Hilton HHonors - Twenty dollar trick, modified...any thoughts?

I've read many accounts of the infamous "twenty dollar trick" (mainly at Las Vegas hotels), but I've never tried it (I feel too "unslick" and embrassed). I was wondering if anyone has tried, especially at Hiltons, to send a "Thank You" card along with a gift card to Starbucks or Borders, before your trip, to the GM? Like a "thank you in advance for a wonderful stay..." (wink wink) ;)

Alot of hotels offer these great deals.. not sure how they make any money off it but I sure do feel better about losing money when I only paid $20 for the room.... I wonder if thats why they do it. Anyways always a good trip to VIVA LAS VEGAS!!!

Twenty dollar trick? Sounds like someone has been staying at the Doubletree Club at JFK again... Oh! THAT twenty dollar trick. ;)

the thing about this is that it would require:
1) the GM getting the mail with gift card in time
2) the GM reading the mail with gift card in time
3) the GM thinking, "let me see when this guy is coming in and upgrade him"
4) the GM making the upgrade at that time (or not forgetting to later)

seems like there are too many places where the plan would not come together. I think the $20 at check-in would have a much better hit rate, though I've never tried it (I'm not that suave, either). :p

Twenty dollar trick? Sounds like someone has been staying at the Doubletree Club at JFK again... Oh! THAT twenty dollar trick. ;)
ROFL!!!! :D

Some secretary someplace is not getting to be buying coffee for a very long time.

Some secretary someplace is not getting to be buying coffee for a very long time.

I caught my assistant stealing one of my bribes once. Her punishment was slow and painful. When that phase was complete I flogged her publicly before the rest of the staff to teach them the penalties of disobedience... Oh wait, that was just a dream... I wonder if she has stolen from me...?

;-)

OK, I've seen reference to this "$20 trick" a couple of times on this forum, but I can't figure out what you're all referring to. I tried a search, which yielded this thread, but nothing else of use.

Please enlighten this admittedly uneducated HH Gold :D

OK, I've seen reference to this "$20 trick" a couple of times on this forum, but I can't figure out what you're all referring to. I tried a search, which yielded this thread, but nothing else of use.

Please enlighten this admittedly uneducated HH Gold :D
It used to be (maybe still is) quite common in LV hotels to hand one's credit card for check-in with a $20 bill folded underneath. This would sometimes lead to a room upgrade. With inflation it's probably closer to $50 now. ;)

It used to be (maybe still is) quite common in LV hotels to hand one's credit card for check-in with a $20 bill folded underneath.

And here is the specific thread: http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=419338

And here is the specific thread: http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=419338
Unbelievable, the US as the home of bribery and the land of the bribers...
God bless America and mercy with it!

Had an upgrade success to Executive Floor or Junior Suites 9 out of 10 times this year without bribing anyone. I like to tipp them for real good service after or during my stay. Everything else is sick, in my opinion.

Everything else is sick, in my opinion.
^ ^ I could not agree more. Everything else is sick and might be standard in some west African or middle Easterns societies. A society claiming to be superior to the rest of the world should refrain from bribery. I am really surprised how many mostly American Co-FTs follow that route. :td: And guys: Don't try to argue an excuse that this is "good practice" or whatever - it is nothing but undignified.

^ ^ I could not agree more. Everything else is sick and might be standard in some west African or middle Easterns societies. A society claiming to be superior to the rest of the world should refrain from bribery. I am really surprised how many mostly American Co-FTs follow that route. :td: And guys: Don't try to argue an excuse that this is "good practice" or whatever - it is nothing but undignified.

I'm an American. I don't claim our society is superior to the rest of the world (often times exactly the opposite, in fact.) No need to lump ALL of us together. :)

I agree with you in principal that it's undignified to bribe front-desk staff in most parts of the world. Of course you also have to consider that these "bribes" are a basically a roundabouts form of tipping beforehand rather than after the service (not that you'd tip the front-desk staff anyways, but you get my point.)

I've "bribed" a cab driver at BOS to go exceedingly fast from Terminal A to Terminal E after having to get a DL reward ticket issued on VS for a friend who'd missed her flight, at the last moment. (And we literally arrived at the VS counter with less than a minute to spare for us to check in; the check in agent told us such.) And I've had a couple of special occasions where I've mentioned to waitstaff discreetly that I'd make sure they were well taken care of if we were well taken care of; a form of bribery for better service by promising a very good tip. Other people pre-tip waitstaff on occasion to ensure good service. I don't consider these or similar circumstances to be improper in any way. Of course the main difference is that the front-desk person at the hotel is giving away something that's not their property, whereas the cab driver and waitstaff in my examples are not. But what about people who sweet-talk front-desk staff into upgrades? Is that just as wrong, as the front desk is again giving away something that's not their property?

Edit: Finally found a copy of an article from Gourmet Magazine about bribing your way into restaurants (http://ddo.typepad.com/ddo/2005/12/weekend_ddo_how.html). Interesting reading about bribery of the sort this thread is about...

It used to be (maybe still is) quite common in LV hotels to hand one's credit card for check-in with a $20 bill folded underneath. This would sometimes lead to a room upgrade. With inflation it's probably closer to $50 now. ;)

Oh, ok - I thought it was something Hilton specific.

This trick is certainly nothing new ;)

Why in the world would you want to stay at any of the Hilton properties in Vegas anyway?

Unbelievable, the US as the home of bribery and the land of the bribers...
God bless America and mercy with it!

Actually the USA is one of the few countries where bribes are not required to conduct business (as opposed to most of the South American and African continents), and there are criminal and civil penalties for US companies and personnel that bribe foreign officials.

That being said, the $20 "tip" is still quite common in Vegas (where everyone from the bottom to the top expects a gratuity), though I doubt it will work elsewhere as most properties either sell upgrades or give them to guests with elite status.

Although I have never done it, I like to keep my options open and think of it as a "confirmed upgrade". ;)

Edited to add: Just read the article karthik posted a link to and it was very good. Really lays some of the rules on bribing and tipping out.

I liked this line, I realized I had just witnessed the gold standard. The maître d' turned down the money when it was a bribe, gave us the service anyway, then accepted the money as a well-earned tip.

Although I've read the other thread in the Las Vegas forum, I've never participated. I personally would not give $20 or $50 with my credit card but I would consider giving a tip if I asked for an upgrade and the front desk clerk went out of his/her way to find me a nice upgrade.

Some say that these are rooms that they are giving away that they shouldn't but that is not entirely true. If a hotel is over-sold, they will have to upgrade people regardless so why not upgrade someone who is tipping them? I think if I was working a front desk and I knew that some people would have to be upgraded, I would try to upgrade a person who was going to tip me.

I stay in hotels every week and rotate through a few of them in the area just to provide variety in my life--usually changing once or twice a week. If I go out of town I'll usually bring back a box of chocolates or something similar for the front desk staff and hand it to them upon my return when I check-in. Although at these hotels I always receive an upgrade to the executive floor, they never change anything at the time of check-in when I hand them the gift. They just give me the normal upgraded room which I am satisfied with.

However, yesterday when I changed hotels and checked into the Hilton in Anaheim, they gave me the Presidential Suite--the nicest room of the over 2000+ rooms they have. I spoke with the attendant at the Concierge lounge and asked her who I could thank for the upgrade and she told me that they needed to upgrade some people so since she knew me she chose me.

Perhaps the small gifts to the staff had something to do with it but I would never have considered those a bribe...

Although I've read the other thread in the Las Vegas forum, I've never participated. I personally would not give $20 or $50 with my credit card but I would consider giving a tip if I asked for an upgrade and the front desk clerk went out of his/her way to find me a nice upgrade.

Some say that these are rooms that they are giving away that they shouldn't but that is not entirely true. If a hotel is over-sold, they will have to upgrade people regardless so why not upgrade someone who is tipping them? I think if I was working a front desk and I knew that some people would have to be upgraded, I would try to upgrade a person who was going to tip me.

I stay in hotels every week and rotate through a few of them in the area just to provide variety in my life--usually changing once or twice a week. If I go out of town I'll usually bring back a box of chocolates or something similar for the front desk staff and hand it to them upon my return when I check-in. Although at these hotels I always receive an upgrade to the executive floor, they never change anything at the time of check-in when I hand them the gift. They just give me the normal upgraded room which I am satisfied with.

However, yesterday when I changed hotels and checked into the Hilton in Anaheim, they gave me the Presidential Suite--the nicest room of the over 2000+ rooms they have. I spoke with the attendant at the Concierge lounge and asked her who I could thank for the upgrade and she told me that they needed to upgrade some people so since she knew me she chose me.

Perhaps the small gifts to the staff had something to do with it but I would never have considered those a bribe...
The Hilton across from Disney? Great staff, the people got out of their way for you.

thanks

squeakr
MOD Hilton

Has anyone ever tried the "$20 Las Vegas trick"? Do you think the Hilton (or family) front desk clerks have the ability to put you in any room they want?

Has anyone ever tried the "$20 Las Vegas trick"? Do you think the Hilton (or family) front desk clerks have the ability to put you in any room they want?

Been discussed...if you search you'll find a huge thread

Been discussed...if you search you'll find a huge thread
You either didn't understand my question or you are aware of a thread that has a very vague title (or that is over a year old, very small, and useless in answering this question).

I'm not interested in Vegas specifically, but Hilton properties in general. In other words, if status alone isn't working, and you know better rooms are available, could a little additional motivation help. I.e., are they empowered to do it?

You either didn't understand my question or you are aware of a thread that has a very vague title (or that is over a year old, very small, and useless in answering this question).

I'm not interested in Vegas specifically, but Hilton properties in general. In other words, if status alone isn't working, and you know better rooms are available, could a little additional motivation help. I.e., are they empowered to do it?

Yes, that motivation would be to book the room you want. If you have no elite status or low level elite status book an executive room, don't bribe are check in clerk!

Personally, I think attempted bribery, undermines those that work hard to maintain status and on top of that it's super tacky!

Yes, that motivation would be to book the room you want. If you have no elite status or low level elite status book an executive room, don't bribe are check in clerk!

Personally, I think attempted bribery, undermines those that work hard to maintain status and on top of that it's super tacky!

This response is as uninformative as your last one. Can you add me to your Ignore list? I can step you through it, if you don't know how.

This response is as uninformative as your last one. Can you add me to your Ignore list? I can step you through it, if you don't know how.
:rolleyes: