happens to be kinda-sorta convenient to the convention center (a free shuttle bus and the monorail will get you there, or a cheapish cap ride).
I pull up the rates and I see right off the bat he has a discounted rate in the neighborhood of $300 per night versus the $500 per night prevailing rate). Sensing his definition of "the best deal possible" = "as much free as possible". I don't quote those rates right away, I come through all the marketing department mailings in his account and try them one by one. I somehow find one that gives him 3 of the 4 nights free (I'm thinking it's either a computer glitch or the offer hasn't been marked as sold out yet though it should have). The one lone night (the one in the middle) with a rate I manage to find a rate of $140. I quote him what I think is a SUPER AWESOME deal "3 nights free + 1 night at $140 = paying $40 a night for a hotel room during CES". He rejects the idea like it's the biggest rip off he's ever heard.
He then goes for the fail. He plays the "I'm a GAMBLER card" with a combo of the "Your competition can beat this card". He explains to me he is coming to gamble (bullshit, what gambler in their right mind would come to town during the biggest convention of the year? (huge crowds and jacked up table minimums).
He tells me he'd stay with us if I could get all 4 nights free and if I can't he'll just go to the Venetian where he claims they'd do it and give him an upgraded suite. Double-bullshit, the Venetian is on the strip and quite close to the convention center, plus the Venetian happens to have a meeting space where some of the convention actually takes place. That means A) demand will be super duper tight B) there will be some BIG players (CEO's, company owners, investors, ect) who are going to want to stay there. I don't think if his daily lose their was anything less than 10 times what it is with us they'd pay any mind to him.
Plus, I assume that someone who is looking to use their players club card to save money on a convention room would first call the casino they've played at the most.
The guest has me quote our hotel that happens to be the closest in proximity to Venetian. The best I can do is $300 a night for 3 nights and ONE free night. He gets all huffy and does the "I'm about to hang up to call the competition song as dance".
I stop him and remind him that our rates WILL increase as availability decreases and this being so if he doesn't book on this call, there is no way at all to promise he'd be able to call back and get the same rates. I also remind him there would be no deposit whatsoever to book the room and lock in the rates and he'd have all the way up until a few days before arrival to cancel with no penalty. I try and suggest to him this would be the best way to shop around (book with us, call other hotels and find out YES you got a good deal, and if someone-how someone beats it, boom you can cancel). He refuses and insists that it's too much of a hassle because he will just need to call back and cancel after the other hotels give him every night of the convention free. Heck, if the can't beat us he insists if he calls back our rates will more likely than not stay the same lol.
I wish I could be a fly on the wall while he "shops around" and FAILS
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