Best Vegas Hotel Upgrades!

Already know the ol’ the $20 sandwich trick? Then it’s time to hear how our users got along! Here’s a roundup of the best stories as voted by our users.

Our Users’ Favorite Stories…

Tipped:  $30 Upgraded to  Unsure  from  Resort Queen Room 
Arrived at Bellagio right after Christmas, not too busy on strip but Bellagio was packed. Slipped $30 between my CC and DL and handed it to first available clerk. She took my CC and DL and put the money back on top counter near me, i knew this was a bad sign. I asked if there were any complimentary upgrades available; she looked around and said to get a fountain view it is $50 additional per night, i declined, she then said your room currently overlooks the parking lot so i upgraded you to the pool view. I didn't care nor did i know if this was an actual upgrade. Left her a $10 tip.
Read more about Bellagio room upgrades
Tipped:  $20 Upgraded to  Hollywood Hip Room Strip View  from  Hollywood Hip Room 
Showed up at the hotel desk around 7pm to check-in for our New Years trip to Vegas. I was a little skeptical because it was a holiday visit and the hotel was probably busy, but decided to go for it. Didn’t really target a specific clerk, just the first one that was available. Placed a $20 bill sandwiched between my ID and CC and gave it to the clerk. The clerk asked “Is this for me?” to which I replied “Yes, I was wondering if there were any complimentary room upgrades available?” The clerk then nodded and placed the $20 in clear view on the desk. The clerk said “Just so we’re clear, this is for my excellent customer service.” I said “Of course.” The clerk started typing and asked me if a room with a fountain view would be ok (an upgrade from my original room) and I said “Yes, that would be wonderful.” And that was it. The clerk smiled and thanked me for the tip and I thanked the clerk for the excellent customer service. Worth it. Planet Hollywood is awesome!
Tipped:  $40 Upgraded to  Deluxe Paradise Tower  from  Deluxe Paradise Tower 
Clerk didn't want us to use his name, but we got a upgrade on a 3 night stay and had a waiver on the Resort fee for 2 of the 3 nights as we were on our 30th Wedding Anniversary. Time of day we checked in was during the Lunch hour and also got a early check in. Asked any possible upgrade and can we Waive the resort fee as it's our 30th anniversary and we are from Canada and have to pay $1.30 Canadian for each US dollar....
Read more about Tropicana room upgrades
Tipped:  $50 Upgraded to  Unsure  from  Unsure 
Checked in around 5pm on a Wed. Line was too busy to target so we just got the next available which was a woman in her early 30's, glasses and medium-short height. Put down $50 bill with card and ID. Said it was wife's bday and our anniversary (which happened to be true). Asked if she could do something special for us with a room upgrade, meals, whatever. She said I had booked one of the old/cheaper rooms and she was going to have to upgrade me since none of them were ready now anyway. Also gave me a whole $10 food credit. Also asked if I wanted a higher floor with a better view. Near end of check-in I was thinking (well, maybe she just didn't SEE the $50? since she made not mention). And I'm thinking "I'm not getting anything extra to speak of here. She did scoop up the bill and said "...and thank you for that." at the end. I left thinking maybe it was one of the "sneaky surprise" upgrades since I didn't know the layout of the hotel/room numbers. Go to the room - seemed like a totally normal room to me - no upgrade and "the view" was of the courtyard anyway... It was also *literally* 5 doors from the absolute farthest I could be from the elevator needed (for convention floor). Not impressed and since the room smelled a bit like smoke anyway, went back down to same person at desk. She re-booked me to another room with a whopping $20 extra food credit - since I had to hike my gear all the way up and down twice, good with me. While this was on a lower floor, it was 2 doors farther from the elevator. So felt like the $50 was neutral or even might have backfired. I would NOT do it over again with her...
Read more about Flamingo room upgrades
Tipped:  $50 Upgraded to  Prima Suite  from  Luxury Suite 
Was directed to a young female clerk. Sandwiched $50. Said it was our anniversary. Was upgraded to Palazzo with strip view on the 48th floor. Resort fees were waived.
Read more about Venetian room upgrades
Tipped:  $20 Upgraded to  Tower Deluxe  from  Pyramid Deluxe 
Um... so the $20 tip trick worked, but then again it didn't? The reason why i am unsure is because I did the trick but clerk didn't take it. I placed the $20 in between my id and credit card and handed it over. I asked if there were any upgrades availible, i got an upgrade to double queen bed tower room with soaking tub, (real nice). The clerk also gave me 2 free passes to the buffet for either morning or night, (would have been better if the food was better). But after he returned my ID and credit card, the $20 was still there sandwiched inside. So he didnt take the money but i still got a deal. I wonder if the upgrades would have been given even with out the tip...hmmmm.
Read more about Luxor room upgrades
Tipped:  $30 Upgraded to  Jubilee Grand Suite  from  Jubilee Room 
I greeted the younger lady and handed her the sandwich. Asked if there were any complimentary upgrades and when she saw my tip (30 bucks) she quickly put it away and started typing it away. And, HOOK it up! we got tickets for a show. Two champagne bottles and ice cream!
Read more about Ballys room upgrades
Tipped:  $20 Upgraded to  Jubilee Room Strip View  from  Jubilee Room 
Worked, went from the room she booked to the room she wanted. Got an amazing strip view with a king bed instead of the queen without a view. Saving us 80 bucks a night.
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Tipped:  $20 Upgraded to  Superior Strip View  from  Classic 
arrived at Harrahs at around 12pm on a Monday and was asked to use the automated check in but refused stood in the Q, was taken by a girl , she took our details , asked what room we had been allocated , she advised classic Mardri Gras room , i asked if we could have one of the newly renovated Valley Tower rooms , and I slipped her $20 in passport , she said let me check and said they only had the double Queen strip view suite if that would be ok , to which i relied yes had a brilliant view of the Mirage and room was massive.
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Tipped:  $40 Upgraded to  Palace Tower Premium Room  from  Forum Tower Deluxe 
I checked in on Tuesday afternoon and had high expectations. I waited in line for about 30 minutes and was assigned to a young Asian guy. I asked if there were any complimentary upgrades available today and he said "we'll see" with a smile. I put two $20 bills between my AMEX and driver's license, then handed it to him. He saw it, thanked me and immediately put it next to the keyboard. I originally had a sub-par (comped) forum tower room, but was upgraded to Palace Premium Studio! I wanted the Augustus Strip View but they were completely booked out. However, I enjoyed my Palace tower room very much! Two shower heads, two bathrooms, a big jacuzzi tub, bidet, high floor, pool view and directly in front of the pool entrance. Just checked and these rooms can go for $4-500 a night!
Tipped:  $20 Upgraded to  Two Bedroom Luxury Suite  from  Deluxe Strip View 
Slipped a $20 between id and credit card and gave it to the guy and asked if there were any 'complimentary upgrades available'. He took the $20 and gave it right back to me and said let me check with my manager. I was a bit confused and embarrassed. He came back and said that they would be able to upgrade me to the 2100 sq ft luxury king suite with two king rooms. I originally booked a basic room that was 500 sq ft. I was only staying one night, so I assume that has a lot to do with it. The guy mentioned that he couldn't take tips at the beginning, because of security cameras but if I felt that the service went above and beyond, I could tip him after he checked me in, so I gave him the $20 after he handed me the room key.
Read more about Red Rock room upgrades
Tipped:  $50 Upgraded to  Luxury Suite  from  Luxury Suite 
Checked in around 3PM and was quite busy. I was unable to select a clerk so got directed to one. I put $50 between my Amex and passport, she saw the $50 and pushed it up towards the desk. I ask if there are any piazza suite upgrades, she said none are available complimentary but at a reduced rate, which I declined. She then put me on the 33rd floor with a strip and mountain view. I also asked if she could come the retire fee which she happily did. So $50 saved me the $40 per day view upgrade and €309 in resort fees.
Read more about Venetian room upgrades
Tipped:  $50 Upgraded to  Luxury Suite  from  Luxury Suite 
I checked in at around 2pm and did not target a particular clerk. I asked if any complimentary upgrades were available. I had the $50 in my hand with my CC and DL but didn’t offer it to him until after he said “let me check”. I slid him the $50 and said “I would really appreciate anything he could do for me”. He said he could give me a higher floor with a better view that is normally $55 dollars more per night and I said sure, sounds good to me. It was a company trip and I had 3 colleagues check in at the same time without doing the trick and they got rooms on floors 6, 8, and 14 facing away from the strip. I ended up on 34 facing the TI with a great view.
Read more about Palazzo room upgrades
Tipped:  $20 Upgraded to  Terrace One Bedroom  from  City Room 
I arrived around 12PM on a Monday. I did not target a clerk because they had us form a line and you had to go to the next available clerk. I walked up to the desk and said "I'm a little early, I was wondering if I could still check in?" She said sure. I handed her a $20 sandwich and said "I was curious if there are any upgrades available?". She put the $20 off to the side and said she needed to call someone. She called and then got off the phone and said she could upgrade us to a terrace one bedroom for free! :)
Read more about Cosmopolitan room upgrades
Tipped:  $40 Upgraded to  One Bedroom Balcony Suite  from  Signature Deluxe Suite 
First time in Vegas! Went to one of the clerks on the left. No line to check in. Made small talk for 30 seconds or so then slipped her the sandwich with 40 bucks and asked if she had any complimentary upgrades available at all. She said she'd see what she could do and upgraded us to the highest one bedroom balcony suite they had left with a strip view in tower 2. We paid originally with 35000 chase points and the room we got would've been closer to 90000 points so I'd say we made our pretty well.
Tipped:  $20 Upgraded to  Terrance One Bedroom - Fountain View  from  City Room 
We checked in at around 7:00pm on Wednesday. There was a bit of wait and it was a female clerk that checked us in. She asked us if we had stayed with them before. It was our first time visiting Las Vegas and of course it was our first time staying at Cosmo. We were only staying for one night. We didn’t ask for anything. We just handed over $20 with the ID and credit card and the lady said she would check what she could do for us. She called somebody and said she was able to update us to a one bedroom King with fountain view. The view was awesome and the room was the best! The best stay during our whole trip! I would definitely stay at Cosmo again next time!
Read more about Cosmopolitan room upgrades
Tipped:  $40 Upgraded to  Premium Fountain View  from  Hollywood Hip Room 
We arrived at around 11 a.m. after getting off our flight. There was a decent queue of customers checking out so we really weren't able to target any specific clerk. We were directed forward to a youngish woman in her 30's, with two $20's sandwiched between the license and credit card. All we asked for is that our flight was early and we were hoping to check in early, if at all possible. Once she saw the money she immediately said, "let me see what I can do for you!" and proceeded to start typing away on the computer. Not only did she waive the early check in fee, but she upgraded us to a premium fountain view room that was considerably larger than the rest of the people in our group's rooms after they had checked in. Overall, a very painless process that led to some fantastic views and a more enjoyable stay!
Tipped:  $40 Upgraded to  Tower View  from  Tower View 
I got a younger gal, and I was nervous. I had the money in between the cards and set it up there while making small talk. She immediately took the money out and slapped it back on the counter in front of me. I asked if there was any complimentary upgrades, and she said, no but you can pay for an upgrade. Total fail.
Read more about Excalibur room upgrades
Tipped:  $20 Upgraded to  Piazza Suite  from  Luxury Suite 
I checked in on a busy Friday right around 3pm and didn't get to target a clerk in particular, but wound up with a guy in his 20s. He asked if I needed any change when he saw my 20 and I said no. After speaking with a manager he offered me up a free upgrade to a Piazza suite. I asked for a late check out and he said he could only do one for 12pm b/c the suites were completely booked for Saturday. As an alternative, I could've taken a standard room with a 6pm checkout but I took the bigger room. The room was huge with a view of the strip.
Read more about Venetian room upgrades
Tipped:  $30 Upgraded to  PH Resort Vistas  from  Resort Room 
Came in at about 10PM, few people in line. Targeted a very nice young women, started small talk and explained to her it was my girlfriend and my first time in Las Vegas and it was also her birthday. Gave her the sandwich and she said an upgrade would definitely be available. Upgraded from a resort room to vista resort room which is their junior suite, complete with a huge bathroom and a soaking tub next to a nice window view of the strip. Checked in on a Sunday night and checked out on Thursday.