Stay cation at Flamingo

[redietz]

Here's an update on the call from customer relations at the Flamingo on July 1:

After three weeks NOTHING happened.

You're the customer service expert here, Alan. What is your next move and how long do you wait?

I had an experience at the Flamingo about five years ago where they lost hot water for about 48 hours, and we weren't warned about it. I wrote some bitchy email and got a comped room on a future date. That was it.

[kewlJ]

Here is my bad experience with Flamingo, also 5 or 6 years ago. At the time I lived in a condo in a highrise a block off the strip. Three times a year, New years Eve weekend or several day period, Superbowl weekend, and the first weekend of March Madness, which often coincides with St Patrick's day, I would privately rent out my condo and move into a comped room at nearby Flamingo. The proceeds from these 3 weekends covered my condo fees and most of my small mortgage for the year.

At the time I played sparingly at the Evil Empire. I wasn't a top tier or anything, but enough to get comped rooms, even on busy holiday weekends. So on this particular holiday weekend, I want to say New Years eve weekend, but am not 100% sure, I rented out my condo and booked my comp room at Flamingo, as usual. When I got to Flamingo at check in time, they informed me they would not honor the comp, despite my paper confirmation in hand. Reasoning that I hadn't played enough during my previous comped stay. They offered me a "reduced rate" of several hundred dollars per night, which I guess was lower than the advertised holiday weekend rate. I declined. I had a damn hard time finding a room on such an event weekend, eventually finding a vacancy at Terrible's casino (now Silver Sevens) at a reduced rate of like $39. And anyone familiar with Terribles/Silver Sevens rooms...$39 is severely overpriced, even on a big event weekend.

So anyway, my gripe with Flamingo isn't that they didn't have a right to decide not to honor my comp. It clearly says in the small print that they do. But it is pretty sleazy to wait until check-in to inform me....on a busy holiday weekend. Yeah, I wrote a letter complaining but received nothing other than an apology for the inconvenience.

[Alan Mendelson]

Did you actually have a confirmation that said zero cost kewlj?

[kewlJ]

Did you actually have a confirmation that said zero cost kewlj?

Yes sir. A printed confirmation w/ confirmation number stating each night was comped and total charges of $0.00.

I figure legally, I could have challenged it....some sort of breech of contract thing, but what were my damages? $39 a night that I paid somewhere else. It would cost me more than that to file. Plus the small print saying they have the right to change or not honor the offer, or whatever terminology they used, throws even what seems like a legitimate challenge into question. I have learned not to get bogged down with the small things. I just chalked it up to the Evil Empire earning their reputation.

[Alan Mendelson]

Did you actually have a confirmation that said zero cost kewlj?

Yes sir. A printed confirmation w/ confirmation number stating each night was comped and total charges of $0.00.

I figure legally, I could have challenged it....some sort of breech of contract thing, but what were my damages? $39 a night that I paid somewhere else. It would cost me more than that to file. Plus the small print saying they have the right to change or not honor the offer, or whatever terminology they used, throws even what seems like a legitimate challenge into question. I have learned not to get bogged down with the small things. I just chalked it up to the Evil Empire earning their reputation.

If there was indeed small print saying that they could withdraw the offer without notice you could not sue. But if you still have the confirmation slip or a copy of the email with it, I would love for you to post it here.

Your damages were not the $39 per night you stayed elsewhere. Your damages were that they ruined your plans and the cost of the trip to the Flamingo.

[kewlJ]

Did you actually have a confirmation that said zero cost kewlj?

Yes sir. A printed confirmation w/ confirmation number stating each night was comped and total charges of $0.00.

I figure legally, I could have challenged it....some sort of breech of contract thing, but what were my damages? $39 a night that I paid somewhere else. It would cost me more than that to file. Plus the small print saying they have the right to change or not honor the offer, or whatever terminology they used, throws even what seems like a legitimate challenge into question. I have learned not to get bogged down with the small things. I just chalked it up to the Evil Empire earning their reputation.

If there was indeed small print saying that they could withdraw the offer without notice you could not sue. But if you still have the confirmation slip or a copy of the email with it, I would love for you to post it here.

Your damages were not the $39 per night you stayed elsewhere. Your damages were that they ruined your plans and the cost of the trip to the Flamingo.

The cost of the trip? I walked about 200 yards from my condo to the Flamingo. I don't think there is a whole lot of damages there.

But regardless, this was a confirmation slip from 6 years ago. I have moved twice since then, so no I don't have the confirmation slip from 6 years ago. That is just not something I would hold on to (under any circumstances).

[FleaStiff]

Comped room may be bargains but remember, if you pay for the room you are legally a transient but if its comped, you've got no rights at all. They can yank the room from you and they can enter it. If cops want to enter your hotel room you have rights but ifits comped, its the hotel who has all the rights and you have none at all. Do something wrong in a casino and they can ban your from the casino but not from a room you paid for. Get the room for free and they can boot you out and mail your toothbrush to you.
So if they want to tack on a resort fee to a comp what on earth you going to do?

[Dan Druff]

Comped room may be bargains but remember, if you pay for the room you are legally a transient but if its comped, you've got no rights at all. They can yank the room from you and they can enter it. If cops want to enter your hotel room you have rights but ifits comped, its the hotel who has all the rights and you have none at all. Do something wrong in a casino and they can ban your from the casino but not from a room you paid for. Get the room for free and they can boot you out and mail your toothbrush to you.
So if they want to tack on a resort fee to a comp what on earth you going to do?

Pretty much this. Casinos can rescind comps at will.

In some cases you might have a claim if their comp induced you to spend other money you otherwise wouldn't have.

For example, if you lived in New York, got an offer for a comped 3-night stay in Vegas over New Years, spent $800 on airline tickets to get there, and arrived to find the comp rescinded, you could have a claim against the casino for that $800.

But if you're just a local who lost out on his expected free hotel room, you're out of luck.