I’ve talked about comps a lot on the site. Comp rooms are great – being able to stay at a lavish hotel for minimal cost (especially when resort fees are waived) can be an enticing come-on for those wanting to visit markets like Las Vegas.
But in times like this, there are many people who may not have the same budget they would vs. other times. And using your comps comes with the expectation that you’ll spend a similar amount again, or you risk losing them.
Some players are comfortable with this – comps are, after all, earned from previous play, so technically you’ve spent the money to make this possible. But casinos do look at how much you’re comped vs. how much you spend, and will course correct if appears you’re being overcomped.
But some people see this as something a bit more strategic. Let’s say you’d normally bring $300 a day to gamble, but realistically can only afford $150 a day for a trip. Is it best to use those comps?
A few players I speak to will sometimes instead watch for particular hotel deals that drive down the room rate to very low levels. Even with resort fees, you can many times pick up a room for $50 or so on a nightly basis. Since you don’t have to attach your players card to the room, they don’t have to know you’re there unless you want them to. Your comps, in essence, can be kept safe for when you’re ready for a bigger trip, and you have no pressure to play to maintain them.
Then you can make the decision where and how you want to gamble with your lower budget, knowing you can’t do what you normally would. Perhaps you concentrate play at a casino that doesn’t tend to comp you well, vs. risking your existing comps, or if you’d be inclined to normally do half your play at two places, do all of it at one, since the math works out similarly.
How often you visit, and how important those comps are to you when you visit, will determine if such an examination is necessary. And if you book a cheap room and look for things like resort fee waivers as a Caesars Diamond, it will put your card number on the room, negating the effort, so you have to be willing to pay in full what that room rate is.
But if you’re specifically looking to do a different type of trip, or have a low rolling trip, this can be a way to do so without impacting your offers. If you’re going with family and expect to play a lot less than normal, or will be going for work vs. normally for pleasure, these sorts of adjustments can be helpful to ensuring you don’t blow some of your best arrangements for when you’re ready to gamble.
