Any workarounds for "No rooms left at poker rate, sir"?

[teddyFBI]

Specifically AC...oftentimes calling up the Taj or Borgata I'm told they have plenty of rooms available at the regular rate, but none left at the poker rate...WTF? If you've got availability, wouldn't you rather SOMEONE was in those rooms, even at a discount?

Anyway, I've never been able to convince their phone reps to give me one of their poker rate rooms when they're apparently 'booked'...anyone have any tips for weasling something out of these guys?

[teddyFBI]

<shameless reply post for 1,200 and moniker change>

[d10]

I've never had any luck with this.

[chucksim]

Usually no luck getting around it...my suggestion is to call often up to the day of arrival...maybe you will get lucky and get a cancellation out of that pool of rooms. Otherwise, win a lot at poker and dump it into the slots (if you want a "free" one that bad)... /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[mrkilla]

Play Dice for 3-5 hour 25 pass line max odds , and some nice place bets as well as a few 5 dollar slots, youll get a room

[AngusThermopyle]

"Would you have a room at the poker rate for Doyle Brunson?"

"Of course."

"Well, give the room to me instead. I know for sure Doyle isn't coming to Atlantic City those dates."

Have you tried calling the poker room and asking them? Do they know you there? Maybe they have a few available for their regulars.

LOL

Old joke, updated and revised to be appropriate. nh

I actually tried something similar at a regular hotel. They didn't laff. I went elsewhere.

[slamdunkpro]

I've learned to deal with the phone reps as little as possible at the Borgata, When I want a room reservation I call the poker room direct and ask one of the floors to help me.

If I have to talk to the phone reps and can't get a poker room rate I just book at the regular rate then the night before I check out I ask one of the floors to adjust my room rate based on my play - they've done it every time. Since the Borg opened I've never paid the rack rate for a room.

The senior floor people have a lot more juice then they let on (kinda like gate agents at airports). Even if you only have a red card (like me) if you are a semi regular and are nice, polite, and respectful - the poker room pepole will do a lot for you. I've gotten poker room discounts on weekends and holidays, suite upgrades and even rooms on "sold out" nights.

[teddyFBI]

wow r u saying that you can just ask a floor to adjust your room (assmuming you play a lot), and when they call up to the reservation desk to make the adjustment, they don't catch the fact that you didn't get a room at the 'poker rate' initially? (which i figured was a prerequisite to getting the downward adjustment)

[IMTheWalrus8]

I know at the Trop you have to book a poker rate through the poker room. If you try through the hotel you won't get anything. They always tell me to book it a month in advance, because they have a limited number, but that can vary.

I'd give up on the 800 number and call the poker rooms directly. BTW I'm pretty sure you need to have played in the poker room previously to get the poker rate.

[megabit]

[ QUOTE ]
wow r u saying that you can just ask a floor to adjust your room (assmuming you play a lot), and when they call up to the reservation desk to make the adjustment, they don't catch the fact that you didn't get a room at the 'poker rate' initially? (which i figured was a prerequisite to getting the downward adjustment)

[/ QUOTE ]

I've had places in Vegas tell me to just book thru normal rate and talk to the floor when you get to town. Other places will book the room rate in advance. So yes they can adjust it for you.

Mike

[Prodigy]

If it's at the Taj or Tropicana there are ways around it...especially around this time of the year --minus holidays. There are railbirds on the lowside that are pros in getting rooms when it's "sold out".

I've had good experiences with Stephanie and Nene at the trop. Try greasing them for $10-20 bucks. Give it to them BEFORE you get the room. You won't have the opportunity to tip them if the rooms are "sold out". By doing this, they will also bump you up to the top of the waiting list if the rooms really do happen to be sold out. Hopefully, sharing this information won't cause an increase in greasing to "outbid" each other.

[slamdunkpro]

Yes - At the Borg they don't call reservations, they just do it on the computer there.

[RydenStoompala]

Bet the pass line and take the odds. Half an hour at the craps table, playing like a maniac, and your room rate will shrink like Tom Cruise's test scores at a Mensa Convention.

[Riverman]

At the Borgata the booking at regular rate and get it adjusted later thing no longer works as they figured it out.

[Chipr777]

I don't know how things work in A.C. but this is how I've seen things done in other places. If they tell you there are no rooms left in the "poker block" get a room at the rack rate and before you leave talk with the poker mgr or floor and ask them to switch it to the poker rate. If you've put in the required hours for the rate there should be no problems.

Just to confirm what other folks are saying:

I had the "book at regular rate, adjust as checkout" done this past Saturday at the Borg at the recommendation of the room manager. They said that the front desk doesn't usually check to see if the room was booked at the poker rate, but they will usually call down to the poker room to verify that you played. They also adjusted the room rate directly from the podium on recent Monday night one time. Not sure why they didn't adjust the rate from the podium for the Sat night stay - maybe different folks have different understandings or responsibilities.