The Points Guy: We never accept free flights [merged TPG discussions]
Oct 16, 2015, 3:08 am
#196
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I'm pretty certain high magazines like Conde Nast Travel get invites to check out a new/refurbished/whatever luxury property to write about or experience a new/refurbished/facelifted airline product. Its usually not completely free, but charged at a minimal cost. But TPG is not in that league.
Oct 16, 2015, 5:59 am
#197
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I'm pretty certain high magazines like Conde Nast Travel get invites to check out a new/refurbished/whatever luxury property to write about or experience a new/refurbished/facelifted airline product. Its usually not completely free, but charged at a minimal cost. But TPG is not in that league.
Nov 2, 2015, 10:52 am
#199
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I'm sorry, I just got around to noticing this post.
The owner of the penthouse across from mine is the owning family of one of the largest food companies in Canada. They are comped rooms regularly from Atlantis in Nassau, many rooms at a time actually, enough to bring my family and a few others to The Bahamas for free. According to them, spending enough at Atlantis, whether through staying at the resort and / or gambling, was the way they got these comps. Gambling, floating down the lazy river, and sipping cocktails on the beach does not equate to my idea of "pain", unless you include clearing Bahamian customs, which is a royal pain, but that is the only portion of their various getaways per year which could be considered remotely painful.
Most comps are given by the company to the individual on the entity's on initiative with NO begging by the end user. It isn't a comp if the end user had to beg, plead, negotiate, or otherwise canoodle the company to give them the free loot.
Great, we're talking about the US here. TPG is from the US.
-LPDAL
Let's assume Brian makes $2m a year. Why would he bother getting comped rooms? Do you have any idea how much of a pain it is?
Most comps are given by the company to the individual on the entity's on initiative with NO begging by the end user. It isn't a comp if the end user had to beg, plead, negotiate, or otherwise canoodle the company to give them the free loot.
I run the only miles and points site of scale in the UK. My readership is multiples of businesstraveller.com etc in the UK. And I get offered virtually nothing. The only big freebie I have taken (a J return on Qatar) was arranged via a chance social contact with their UK CEO.
-LPDAL
Last edited by LPDAL; Nov 2, 2015 at 11:00 am
Nov 2, 2015, 12:14 pm
#200
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,737
Iif you are going to grab quotes from previous comments you need to leave in who made the comments.
A comp is a comp... You can't just change the definition based upon your opinion. Your example of a Canadian family that got comp'd rooms has no application to this conversation. If your job is to review a hotel or airline there is a chance that receiving the product for free could alter your opinion. Also, I believe legally you have to disclose to readers that you received items for free or were compensated.
It's been reported in this area of FT by a blogger that there is a community of travel bloggers that have a group on Facebook that regularly talk about how they can get free things because of their blog. They "reach out" or solicit these companies. Or, by my observation put themselves in a position where they are more likely to be contacted by companies for these offers.
It's been reported in this area of FT by a blogger that there is a community of travel bloggers that have a group on Facebook that regularly talk about how they can get free things because of their blog. They "reach out" or solicit these companies. Or, by my observation put themselves in a position where they are more likely to be contacted by companies for these offers.
Nov 2, 2015, 1:21 pm
#201
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Iif you are going to grab quotes from previous comments you need to leave in who made the comments.
A comp is a comp... You can't just change the definition based upon your opinion. Your example of a Canadian family that got comp'd rooms has no application to this conversation. If your job is to review a hotel or airline there is a chance that receiving the product for free could alter your opinion. Also, I believe legally you have to disclose to readers that you received items for free or were compensated.
It's been reported in this area of FT by a blogger that there is a community of travel bloggers that have a group on Facebook that regularly talk about how they can get free things because of their blog. They "reach out" or solicit these companies. Or, by my observation put themselves in a position where they are more likely to be contacted by companies for these offers.
A comp is a comp... You can't just change the definition based upon your opinion. Your example of a Canadian family that got comp'd rooms has no application to this conversation. If your job is to review a hotel or airline there is a chance that receiving the product for free could alter your opinion. Also, I believe legally you have to disclose to readers that you received items for free or were compensated.
It's been reported in this area of FT by a blogger that there is a community of travel bloggers that have a group on Facebook that regularly talk about how they can get free things because of their blog. They "reach out" or solicit these companies. Or, by my observation put themselves in a position where they are more likely to be contacted by companies for these offers.
Nov 2, 2015, 7:34 pm
#203
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Nov 2, 2015, 8:23 pm
#206
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Nov 2, 2015, 8:27 pm
#207
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Nov 3, 2015, 9:30 am
#209
Join Date: Dec 2012
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I knew an average guy who got rooms and meals comped often in Lost Wages, Nevada. Of course, he put a lot of money "at risk" at the gaming tables. For some reason the casinos never figured out they were losing money on this fellow. I know this to be true because according to this guy he always 'broke even' or "won a little." Nice of those casinos to subsidize his get-aways. :-)
Nov 4, 2015, 3:51 am
#210
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I knew an average guy who got rooms and meals comped often in Lost Wages, Nevada. Of course, he put a lot of money "at risk" at the gaming tables. For some reason the casinos never figured out they were losing money on this fellow. I know this to be true because according to this guy he always 'broke even' or "won a little." Nice of those casinos to subsidize his get-aways. :-)
- "breaks even" most of the time
- "never" loses control
- "never" chases loses
- "always" gets more comps than they deserve
I tend to believe about 25% of what I hear, and 50% of what I see. Are there some successful APs and recreational players. Absolutely. Just like there are successful credit card churners. Though, the "gaming biz," is more complicated and takes a much higher tolerance for risk.