Is the Total Rewards program getting cinchy?

I am a Platinum, but have always got free rooms even on weekends at most of the Las Vegas Hotels except Ceaser’s. Now I am only getting free weekends at IP and in some cases only free Tuesday thru Thursday rooms at the other Hotels. Has anyone noticed their free room offers going down? If so, I don’t think I like the new total rewards changes, may have to move on to another players club. Any suggestions on who has the best one right now. I don’t care much about other comps other than free rooms.

I believe that free rooms are given out by theoretical loss rating, not tier level. I am a higher level diamond (50,000 tier pts) and I only get offers to IP, also. How is that possible? I go to AC and play at 5 different properties with a $10 free play coupon at each and only put about 25 pts on my card. In AC each property is considered a separate trip (in LV all properties hit in a day are counted as one trip) so I get my good play days watered down by about 5:1 with really crappy play days so CET thinks I'm a puny player. Thus, only offers to IP. Of course, I have a host at Harrah's that I've been dealing with for almost 20 years and I call her and she gets me in for 5 comped days at Harrah's. Next time you're in LV, get a host.
Stu

If you read the MGM-Mirage section, you'll see they are griping as much, or more, than the Harrah's people are, about their slot club and their offers.

I recommend Boyd's B-Connected and Stations' Boarding Pass for weekend rooms. Off-strip, hotels are very nice (some are nicer than others), weekend rooms are comped based on your play, food is great, food comps come out of the points you build up, and you can get much more (full or part RFB) by being a good customer and a player. They also give cash back, and have great events such as slot tournaments, concerts, holiday and birthday banquets, and senior (over 50) days with lots of invitations. Good web sites, too, which show all your offers and allow you to book online.

Yes, you'll probably need a car, but for us that is routine. Some of the hotels have complimentary shuttles to the airport, downtown, and the strip.

- bcc

This is the first year in I can't remember how long that I have to pay in LV it's only 40 for a Saturday night but still. I have been branching out to other casinos as a back up.


Edited to add I am a platinum.

This phenomenon may be less about changes to players card programs at various casinos, Harrahs, MGM, et al, and more about an improving economy with occupancy rates increasing.

Thanks everyone. It just doesn’t make since. Me and the wife were thinking of going out in June for a conference that she likes to go to every year. We have always been able to get comped rooms, especially at Bally’s, but this time no dice. My friend who used to be platinum and has only been out to Las Vegas maybe twice in the last three years, just called and got 5 comped nights at Planet Hollywood for the same time we wanted to go. Go figure.

Have you called?

I feel the major update they did on the website negatively affected what one can book online. I've called and been able to book per the offer when the website didn't show comped. Once for Harrahs Laughlin, it said "croomed" and listed x $$ per night. While booking the offer over the phone, I asked what "croomed" meant and was told it meant comped. LOL.

Another benefit that seems to have disappeared is using your TR points for comp'd airfare. We live on the east coast and would save our TR points and use them for free commercial flights to any Caesar's property. We were both saving our points and had more than enough for 2 r/t flights to Vegas (or San Diego) this summer. I can no longer find that benefit on the website. We have $1,200 worth of TR credits.

If anyone can find the air travel benefits let me know (not the the high end trips page)...it used to show up where you entered the amount of points you have and the website would show what you could trade the points in for at that level. For 200+ points you could get air travel.

I have emailed and called but honestly don't think the employees know what's going on...they are as confused as I am. I had one customer service rep. searching through the website with me and discovered changes he didn't even know had been made.

What is most upsetting is that Caesars changed the benefits without any advance knowledge to their loyal customer base. If they had sent us notification in February that major changes would be made in March that would affect our benefits we could have made our air travel arrangements before the benefits disappeared.

I believe what another poster stated on the msg boards...Caesar's is going after a younger client base (late 20s and 30s) and is trying to eliminate the "baby boomers". They should realize we are the ones that consistently return to their properties and in more probability have more expendable income. MGM looks better and better to us.

Since you mentioned it : "I go to AC and play at 5 different properties with a $10 free play coupon at each and only put about 25 pts on my card."

This is a *REALLY* bad idea. (my opinion, and observations, of course). You are probably costing yourself $1000s of comps that you are not even aware you could be receiving with a higher theoretical. (special events, tournaments, higher amounts of free play). By keeping your theo high, there are times (especially in AC when things are slow) that you can receive $500 to $1000 in extra free play in a month (of course, due to dates, you'd probably be able to only use $300-$400). In any case, seems a bit penny wise/pound foolish to play those $10 coupons..

I often say that "guarding" your theo (theoretical) is like "guarding" you credit rating. You don't want to do anything that would diminish and/or make you look less worthy than your actual play and exposure to the casinos.