Just returned from a 12-day trip eastward, visiting family in Columbus, Georgia, and spending a few days at Harrah’s Cherokee casino in North Carolina. Brad and I are both at the Harrah’s 7 Star tier level and Cherokee is our first choice to use our two annual free-trip retreat benefits. This is our favorite casino to visit – for many reasons:
- The Smoky Mountain setting can’t be beat for beautiful scenery, a welcome green environment so different from our Las Vegas desert brown.
- It offers a game with the best VP paytable in the whole CZR realm – Not-So-Ugly Deuces (NSUD) – and if you have a good-size bankroll to handle the $5 denomination, it is a good way to maintain your 7 Star tier status.
- We can combine it with a visit with family, who are in a reasonable driving distance; and those who can get off work often come along for a free vacation. They love the outdoor activities, like hiking and fishing, as well as gambling in the casino. (Pictures below)
- This is a popular choice for many wise-gambling frugalites – and we enjoy running into new and old friends in the casino.
- This is one of the few Harrah’s casinos in which you can use the $500 retreat money at the retail outlets as well as for food and beverage. Some frugalites eat many of their meals in the Diamond/Seven Star lounge so they have more to spend shopping!
- This casino has the most interesting – and definitely frugal – Code Green policy I’ve ever seen. When you check in, you can choose to opt out of daily maid service, and then each day you can pick up at the front desk a $20 free play voucher. Brad and I decided to give the $80 we received for our two rooms to granddaughter Kaitlynn to augment what she called her skimpy poor-college-student gambling bankroll. Her dad teased her that he expected her to make our beds every morning! 🙂
More details about this trip will be coming in the next blog. Right now I am swamped with paperwork that piled up at home while we were gone for 12 days. 🙁
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Pictures from son-in-law Steve’s and granddaughter Kaitlynn’s 12-mile round-trip hike from Cades Cove up to top of Gregory Bald, famous for their azaleas. Kaitlynn is majoring in video production for her masters degree and will go most anywhere to get a good picture, even up a steep mountain climb.
Taking a break in their hammocks to rest during their steep climb.
Kaitlynn titled this picture “Dad with his I-hiked-12-miles-to-see-this face”
Thanks for taking us along for such a fun trip!!!
Did I understand one of your previous very fascinating blogs to at least infer that if my wife and I each received free room offers from the same downtown casino/hotel it is possible for each of use to individually reserve a room and allow other family members (who did not receive the free room offer) to use the second room? This without risking our status with the casino/hotel?
Not only does this opting out of housekeeping services contribute to the continually rising room rates paid by guests, as Kevin pointed out, it also impacts the wages earned by the housekeepers. If a housekeeper has fewer rooms to service, her hourly wages may be diminished and her tips (assuming guests tip on a daily or number-of-days-serviced basis as I do) will decrease. No doubt, the hotel company’s ultimate goal is a reduction in workforce, meaning some housekeepers will lose their jobs because not as many rooms require their services. In a world rapidly employing automation to replace actual people in service industry jobs (have you seen the robot bartenders at the Miracle Mile Shops?!), this is yet another example of profit over people.
Always enjoy yours & Brad’s out of town trips reports, look forward to reading more
I too love that Casino just not close too us. Jean can you tell me your 2 favorite casino’s in Vegas. Thank you Linda
Since I usually play late at night to avoid pigarette smoke as well as to ensure machine availability, I usually want to sleep late. I TRY to remember to put out the “DO NOT DISTURB OR I’LL SHOOT” sign on the doorknob—there’s nothing quite as much fun as being asleep for, say, five hours and waking up to: “OWSEKEEPEEEEENG!” BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM! I would PAY $20 to avoid that! Of course, maids will pound on a door two feet away from yours, even if you do have the Do Not Disturb sign in plain view.
This “savings” by opting out of housekeeping services is actually quite insidious. Effectively, housekeeping service is now an extra that you have to pay for if you want it–by passing up the refund/credit you could have. Think about it. $200 a night, with housekeeping no matter what. Now, $220 a night, but you can knock it back to $200 by tossing housekeeping. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM! Harrah’s is SOOOO good at finding ways to make you pay for stuff that used to be free.
The last time we were at Harrahs Las Vegas they also offered us the option to have or decline daily housekeeping for $10.00/per day/per person. I kept the daily housekeeping but felt guilty because I knew that if it was you–you’d take the money and run!
Loved that casino when we were there, if only for the beautiful grounds! Wish we could get there more often!