Thanks for sharing your "best losing trip in Las Vegas" post. I know how you go to great lengths to take care of the things you described in your post, and I'm happy that they worked out for you and your family. The part I liked best was in your notes where you mention that with all of your experiences in handling casino offers, that you admit that you are still learning how to interpret offers that you may have previously thought weren't worth pursuing. My next trip to southern Nevada from the snowy suburbs of St. Louis will be 2/26-3/2, renting a car and staying 2 days at the Aquarius in Laughlin, and then returning to LV and staying 3 nights at the Palms. I hope Caesars Entertainment or whatever they refer to themselves these days as doesn't take on the debt of the Palms as their next trophy in the portfolio. I saw hockeySTL (Mike G) over the holidays and yesterday ran into Mrs. G.(Chris) at one of the supermarkets out here that I was calling on as part of my job. Maybe I'll sacrifice one of my trips to LV and do the Reno experience instead.
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, TedChee@... wrote:
>
> Stats:
> Loss $2722
> Stayed at Paris 1/8 - 1/11 & Encore 1/11 - 1/13
>
> Initial reservation at Encore was for 1/10 - 1/12 but when we saw our room
> at Paris, we decided to move the Encore reservation back one day.
>
> Paris stay was a Harrah's 7* signature experience:
>
> _http://www.harrahs.com/sevenstars/experiences/_
> (http://www.harrahs.com/sevenstars/experiences/)
>
> We chose the following (a Level 1 package)
>
> Cher
> Enjoy a 3-night stay in suite accommodations at Caesars Palace. You and a
> guest will spend 90 minutes in awe from VIP seats as the legendary icon
> Cher takes the stage. Go backstage for a Meet & Greet with Cher after the show.
> The "Meet & Greet with Cher" occurs only on Sat. Since we were there to
> celebrate the 65th anniversary of my wife's aunt & uncle we couldn't stay
> that long so our host booked us for Cher's first show back on 1/11 (Tue).
>
> I changed the hotel to Paris as it's easier to get around in & I like the
> restaurants & the atmosphere. We checked into a 3-room suite which had a
> postcard view of the Eiffel Tower & Bellagio & its fountains. Meals were at
> Mon Ami Gabi & Le Cafe which were both very good.
>
> I had booked the Encore stay through my host & asked for a dinner & a show
> for the 11th. On the 11th, we had an anniversary dinner at Wynn's Wing
> Lei, a high-end gourmet Chinese restaurant which we had experienced on prior
> stays at the Wynn. It's an indoor restaurant with excellent atmosphere, food
> & service. A nice touch was when I asked the concierge about the tickets
> (for aunt & uncle) to "Sinatra: Dance with Me" at the Wynn, he advised me
> that they would be delivered to our table at Wing Lei. Since I had sent
> everybody over to the restaurant earlier, I was pleasantly surprised that the
> tickets had arrived before I got there. After dinner, Bev & I went to see
> Cher while her aunt & uncle stayed to see the Sinatra show.
>
> Cher puts on a great show but she doesn't move with as much energy as she
> exhibited a few years ago but she does pretty well for a 64-year-old and, of
> course, she looks as fabulous as her costumes. We're just glad to catch
> one of her last shows at Caesars & maybe for good. It supposedly ends on Feb
> 5. After the show, we bought a lot of memorabilia which was surprisingly
> reasonably priced.
>
> After the show, we went back to Encore so Bev could see the room & make
> the decision to either stay another night in our Paris suite or move to
> Encore. Our Encore offer was 3 nights in a suite + $750 resort credit. It turns
> out that our host had booked us in the Tower Suites which are one of the few
> 5-diamond rated by AAA. It was as large as our Paris suite with a view
> from Circus Circus to the golf course but much nicer in terms of furnishing &
> it included a massage room. We moved over that night.
>
> On the 12th, we held another anniversary dinner at the Eiffel Tower
> restaurant at Paris which is also high-end gourmet & the dining, atmosphere &
> service were also top notch but I had advised everyone that we're here
> primarily for the view (of the Bellagio fountains & the Strip) & the dining was
> just the kicker.
>
> In summary, Bev never stayed at Paris or Encore so she thoroughly enjoyed
> exploring both.The dining was excellent in both places but somewhat better
> at Encore. We had a getaway lunch at Encore's Society Cafe where Bev
> ordered filet mignon sliders & she said it was the best she'd ever had. Other
> features that put Encore/Wynn on another level are its attention to detail
> and the emphasis on service. They try to anticipate what you want & actively
> try to help fulfill it. Over at Venetian/Palazzo, I like the rooms &
> restaurants but you do notice that service & detail are not high priority. Only
> in a few restaurants have I experienced a service attitude comparable to the
> Wynn where it is at a consistently high level at all venues. So I have to
> ask myself, why go to Venetian/Palazzo with the Wynn/Encore next door? I've
> always known the answer but somehow justified my Venetian stays by their
> offers. Well here was the clincher. When we were ready to check out of
> Encore, I talked to my host basically to clear up the charge for the room which
> appeared on our folio. What I didn't expect was that he picked up all our
> charges for dining which included the Wing Lei dinner & also the Sinatra show
> tickets. This reminded me how much latitude Wynn gives its employees. Over
> at Venetian, hosts have little latitude to give you much over your offer.
> When you see the final stats below, you'll understand why Encore left a
> very strong & positive impression.
>
> Final stats:
>
> Paris: Gambling: 2.5 hrs, loss $2600
> Charges paid by Total Rewards credits
>
> Wynn: Gambling: 5 hrs (both Bev & Me), loss $122
> (in other words I didn't lose enough to
> justify their generosity)
>
> Note 1: A feature of high-end gourmet dining is that it's much healthier
> for you in that the portion sizes are smaller while the prices are higher.
> (You're supposed to take time to enjoy the taste, don't wolf it down as if
> you're in a speed-eating competition!) At this level, everything is a la
> carte. I noticed a healthy, fruit smoothie with an anti-oxidant option. Of
> course that had a separate charge but they did throw in the straw.
>
> Note 2: A few years ago, we did take up a Wynn offer which was $200/day
> for dining for a 3-day stay. You had to use it up each day, it couldn't be
> carried over. It forced to us to try restaurants which we wouldn't normally
> try. On the last day, we hadn't used any of it & were leaving around noon so
> none of the more expensive restaurants were open so we asked the Country
> Club cafe if they could prepare some special dishes for us & charge us
> accordingly. They did.
>
> Note 3: It's probably been a couple of years since our last Wynn trip
> (pun intended). We've been getting regular offers from them but one thing after
> another precluded us from going. So their comping us on this trip must
> also be viewed by the fact that they haven't had any business from us in a
> while.
>
> Note 4: I found out that Wynn Resort Credits means free play. I thought
> that it meant dining or room charges. Based on that assumption, I blew off a
> prior offer that was even better. Ah well, that's how you learn
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
