One of the biggest myths about going to Las Vegas is that it’s all about gambling. There’s a lot to do in Vegas even if you do not want them to spend a single dime gambling.  Vegas is the king of high end hotels.

I learned a great trick from Fatwallet to improve my hotel reservation. Depending on when you visit and check in, a small cash gratuity can go a long way. I tried the $20 dollar trick on my last two visits and both times it was a success. It worked the best during my visit in 2005, when I stayed at Palms Hotel (original tower).

I originally booked the room using Priceline, and the basic cost my room was a little less than $100 per night for a standard room.  I stayed there during the middle of the week and it was during the slow time of year.  By giving a $20 gratuity to the hotel reservation clerk she kindly upgraded me into something way beyond my expectations. I ended up staying in the penthouse suite.

I’ve always been a big fan of using opaque hotel room system reservations. I know that some people are leery because they are uncomfortable with not knowing exactly where you will end up staying.   If you choose the right star level usually you will not go wrong.  This is especially true in cities with large hotel inventory such as Las Vegas and New York City.  If you need flexibility in yourVegas reservation, I would not recommend using Priceline or hotwire.  Instead, I would book directly with the hotel.   Either way, the $20 trick will work the same.

The Penthouse (Adrienne suite) is right under the hotel nightclub, also known as Rain. It even had a special elevator which was deserved for penthouse floor residence and the nightclub. I will say the saddest part was going back home. Unfortunately, my own residence was nowhere near as nice as my hotel room. I think I had a choice, I would choose to live at the hotel instead. When I later checked online, I found out that the normal rate for that room was $1500 a night.  I guess during my three night stay, I “made”/”saved  $4180 : )  Next time you visit Vegas, I highly recommend that you try the $20 dollar reservation trick.