The $20 Trick

I recently learned of the $20 trick a week before my honeymoon trip to Las Vegas.  Basically the trick involves tipping the check in clerk $20 and asking for a room upgrade.  This is common practice and has worked for many people.  Below is my experience with it:

I arrived at the Tropicana with my wife at 2pm and saw that they were checking people into their rooms a little early.  Having been thinking about the $20 trick for a week, I was more than ready to try it out on our 3 night stay.  I took out my credit card, drivers license, and $20 bill, placing the 20 between the two.

Informing the clerk that I was checking into the hotel, I handed her the 3 items.  I made my move and asked, “are there are complimentary upgrades available?”  As she started to answer, I looked down and noticed that the $20 was sandwiched between the credit card and driver’s license.  So I very smoothly reached over the counter and moved the credit card so that the $20 was showing.

The clerk smiled at me and informed me that’s not necessary, but she left the tip where it lay.  I told her that I was on my honeymoon and wanted to do something special for my wife.  She then proceeded to offer me a free $20 per night upgrade.  From my research I knew that a suite upgrade was possible.  Especially since this was mid-week.  So I told her I was hoping to get a room with a Jacuzzi in the room.

The clerk left to speak with the manager for 3 minutes.  I got the feeling that she was trying really hard to get me the suite.  She came back and said that the best she could do was get me a discount on a suite upgrade of $75 per night.  This was down from $150 per night.  I politely told her that I’d pass on the suit and thanked her for trying.

The clerk ended up booking us on the 20th of 21 floors in a corner room overlooking the strip.  It was an awesome room, well worth the $20 tip.

Here are some observations:

- I was a little nervous as I walked up to the counter, but once I got the ball rolling, I was fine.
- The clerk acted like she had seen the $20 trick before.
- I was friendly, polite, and smiled a lot.

I can fully recommend trying the $20 trick out.  Although I did not get a suite upgrade like I was hoping, I saw that it was possible.  It just didn’t work out for me that time.  Maybe my clerk wasn’t shady enough or maybe the manager was in a bad mood.  Who knows?

For $20 I received $60 worth of room upgrade, a high floor and a corner room overlooking the strip.  Well worth the money, time, and effort.  It doesn’t hurt to try and you never know, maybe you’ll get really lucky and get a suite.

Written by admin on September 1st, 2006 with 1 comment.
Read more articles on Saving Money.