It is no secret that Las Vegas visitation is down. Resort companies point to a slow convention business season and lack of major events as reasons for the decline. Customers note that parking and resort fees are taking a toll on their image of Las Vegas.
Whatever the reason, Las Vegas resorts need to fill hotel rooms. Vacant ones do not generate any revenue. Companies are in a position to take risks and expand promotions to customers that may not qualify for one during higher occupancy periods.
I have noticed an escalation in aggressiveness in my offers from Caesars Entertainment in recent months. I even have free rooms at The Cromwell. I do not recall seeing those available to me in the past. The same level of offers has been reported by other Caesars Entertainment customers.
Total Rewards is the players club for Caesars. It does not reward much for immediate play, such as points that can be redeemed for food. Total Rewards works more on marketing to players for return visits. I have always found this to be a great approach for a casino that aims at tourists, as opposed to locals casinos that are geared more towards higher cash back and have little else to offer.
Log into your Total Rewards account
Caesars does not always mail or email offers. You can easily find them when logging into your account. If you do not have one, it is easy to create it.
Once logged in, your latest offers will appear. All your offers are one click away. This is not the only way to get comps from Total Rewards.
If you do not see an offer that appeals to you, try booking a room at your preferred destination under the ‘book rooms’ tab. You may see discounts or free hotel rooms that do not appear in your offers.
To determine if you have discount offers, open Total Rewards in an incognito tab and try to book the same room. This will show the retail rate for somebody that does not have a Total Rewards account or lacks the play to justify a discount.
If you are not Diamond or Seven Stars, you will be required to pay a resort fee, even on a free room. This only applies in markets that have resort fees, such as Atlantic City and Las Vegas. I have the opinion that accepting the offer is still worth it unless you have better ones from competitors. It is still a $40 hotel room with a major chain in a tourist destination.
I often have trouble figuring out which room tier is the best within my offers. The trick I use to get the most desirable one is trying to book the room in an incognito tab. I find the rooms where I have free offers. The next step is to compare the rates. I generally pick the one with the highest retail rate. It is a reasonable assumption that it is the best room available to me for free.
Do not forget to play or spend
One way to burn a bridge after receiving a comp is to not play during your stay. The whole point in giving you a free room is to get you to spend on the property. It does not always have to be gambling. Total Rewards now tracks all your spending on the property. You can give your card to bars, restaurants and entertainment options to help with your account’s rating.
If you accept a free hotel offer from any casino, and do not spend any money there, you should not expect to receive anything in the future. You can sometimes reverse this by giving action in visits afterwards. However, this is a risky gamble to take.
What about MLife?
I feel that Total Rewards is more advantageous that MLife in terms of comps. I do not have any recent experience to relay with MGM’s program. Some players disagree and give their action to MGM properties under MLife. I have seen reports of similar generosity through that program from these customers. It never hurts to log in to MLife to see what they may have waiting for you, even if you have not received a mailer.
