Later this year, I’ll be making my first trip to Vegas since last fall. I wrote this past spring about layering bookings – the ability to stack/overlap reservations to take advantage of various offers and promotions. With this trip coming up, I took a fresh look at the concept.
What I wanted to do today is go over things I consider when I layer the bookings, as a way of helping to illustrate the various considerations that can help someone decide when layering makes sense.
Diversity of Locations
I tend to not book two locations on the strip back to back, for instance. While it might be tempting, given properties could be adjacent, I find that there’s more value with, say, an on-strip or an off-strip location, or the strip and downtown.
This allows for a diversity of options for activities, and ensures wherever you end up you have a place to crash.
Private Bathroom
Connected to this can be the simple luxury of having a private bathroom you can visit if you’re in a location. Some people simply aren’t comfortable always using a public bathroom, or depending on where you are they may not be the cleanest, and this can at least offset that issue.
If you also plan on potentially staying in that area for the night, the first two items can complement each other well.
What’s In the Offer
Some of my casino offers include food; some don’t. Some include free play; some just a room. So I will sometimes stack a room in a good location with a secondary offer that may not be the best location, but covers other aspects like food or free play.
So in cases where, for instance, Caesars gives me a free room without any throw-ins, but in a great location on the strip, I might pair it with something downtown that offers food and free play so I can bounce between the strip and downtown that day.
Your Transportation Options
My first few Vegas trips, I didn’t bother with anything like a rental car, and relied on things like the monorail or Uber. My most recent trip, I had a rental car, and it certainly changed the calculus of what’s possible.
Knowing what you’ll be reliant on can determine whether a second booking has value or is viable for your visit.
What’s on the Schedule
If you’re going to spend most of your day outside of a casino to begin with, you’re probably not going to be able to leverage both offers to any real effect. Similarly, if you’re already going to be busy with other activities, will you even make it to the other casino for that free play or food offer?
In my case, I work remotely, and take longer trips than I used to, so part of the question for layering is whether I’ll be working a certain day; an overlapping day can make it easier than rushing to check out and hoping to check in at the next place.
Who’s Getting My Gambling Budget
I obviously want to keep certain offers active in Vegas beyond a given visit, so I have a good pool of options to work with for my next visit. So I will usually make sure I’m not stacking offers for places I want to give play in the future.
So, similar to other aspects such as stay vs. free play or food, I look at who is going to get most of my play for that day, and make sure I’m not stacking two important offers against each other.
Which Offers Require a Stay
In a few specific circumstances, particularly as you venture off the strip, the offers do not necessarily require a stay. In those cases, I will sometimes just plan to visit the place and leverage the offer, without having a room booked.
This can reduce the overall comp value that they expect you to cover for a visit, since you’re not claiming an item that has a value that they are giving in return for play, and can make it easier to make them happy for your visit that day.
Of course, you don’t have to be so deliberate and can book offers, as offers are based off of previous play. But if you wish to keep your offers going, knowing your plan is helpful to ensuring that your offers will stick around.
