Well that's a nice selection of rooms, Caesar

You like choices, do you?  Well check out this list of room options from Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas.

However, my tip to you is this.... book the cheapest room offered. At the hotel check in desk, be your best self. Be best dressed, best mannered and the new best friend of the desk clerk. Charm him or her in the first minute of arrival and then when you present your credit card and ID for authorization, also include a nice crisp $20.

What's the $20 for? So your new best friend can use their talents and favour to choose a nice room for you.

But does this work? Yes. Yes it does. The desk clerk or their supervisor has the authorization to put you in a room of their choosing, equal or greater to what you have selected and paid for with the reservation. And believe me, you are not the first person to do this, nor will you ever be the last.

What do I say?  Clearly express your preferences or reason for 'being extra special.'  For example, you might say, "this is my first time at Caesar's Palace. This is a dream come true for me! My wife booked this trip for our anniversary. We're heading out for dinner and then to the Rod Stewart concert tomorrow night. It would be fantastic if we could have a room with a view or nearby the concert forum."

What you've told the desk clerk here is that you are celebrating and (the most important part) spending additional money on their property (concert & dinner) so they should look favourably upon your request.

When doesn't this upfront gratuity work?  1) When the hotel is full or near capacity.  2) You booked the room off Hotwire, Trivago or another cut rate site. 3) You are pushy or have a black mark on your hotel record with the chain. (Tell off a Hilton employee and be sure that note is on your account for all future Hilton reservations) 4) At the Best Western in Saskatoon. This is a Vegas thing.

And if it does not work in your favour, it was still one of the better bets you'll make in Las Vegas. C'est la vie! You're there to gamble and leave a little money behind anyway. Be sure $20 (or $10 per person - as shown in the booking chart below)  is FAR less than you would have paid through your travel agent for a room upgrade.

Yes. I do speak from experience. I've been placed in a suite at both Caesar's & Bellagio at check in. Also at the MGM and Tropicana, but really, it's the Bellagio Suite (3 bathrooms & a dining room) that is the real jackpot upgrade. Though I'll likely never hit that jackpot again, I sure intend to give it a shot.