Happy Birthday Comps, MGM Gold and CET

I have a thread under MGM asking about MGM gold card members getting free room offers.
I made gold last month and found no offers. I have been playing mostly MGM in LV and found this
very disconcerting.

I am planning a trip in August to celebrate my birthday and was looking for a free room for a Tues. and Wednesday in August. I called several MGM properties and they all said you have no offers.

On Monday I get a mail offer from the Mirage. Happy Birthday, come in for two free nights,
offer good July to August 15.

I call up, thanks for the Birthday offer, ok when do you want to come in?
I say, August 16 & 17. They tell me the offer is only good until Aug. 15.
Well , I point out that there is a technical error. If they check their files, my Birthday is August 16.

The reply is "Sorry, your birthday offer is only good until the 15th."

OK, let me talk to a supervisor. " Look, I am a gold card member, and want to to come in on Aug. 16, my birthday, and I am looking for a comped room on Tuesday, and Wednesday, the slowest days in the week."

Reply "Sorry, you have no offers available on Aug,16."

Now I am looking at discount rates on the Total Rewards site. I really haven't been playing at CET so I don't expect anything. I am getting ready to break down and pay for a room somewhere.

Today I get a call from a host at the Flamingo who I dealt with last summer. "High Prof. I see
you have a birthday soon and want to offer you some free nights"

Oh, really, well I was thinking of staying at the Bellagio, but if you can get me one of those GO Luxury rooms like I had last time..."

" No problem, when do you want to come in.... Done."

Now that is a smarter business person. Looks like I will be returning to CET. At least for the near future.

I know it doesn't make any sense; especially when you're talking about coming in mid week.

It's clear to me that MGM doesn't have its act together when compared to CET with respect to their marketing.

Gotta go where they show you the love. Good bluff with the Flamingo and nice score.

Ironically, you'll probably receive an offer from MGM making the date you looked for available. Unfortunately, the marketing reps and even their supervisors don't appear to have any stick over and above what the computer allows/says.

Enjoy your stay, good luck and happy birthday in advance!

Dan

Just a short follow up.
A business acquaintence called me and says lets meet in Atlantic City next week. We can mix a little business and fun. This fellow lives in Pa. and I have never seen him drop less than $3,000 at the craps table in a few hours. He never wins, and he can afford it. He asked me where we should meet.

I was about to say the Borgata, which is where I have been playing all year. Its a great casino, and they treat me well. This time I said, "Lets go to Harrahs, I haven't been there in a while." His reply,
ok, I never play there, I'll give it a try."

You see , its business. If it weren't for the call from Flamingo, I wouldn't have thought of it.

You don't build a brand one promotion at a time. It has to become part of a corporate culture.
They don't seem to understand that you can kill a business at the point of customer contact.

Web sites, host communications, the people answering the phone in "VIP Services" really do count.

On a light note, I must say ProfBac, your initial post cracked me up as the conduct of the MGM person was just so ridiculously stupid.

On a more serious note, I couldn't agree with you more generally, and I must confess, about CET in particular. I have been extremely impressed with EVERY SINGLE contact I have had with a CET person in the past few months planning my trip, including someone who was on the phone with me for probably 20 minutes while trying to figure out how I could use multiple offers - $50 FSP, $50 food, Faith Hill tickets,etc. -- given that you can't book those back to back. We figured out something that is not 1000% what I wanted but I'm pleased with the resolution and I JUST made Diamond and don't play at your level. I probably would not be viewed as "host worthy".

On the flip side, I was trying to get into a slot tournament at Palace Station my birthday week, especially as I had received mail and email offers for IDENTICAL (in terms of prizes) slot tourneys for May, June, July AND one in August, though all before my trip.

My host is on a health leave and so someone else is handling things in her stead. Yes, I sometimes have played light at Palace but I've also, more than once, taken major winnings from a CET casino and spent a good chunk of it at PALACE STATION, where I can't even use the points at a spa or a super fancy restaurant, though I can use it for free play or cash. One time when I did this I said to myself, "CET VP does suck (though PH has some okay VP at the $1 level) but all of this coin in would have gotten me so much more at ANY CET property . . ." (I was thinking a Qua massage followed by a great meal at Bradley Ogden or even brunch at MAG.)

So, big brother and I gave it two shots about trying to get into a PS tourney that was to commence on my birthday -- the first full day of my trip -- and it was a no go, even after my brother explained we always get into tourneys, the tourney actually starts on my birthday, etc. Maybe we were over comped in the past. Who knows? But, all the substitute host offered was what I could get on my own checking my email and snail mail offers. I'm using one of the offers to break up my CET stay (need two days in between two big offers) but other than that I'll be spending TEN nights at a CET property -- with lots of play there and admittedly a couple of other places -- rather than splitting my twelve nights in Vegas between CET and Stations properties, with the largest bankroll (though still probably small by your standards) I've ever had. Makes no sense and I'm disappointed but it bears emphasizing that you can't marry a casino and both of our experiences are two good examples of why it's best to look where you are a bit more appreciated!

This seems to have gotten off topic.

But - regarding Birthday. I get an email from Gold Strike and one from Beau Rivage this weekend about a birthday offer. Two problems.

1 - It makes me click on a link that goes to a website. Then it tells me to login in to mlife account. Why not just tell me that in the first place?

2 - I then log in, and guess what - NO FREAKIN BIRTHDAY OFFERS.