Question of the Day - 10 August 2021

Good advice on leaving a review on Yelp or whatever travel site, contacting corporate, etc. But if this was pulled on us, especially given how empty casinos were during this time frame, I would have walked then and there and not stayed a night. I would have went right away to another hotel in town knowing it would be easy to find another room somewhere given how empty the city was of people. 

Big business does this all the time because they know they can.
Why can they?
Simply put, you won't do anything about it but gripe.

In this case fraud was committed on their part.
Unfortunately lawyers charge a lot to go after big businesses and the cases get strung out to last for decades knowing you will eventually give up after spending a lot of money for just to get lame settlement offers.

Otherwise you could sue them as a class action suit.  Lawyers get typically 30% of the settlement and everyone else get a portion of what is left over.
I know this seems like a waste of time but the bad publicity of a class action suit really motivates big business to settle as quickly as possible to stop the media from making the world aware who not to do business with.

Suing is hard on anyone attempting restitution but worth it in just the satisfaction of making a wrong doer suffer the consequences of their actions.

I have not heard one good word said about CZR this year.  I have heard plenty of bad ones. But the people who have bad things to say still do business there and always have a lame excuse why.

If a corporation is doing people wrong, stop doing business with that corporation until they change their ways.  There are plenty of other casino companies out there.

Was this room booked direct or through a 3rd party?  During the timeframe of this stay, a lot of properties were only partially open.  I would guess that that CZR's reservation systems would block these rooms, but 3rd party booking sites might not.

About 4 years ago I had an offer for three nights at the Flamingo in a so-called renovated room. I hadn't stayed at the Flamingo for many years and thought sentimentally it might be fun. I arrived mid-week late in the evening and the room I was given was a dump. I complained and was told that that they were sold out which I found out was a blatant lie. I had other offers from Coast casinos and booked myself into the Gold Coast the next day which was, believe it or not, infinitely better. I checked out of the Flamingo the next day never to return.

I have been a Caesar's 7 Star player the last couple of years and have had 2 truly disappointing incidents related to this. Booked adjoining rooms, one had a leak in the ceiling and they could not find any other adjoining rooms (trying to look after my 80 year old mother in law) the other in Laughlin where they gave away my suite, they told me another 7 Stars had checked in first. In both cases after lots of complaining there was not much done. That said, they still have the best offers of any other players club which is why I keep playing with them. With the staff shortages and COVID it is all they can do to keep things going. These days, I keep my expectations low and if I have a good experience, I consider myself fortunate! 

The incidents mentioned occurred at Resorts World and Flamingo, two separate companies.  Not Rio and Flamingo, two CZR properties.

Back in the mid 1990s we had a poor stay at Caesar's Palace - the Jacuzzi in our room sprang a leak and soaked the bedroom carpet. The front desk said they couldn't move us as the hotel was 'full'. We went out for the day and when we came back the leak had been repaired, but the Jacuzzi was filthy and the carpet still soaking wet. Eventually the cleaners came when we were out for dinner and also put a drier/ dehumidifier in the room. When we checked out we complained to the desk clerk, who gave us the name of someone to write to on our reurn home to the UK. We did so and were offered two free nights in a similar grade room if we wanted to return. Little did they think we'd bother as we live the other side of the Atlantic. However we got some cheap flights about six months later and booked a four night stay with CP picking up the two expensive weekend nights and us paying for the two cheaper nights. I'm willng to bet that wouldn't happen nowadays!

I would add a caution to your note about reading online reviews.  I find that for pretty much every property there are a few whiners who complain about the most ridiculous things.  So rather than reading the bad reviews first, I'd advise looking at preponderance. If the overwhelming majority of reviews are positive and there are few negative reviews sprinkled in, I think they can be safely ignored.  On the other hand if all the most recent reviews are negative, that could suggest a problem.

Overall, my basic assumption is that most people who post online are not experts and often don't know what they are talking about.  I'd much rather rely on professional experts.  So, for instance, I give much more weight to what the writers on LVA write than anything I see in the comments.  

Booking any room at any CZR property new is a, well……crapshoot.  Ya just don’t know what you’re going to get!!!!  And I’m talking from a 7 Stars perspective.  Any way, if I got a really crap room, I’d go directly on their Facebook page and coimplain.  But, again, stick to the facts….   Companies dont like to see S#@T  on their Facebook pages.  Just a thot….

My friend and I have been going to Las Vegas a couple of times a year for over 25 years We each have 3 comped rooms and put them together for 5 nights. These are "comped rooms and always clean and pleasant.We have a wonderful time BUT wen ALWAYS stay at BOYD properties. twice a year - never had a problem.

Always complete a hotel survey.  Problems get attention from management if you rate that category on the very low end of the scale and describe why.  I usually get an email of apology and promise to communicate this "service failure" to those who can act on it.  At least I know they read my comment and take it seriously.

Conversely, try to remember names of good staff.  The question is like "Did any staff member provide service over and above expectations...?"  IMO it doesn't have to be "over and above", just a great attitude does it for me.  I've had staff personally thank me for complimenting them by name on the survey of a previous visit.  And it lends credibility if you low-rated something else.  I recently complained about how an in-room dining omelet was cooked--which was barely.  I received an email of apology and promise to address it.  I'm glad because this was unusual and I hope they fix it.  I often order this, and want it to be right next time!

Candy

I had a big problem with a hotel stay in Las Vegas a few years ago. After returning home, I contacted my credit card company and disputed the charge on the grounds I didn't receive what I paid for. They went to bat for me and contacted the hotel. They negotiated on my behalf and we all agreed to 50%. 

Avoid paying in advance.  It seems intuitive that paying a first night deposit would solidify the reservation more strongly, but more than once I've read of problems at check-in when advance payment was made.  Makes no sense, of course.

A phone call to Flamingo confirming the reservation a day before the trip might have helped (at least you'd know, if they told you).  

Or that room was never available in the first place, for whatever reason: Construction, not enough staff to service that floor, etc.  From Jan. when reservation was made to arrival in July, no telling what may have occurred in the system.

A Host told me it is more difficult to honor upgrades/special room requests for Saturday arrivals.  Suites and rooms are shuffled constantly to accomodate whatever walks in the door, like a gaggle of LA Lakers and their wives/girlfriends. Then there goes your suite, maybe.  Get there early.

Candy

Now you found out why it's a bad thing to be a Caesar's Entertainment client. The best thing you can do is leave a truthful review and never go back.

Of all the caesars properties, I will not stay at the aria or Flamingo.  Rio is a total dump and the Flamingo is a crap shoot in getting a decent room. 

 How many times does one need to hear, read about, or be directly subjected to the pathetic business practices of CZR before one gets the message? Complaining does little or nothing as long as people tolerate their shameless business tactics and continue to patronize CZR. 

I always like to call ahead at least 24-48 hours prior to the date of the stay to confirm details regarding the reservation. On our last stay in Vegas, we had upgraded to a newer suite. Get someone on the phone to confirm the details of your reservation with you if you can swing that. It puts you in a stronger position if they try to switch things on you at check-in, especially if you take notes of whom you spoke with to confirm the details of your reservation. Of course, if Caesars is determined to do you wrong, nothing can stop that.

1. For life in general, not just hotel reservations, it's a good idea to be ready for anything, even the worst. Then, when the worst happens, it won't jolt you and thus won't ruin your trip. Sometimes when I don't get what I was promised or what I was expecting, I will calmly go about getting my desired result, but sometimes I don't; if I can live with a little less than I was expecting, it might be worth it to avoid the high blood pressure.
2. Instead of your first reaction to getting less than promised or expected being to complain on a Website that is read by lots of people and puts the hotel down, consider just contacting the hotel manager or the corporate office, while pointing out that you're not dissing them to the public. They might appreciate that, and respond more favorably.
3. Be hesitant about suing a hotel or corporation unless you live in LV, because the venue for suits is almost always where the defendant is. It's expensive and time-consuming to travel to LV a lot.

Stayed there last May. My room was updated, clean and exactly what I expected. I've been staying there for years and the only problem I've ever had happened back in 20177 when I had unreliable internet in the room. When I went to the desk to inform them, it was verified later that there indeed were issues. All of my week's worth of resort fees were waived. 

I continually hear bad press about Caesars.  Need a QOD to have a QOD or reader's poll on whether anyone has had a decent experience there.  I have been staying at Caesars properties for decades and have never had any major problems.  I am not anywhere near high roller status.  I get offers for comp'd rooms in addition to casino play.  Caesars has been very decent to me and I suspect to many other people as their properties are frequented by many.  There are lots of options out there so Caesars isn't doing EVERYTHING wrong!