slid the sandwhich over and told her I would appreciate whatever she could do to give me a nice, clean room maybe a nice view.
I had booked a standard room on Expedia for $38/nite.
She put me in an older tower but in one of her “favorite types of rooms” with a large balcony ont he 18th Floor and view of the strip.
In case I wasn’t happy with that she also put blocked out another room for me on the 26th floor of the Tangiers tower (newer room, no balcony).
The room I had was older, dated but clean and had a great big balcony and view. I decided to stay put.
Oh, I didn’t have to change rooms I just had to come back to her and she would give me a key to go look at the other room.
Not bad for service for $20 tip.
Had a great time at the Sahara, everyone was friendly. It’s old school Vegas and one of the last old ones left.

Checked in at about 7 PM Friday on an extremely busy Presidents’ Day weekend. I was staying 3 nights in a comped room so I thought I’d try for the “free” upgrade. The clerk was an older Asian lady, but very pleasant. She took the tip and said she’d find me something good, wished me luck, etc. She gave me a room on the 24th floor of the Tangiers (the good tower at the Sahara) at the end of the hallway (so only 1 neighboring room), with a view of the Stratosphere and downtown (I usually have a view of a parking lot). Otherwise, the room was exactly the same. I guess you could call it an upgrade, but not by much. Would probably work better on a less busy weekend.

We book for a speciale rate of 270 dollar for a week. 20 dollar tip worked very well. deluxe room with strip view on the 26!

I went to the check in desk with the 20 bill between the credit card and drivers license with part of it sticking out, and asked if there were any complimentary upgrades, and she like took the money and cards..and said i can upgrade you to a deluxe room, and im like ok, and then she said she needed to charge a couple bucks for something..forget what? wasnt really listening…and shes like do you want to pay for it with cash? holding up the 20$ bill, so im like yeah sure…and that was that..i got my change back…and my room wasnt anything special at all.

Offered the tip and the lady was very nice and accomdating. It was for sure worth the $20.

We were traveling with another couple, but had booked 2 rooms with same reservation. Thus, handed over $40 with credit card and requested upgrade. Clerk went away to check & came back with approval. Great deal to have huge corner suites with bar/living room/balcony on ~23rd floor all for an extra $5/room/night.

Stayed in my friend’s room (on 5th floor) for the first night and it was a STY! Dirty bathroom, grimy shower faucets, wallpaper peeling, etc… Checked in for my room the next afternoon and asked for a ‘complimentary upgrade’. He offered me a deluxe room on the 25th floor. Never stayed here before so I said ‘fine’. Room was EXACTLY the same as my friend’s only much cleaner. No real view either. I guess it was worth the $20 for the cleanliness, but may not be to some.

Asked her for any complimentary upgrades after handing her the twenty between my ID and CC, she noticed and put it on her keypad as she typed away, and then gave me a suite on the Alexandria tower.

Arrived on 8/10/2007 and tried the trick for the first time. Placed the $20 between CC and ID and handed it to a female clerk who did not have a name badge on. She did a lot of typing into the computer and gave us our keys and never really said anything the entire time. Gave me everything back incluing the $20, which she never took. Got up to the room to discover we received a suite in the Alexandria tower on a corner room on the 8th floor. AC didn’t work real well, but had plenty of space in the room. We went back downstairs and handed the clerk the $20, which she gladly accepted.

This was my second attempt at the infamous $20 tip. The first time, at Flamingo, worked well. In any event, I arrived very late at night on a Thursday for a two night stay. There was only one man working the front desk. There was no line. I slipped the $20 in between the cards and handed them over. It was funny because the $20 bill sort of “stuck” to the credit card and he did not notice it behind the CC. I had to reach my hand over the counter and shake the $20 loose. I said “This is for you,” followed by, “I was hoping you had something in a complimentary suite upgrade.” He understood and said he would try but cautioned that there was no guarantee. I wanted a corner suite in the Alexandria (which I have stayed in before) and was also open to the suite on the top floor of the Tunis because of positive feedback on this site. However, all he had available was a suite on the 27th (top) floor of the Tangiers (the newest tower). It was certainly nicer than the standard room, but not nearly as roomy as the suite in the Alex. The Tangiers suite had very high ceilings and windows that were just about floor-to-ceiling. I had a north facing room with an awesome view of the Stratosphere. The living room had a couch with two chairs, coffee table, side tables, and 25″ TV. There was a wet bar with 2 barstools and a refrigerator. The bedroom was nice but not ornate. It also had a 25″ TV. Nothing fancy. The bathroom was nice and had a very large tub. I am 6’3″ and could fit comfortably in the tub, which is rare. The room did not have a balcony, which is one of the advantages of the Alex suite. All in all, I was very pleased with the “value” and would certainly try this each time I visit Vegas. BTW, tried the $20 trick at a recent stay at a Rennaissance Hotel in Southern California and got upgraded to a very nice suite. Thanks again !!