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I was on the phone tonight to a clerk at the El Cortez. I was asking about the $25 fee. She was not aware that some discounters actually have a section for booking 8 nights, but the fee is charged on all 8 nights.
She said that should not be.
Well, I told her the whole fee was totally ridiculous and she laughed.
I also learned that booking directly with them by phone or on their website, we just are not able to book more than 7 nights and if we thought we were being cute, booking 7 the first week of the month and 7 more the last week of the month, and that slipped by them for a while, we would be still be charged the $25 a night on the second booking as soon as we were caught trying to beat the system.
Amazing.
I'm waiting for new promotional advertising that replaces the "loosest slots in Vegas" come on with
"Don't stay long. We know you'll be broke in a few days. Get the hell out and let us get another losing sucker in your room."
At least I can't keep claiming that this is a hidden fee, surprising the guests at the end of their stay. That is probably why they started just not booking more than 7 in a row. it is cleaner and more upfront.
For most folks I guess it does not matter much.
But I spend 22 nights in Vegas when I go, and often I spend more than 7 nights in one place by the end of a month.
Although I try now to schedule trips that split the 22 days into two months because it gives me more opportunities to use free room offers which are often limited to 2 or 3 nights a month.
I wasn't worth much to the EC anyway. They don't track live poker like CET does, and they don't want to. The game is just to keep Jackie entertained in his golden years.
I'll still use an ACG coupon now and again for the two cheap nights, but there are so many good deals in Vegas just now that dropping the El Cortez from consideration is not much of a sacrifice.
And there are more to come. The Downtown Grand for example.
If I crave some live poker at the El Cortez where I love the staff and learn from the old players, I can stay at the Gold Spike where the rooms are better than Pavillion, the wifi is free, the television includes TCM, and the pool was heated when I stayed last November and I swam a couple hours on mornings when the air temp was in the 40's. By contrast, the El Cortez television is limited, the wifi is only free if you walk next door to The Beat, and it is extremely difficult to swim in the El Cortez pool unless you have your time travel skills perfected.
Or I can walk over from the 4 Queens when I stay there on weekeds. They still treat me right.
And I'm still tempted to just do one place for the full 22 nights. The Stratosphere attracts me. They do have a $7.50 resort fee, but their attitude is very different. As a "courtesy to our guests" they only charge the resort for 5 nights. So a booking of two weeks would make the resort fee at $2.67 per night the cheapest in all of Vegas, something that could be overcome by just not buying coffee each day and making it in the room although you would have to have your own pot to do that. I travel with mine
And the amenity that attracts me to the Strat is going up in the tower as often as I might like for free. With my room coffee in hand, I'd go for most sunrises.
She said that should not be.
Well, I told her the whole fee was totally ridiculous and she laughed.
I also learned that booking directly with them by phone or on their website, we just are not able to book more than 7 nights and if we thought we were being cute, booking 7 the first week of the month and 7 more the last week of the month, and that slipped by them for a while, we would be still be charged the $25 a night on the second booking as soon as we were caught trying to beat the system.
Amazing.
I'm waiting for new promotional advertising that replaces the "loosest slots in Vegas" come on with
"Don't stay long. We know you'll be broke in a few days. Get the hell out and let us get another losing sucker in your room."
At least I can't keep claiming that this is a hidden fee, surprising the guests at the end of their stay. That is probably why they started just not booking more than 7 in a row. it is cleaner and more upfront.
For most folks I guess it does not matter much.
But I spend 22 nights in Vegas when I go, and often I spend more than 7 nights in one place by the end of a month.
Although I try now to schedule trips that split the 22 days into two months because it gives me more opportunities to use free room offers which are often limited to 2 or 3 nights a month.
I wasn't worth much to the EC anyway. They don't track live poker like CET does, and they don't want to. The game is just to keep Jackie entertained in his golden years.
I'll still use an ACG coupon now and again for the two cheap nights, but there are so many good deals in Vegas just now that dropping the El Cortez from consideration is not much of a sacrifice.
And there are more to come. The Downtown Grand for example.
If I crave some live poker at the El Cortez where I love the staff and learn from the old players, I can stay at the Gold Spike where the rooms are better than Pavillion, the wifi is free, the television includes TCM, and the pool was heated when I stayed last November and I swam a couple hours on mornings when the air temp was in the 40's. By contrast, the El Cortez television is limited, the wifi is only free if you walk next door to The Beat, and it is extremely difficult to swim in the El Cortez pool unless you have your time travel skills perfected.
Or I can walk over from the 4 Queens when I stay there on weekeds. They still treat me right.
And I'm still tempted to just do one place for the full 22 nights. The Stratosphere attracts me. They do have a $7.50 resort fee, but their attitude is very different. As a "courtesy to our guests" they only charge the resort for 5 nights. So a booking of two weeks would make the resort fee at $2.67 per night the cheapest in all of Vegas, something that could be overcome by just not buying coffee each day and making it in the room although you would have to have your own pot to do that. I travel with mine
And the amenity that attracts me to the Strat is going up in the tower as often as I might like for free. With my room coffee in hand, I'd go for most sunrises.