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Well, I just had a good conversation with John Dorweiler, El Cortez hotel manager, 800-634-6703.
I called him because I thought that I'd clarify as best I could this new policy of 7 nights allowed at market value per calendar month, and then extra fees of $25 a night imposed at check-in on folks who book beyond seven in a calendar month.
I asked about husband and wife booking separately, and he said that they would probably have records showing that both had stayed seven nights and then impose the fee on any additional nights, even if one reservation was in the husband's and one in the wife's name. They would try to make that clear at the first check-in, but I could tell he could see as well as I could that it was a clear place for confusion.
I asked if I could book the last week in October and the first in November, and he said that technically I could and that the nights stayed were the ones that counted, not the check out days, so I could book October 25-31 and check out November 1 and still book November 1-8 and even though the checkout date was in November, I would have only booked 7 nights in each month.
He said again that if folks had sufficient play in the first 7 nights, the fee would be waived, and they could book for more nights. I explained again of how I am pretty much a live poker player and no casino program followed me at all. I told him I knew that I was playing against other players, but that over say ten hours of play I helped to keep the games going and generated quite a bit of money that was tossed into the pots.
I told him that the same play at Imperial Palace would earn me comped nights. So perhaps they could at least arrange a situation where poker play for the first seven nights could waive the $25 fee for additional nights. They would not need a sophisticated computer system for that. The brush could just take names.
That seemed to make sense to him, and he said he'd bring that up at the next meeting.
What I always stress here is that while I understand the live poker play is not likely to generate many comps, some record of my live poker play ought to indicate that I am not stiffing the casino when I take a room deal.
It was a pleasant conversation and clarifies for me the details of this change. I think that it will generate some bad feelings if folks are surprised at check in by a $25 fee for nights beyond 7, just as resort fees when they have come as a surprise, are annoying. People don't like feeling tricked.
I had decided that maybe I'd try booking 14 nights in a row, and so I changed my airfare to back me up to October 25 and started to rebook. That was a mess, but the clerk at El Cortez was very helpful, and I did manage to book October 25- checkout on Nov 1- patching together their freeplay/free food deal with an American Casino Guide coupon ($50 for 2 nights in Cabana) and then I bought the weekend inbetween from Hotel.com.
Booking.com actually has a way to change reservations and I tried it, but the
EC prices are higher now than when I first booked, and for my second week(Nov 1-
Cabana averaged $55 a night, while Gold Spike averaged $34 a night.
So I just dumped El Cortez and my thoughts of staying in the same place for 14 nights in a row, and booked a week at the Gold Spike. I still have plenty of opportunity to book the El Cortez later in November if none of my freebies work to fill in the blanks. So that increases my flexibility.
The rebooking at the El Cortez held one mystery. Someone (not me) had canceled a two night booking I had mader previously using my ACG coupon.
I had not gotten any word.
They don't send email on cancellations. I wondered if someone had gotten annoyed at all the complaint noises I have been making about this new policy, or had gotten confused and dumped my two nights, thinking it was over the seven. It was over seven, but not in one calendar month. This reminds me that we always need to do repeated confirmation calling. Once a few weeks after booking. Again just before going.
Using the ACG coupon to get a Cabana 2 for 1 night at $50 was new to me. I thought the coupons were only good in Pavillion. I am hoping it means that even though I have three bookings to make up my October week, I'll be able to stay in the same Cabana room all week. I start in a jr. suite. My other bookings are for Cabana "rooms." We'll see if they make me move or get my good will by letting me just stay in one spot.
I'll also get a good feel for the Gold Spike if I stay there seven or nine nights.
I'm still conflicted about how I feel about the El Cortez, and I still hope that they will rescind this policy. The clerk apologized for all the confusion, but I just told her I knew this kind of policy did not come from her level and I was certain it was as much a hassle for her as it was for me. I did say that I thought it contradicted the tone of all the other interactions customers have with El Cortez personnel and policy.
I called him because I thought that I'd clarify as best I could this new policy of 7 nights allowed at market value per calendar month, and then extra fees of $25 a night imposed at check-in on folks who book beyond seven in a calendar month.
I asked about husband and wife booking separately, and he said that they would probably have records showing that both had stayed seven nights and then impose the fee on any additional nights, even if one reservation was in the husband's and one in the wife's name. They would try to make that clear at the first check-in, but I could tell he could see as well as I could that it was a clear place for confusion.
I asked if I could book the last week in October and the first in November, and he said that technically I could and that the nights stayed were the ones that counted, not the check out days, so I could book October 25-31 and check out November 1 and still book November 1-8 and even though the checkout date was in November, I would have only booked 7 nights in each month.
He said again that if folks had sufficient play in the first 7 nights, the fee would be waived, and they could book for more nights. I explained again of how I am pretty much a live poker player and no casino program followed me at all. I told him I knew that I was playing against other players, but that over say ten hours of play I helped to keep the games going and generated quite a bit of money that was tossed into the pots.
I told him that the same play at Imperial Palace would earn me comped nights. So perhaps they could at least arrange a situation where poker play for the first seven nights could waive the $25 fee for additional nights. They would not need a sophisticated computer system for that. The brush could just take names.
That seemed to make sense to him, and he said he'd bring that up at the next meeting.
What I always stress here is that while I understand the live poker play is not likely to generate many comps, some record of my live poker play ought to indicate that I am not stiffing the casino when I take a room deal.
It was a pleasant conversation and clarifies for me the details of this change. I think that it will generate some bad feelings if folks are surprised at check in by a $25 fee for nights beyond 7, just as resort fees when they have come as a surprise, are annoying. People don't like feeling tricked.
I had decided that maybe I'd try booking 14 nights in a row, and so I changed my airfare to back me up to October 25 and started to rebook. That was a mess, but the clerk at El Cortez was very helpful, and I did manage to book October 25- checkout on Nov 1- patching together their freeplay/free food deal with an American Casino Guide coupon ($50 for 2 nights in Cabana) and then I bought the weekend inbetween from Hotel.com.
Booking.com actually has a way to change reservations and I tried it, but the
EC prices are higher now than when I first booked, and for my second week(Nov 1-
Cabana averaged $55 a night, while Gold Spike averaged $34 a night. So I just dumped El Cortez and my thoughts of staying in the same place for 14 nights in a row, and booked a week at the Gold Spike. I still have plenty of opportunity to book the El Cortez later in November if none of my freebies work to fill in the blanks. So that increases my flexibility.
The rebooking at the El Cortez held one mystery. Someone (not me) had canceled a two night booking I had mader previously using my ACG coupon.
I had not gotten any word.
They don't send email on cancellations. I wondered if someone had gotten annoyed at all the complaint noises I have been making about this new policy, or had gotten confused and dumped my two nights, thinking it was over the seven. It was over seven, but not in one calendar month. This reminds me that we always need to do repeated confirmation calling. Once a few weeks after booking. Again just before going.
Using the ACG coupon to get a Cabana 2 for 1 night at $50 was new to me. I thought the coupons were only good in Pavillion. I am hoping it means that even though I have three bookings to make up my October week, I'll be able to stay in the same Cabana room all week. I start in a jr. suite. My other bookings are for Cabana "rooms." We'll see if they make me move or get my good will by letting me just stay in one spot.
I'll also get a good feel for the Gold Spike if I stay there seven or nine nights.
I'm still conflicted about how I feel about the El Cortez, and I still hope that they will rescind this policy. The clerk apologized for all the confusion, but I just told her I knew this kind of policy did not come from her level and I was certain it was as much a hassle for her as it was for me. I did say that I thought it contradicted the tone of all the other interactions customers have with El Cortez personnel and policy.