Agree.

Has anyone here marched up to an AIRLINE check-in clerk and offered him/her $20 for a better seat or an upgrade? Of course not. WHY .. what is the difference????????/

This is BRIBERY, pure and simple.

In darkest Africa it is part of the way things are done, but not the USA surely?



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~ Glen ~

Come visit HERE the most ** FRIENDLY FORUM ** on FlyerTalk. No flame wars, no personal abuse, no substance abuse. Not much of anything really!

Yes, I do tip dealers $20, and cab drivers and waitresses. And I find that I get better service when I do so. Dealers can help you out in lots of ways.

You still have not provided a satisfactory answer to the overbooking issue. The hotels are always overbooked, so the upgrade might as well go to you, rather than joe-shmoe from idaho who just happens to show up at midnight after all the regular rooms are gone.

Do you think the hotel really gives a ****? Nobody who has booked a $200 room is going to pay $400 to upgrade to a suite on day of arrival, just as nobody is going to pay an airline $2000 to upgrade their $200 coach seat on a transcon. And there are no upgrade stickers at casinos. The hotel is happy to have you tip employees because they don't pay them jack in wages.

Hmmm, good thing you're not traveling in southeast Asia or much of the third world. You'd have a really hard time.

Then again, if Dubya had traveled much and knew about that, we'd probably have bin Laden in custody today. Instead, a few Pakistani conscripts on border duty got some pocket change.



[This message has been edited by RustyC (edited 05-29-2003).]

I try to resist the expansion of tipping into any new areas (e.g. sandwich makers at Subway) for just that kind of reason. Start doing it, and the employer will notice and cut wages, telling employees they have to make the difference in tips. And the employer will pocket the savings rather than pass them on.

Yes, I know that. I'm talking about Las Vegas, in the US of A.

There may not be upgrade stickers but the casino hotels,just like the airlines, certainly have a policy of looking after their frequent/high yield guest. There is a huge "rating" system and an army of hosts in every casino that are designed to look after the important guests. If suites are going to be given away for free, then it is certainly in the hotels interest to make sure these freebies go to a guest who is at least marginally important to the casino i.e. has at least stayed with the hotel before. "Important" does not necessarily mean only the ultra high rollers...

I am sure they prefer the suites to be given away like that as opposed to giving one to Joe Schmoe from Idaho who happened to dig a $20 bill out of his overalls and handed it to the clerk.



[This message has been edited by JohnG (edited 05-30-2003).]

Question for the resident ethicists:

If a hotel charges say $99 on a weekend and $299 during the business week, is the hotel stealing $200 5 days a week from business travelers or are leisure travelers stealing $200 2 days a week from the hotel?

Neither is stealing. You rent a hotel room for a specific date. The business hotel room and the leisure hotel room are the same plot of real estate but are rented on different dates, so different prices is perfectly fine. Just a simple supply/demand.

To
Insure
Prompt
Service

This is really a silly debate that always seem to come up. Care for another opinion? If you have the personality to make tips work in your favor, great. If not, don't bust on the people that can and do. I know some folks may feel awkward in certain situations when they are not sure about whether to tip or not. I go out of my sometimes looking for tipping opportunities. You can question the morality of tipping for the next year and not still not have a definitive answer. If some people can use it to their advantage, let them be. If you don't like it, don't do it. It does happen so let's learn to live with it.

I would have to agree with a previous poster; this should really be in Las Vegas forum. Of course, I'm slightly biased. I'm trying to get more coverage and particpation.

Michael
Moderator: Las Vegas and Travel Technology forums.

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Michael Steinberg
Editor
BizTrip
www.biztrip.com
A site for travelers by a traveler with 20+ years experience
Please visit my site and let me know what you think.

Of course I tip and thank them profusely! I certainly don't tip them $20.



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Vegas Watch

check out this Bulletin Board. This subject has been covered ad-nauseum by some Vegas pros

[This message has been edited by prncess674 (edited 05-30-2003).]

Having worked front desk at an international branded hotel before (not in Vegas) I know that often hotel staff are allowed a little leniency to giving away 'free' upgrades. though often can't be bothered without a little 'present'.
BTW, some people question the morality of half of these casinos' existence anyways, I think a clerk accepting a $20 isn't the real Vegas issue.

$100.00 went a very long way in the PAA Clipper Club. Sorry, Glen, to burst your bubble. BTW, I never considered it a "bribe" but a Xmas gift. There is a distinction, you know. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif