AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

November 24, 1999

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This is the official newsletter of http://www.accessvegas.com Quality Las Vegas Tourist Information – Hotels, Casinos, Insider Tips, and more. If it’s about Las Vegas, it’s AccessVegas.Com!

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This Issue: TIPPING IN LAS VEGAS

Curious about a restaurant, event, or other Las Vegas attraction that looks fun? Let us review it for you first! Suggestions are always welcome at: allvegastv@aol.com

THE VENETIAN – The Grand Canal Shoppes are holding their first “Holiday Celebration”. Featured are fashion shows at 11:00 AM daily in St. Mark’s Square, holiday makeovers provided by Sephora, cooking demonstrations by Zeffirino Chef Gian Paulo Belloni, and live holiday music throughout the Shoppes provided by the UNLV music department. Our recent Venetian review is at http://www.las-vegas-news-reviews.com/99-11-03.htm and you can do a free search on Venetian price and availability at http://www.accessvegas.com/las-vegas-strip-hotels.htm (Venetian link).

THE MIRAGE – opened 10 years ago this month, and Steve Wynn not only forever changed the face of the Strip, but changed the whole direction of Las Vegas by bringing in the era of the megaresorts. A full story with photos is available at http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/1999/Nov-22-Mon-1999/business/12387993.html

C2K – The megaclub at The Venetian continues to draw rave reviews as a world-class nightclub. CityLife magazine just reviewed it at http://lvcitylife.com/pages/Dining/stories/99111102d.html

BONNIE SPRINGS – offers Las Vegas visitors a taste of the old wild west just 30 minutes from the Strip. Included are old western buildings, a miniature zoo, petting zoo, train ride (on busy weekends), restaurant, saloon, trail rides and more. Info available at http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/casinonews/red-rock.htm and you can read a recent review at http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/1999/Nov-14-Sun-1999/lifestyles/12323146.html

ABC TELEVISION – is planning a 24 hour New Year’s Eve show, and Las Vegas is going to be front and center! Story at http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/1999/Nov-19-Fri-1999/news/12373841.html

NEW YEARS EVE LAS VEGAS ROOMS – are still available! Call Hotel Reservations Network at (800) 666-5268 for a free price quote! NOTE: You MUST stay on the line until you get a person. HRN is NOT booking these specific dates online. We will be leaving this notice up as long as rooms continue to be available, but they are going fast.

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Quick Concert and Show Notes:

Want to see which shows are playing during your stay and book reservations EVEN if the tickets aren’t on sale yet? ShowVegas takes care of all your needs directly online! Search by dates at http://www.showvegas.com/svpricing.cfm?cscheme=5&amid=143

No new concert anouncements this week.

FEATURE STORY: Tipping in Las Vegas

This story was inspired by David C. Surette’s Letter to the Editor this week. Las Vegas can be intimidating by it’s very nature. In fact, one of our main goals in publishing this newsletter is the give you that “edge” and the knowledge you need to help eliminate that intimidation.

Las Vegas is a very tip-hungry town. 25% of the work force is employed in gaming, and many in gaming pay their bills primarily with tip income. So, they tip well when they go out, all their friends tip well, and everyone has the attitude that tips are expected and deserved. In fact, I often wonder if every local service worker stopped tipping, I think everyone would still have the same amount of money. They just pass it around.

Having said that, tips can certainly help improve the service and attention that you get. If you stay at the same hotel here a couple times a year and the attendant, bartender, waitress, or change person remembers your name and gives you that extra care and attention, a few extra bucks are well deserved. But in general, tips are rewards to be earned, not expected.

Here is my general tipping guide compiled from both personal experience and those of friends:

Slots – This is going to draw some fire, but if you are sticking your own bills in the machine, you don’t owe anyone a thing if you hit. None of the casino employees are rebating your losses. However, if the change person points out a hot machine, sells you coin, or is reasonably quick when you have the change light on, do remember them with a little something. They are among the lowest paid in the casino.

Tables – We are always amused when someone says “The dealer is killing me”. Believe me, if that dealer knew what the next card was, they’d be at Bellagio playing until they owned the place. It’s not their fault if you don’t leave the table during a bad run of cards. They HAVE to stay at the table and deal. You don’t. In addition, people tip less when losing. You think most dealers like that? Bottom line – tip the dealers if they are friendly and helpful. If you have a good session and they made it fun, it’s not out of line to give them a tip when you color up.

Cocktails – from the waitress: $1 a drink if you care how soon she gets back around to you. I always get a kick out of people in the nickel areas complaining that they have not seen a waitress. These same people act like they are doing her a favor to give her 3 nickels. She has to do the same amount of walking regardless of whether she is bringing a coffee to the nickel area or a top shelf drink to the higher limit areas. My personal trick? Tip them the dollar WHEN you order the drink. They’ll be back because they know you are taking care of them, they’ll tell the bartender to make it a “good” drink (sit in earshot of a waitress station sometimes and listen), and if you start losing and leave the table, just find them and get the drink from them — you’ve already “paid up”.

Restaurants – Tip like you would at home with this exception: Consider if the meal is a casino loss leader. Tipping 45 cents (15%) on a $3.00 steak is crazy, especially when the meal would cost $10.00 or more anywhere else. Tip based on what the meal would actually cost.

Buffets – $1 per person (regardless of meal – they do the same amount of work) for good service: Drinks served and refilled promptly, plates cleared. More if the server accommodates special requests. Don’t be afraid to stiff them for lousy service.

Bars – Tip just like you would anywhere else. The exception: when you buy a roll of quarters and get a free drink, give them a buck and a also tip them if you win IF they keep the drinks coming while you play (which that buck helps insure after each complimentary drink). Some casinos only give you one drink per roll or quarters you buy. If the free drinks are important to you, leave and go play next door.

Hotels – $1 a bag to the bellman (more if they are helpful and answer some questions — remember, they know the hotel and the area better than most), $1 a day to the maid (if they do a decent job), and $1 to the pool attendant if they fetch you something with a smile. Washroom attendants? My opinion is that unless you are using their stuff, they are pretty much holding you hostage (i.e. — they take all the paper towels out of the dispenser so you have to get a cloth towel from them). A quarter or two is enough to get you over feeling guilty for stiffing them.

Valet – If you can’t afford the give them $1 when you pick your car up, self park. These people run hour after hour in all kinds of weather. In fact, $2-3 is not out of line if they fetch your car in just a couple of minutes (although stiffing them isn’t out of line if it takes more than 10). Want them to keep it close because you won’t be long? Give them $1 when you park, telling them you’ll only be a little while (and tip them when you pick it up also — you are paying for service and convienence). Is the “valet full” sign up? Drive up anyway and hand them a $5 bill. You will be amazed at how they still have spaces available just for you.

Taxi Drivers – These guys can be the best or worst. Some really keep their ear to the ground, talk to their customers, and are a great wealth of information. They can tell you what shows their fares are touting, take you the shortest way, and help you with your luggage. Others are bitter, unhelpful, and the only thing they’ll recommend to you is one of the strip joints that pay cab drivers $5-10 a head for everyone they get in the door. If you have no luggage, round up the the nearest dollar under $10, round up $2 to $20, etc. If they are good with your luggage, and genuinely friendly and helpful, a couple more bucks isn’t out of line.

These are my suggestions. Do you tip more or less? Have their been situations where you tipped and it really paid off, or tipped and got lousy treatment anyway? Let us know at allvegastv@aol.com Make sure to include your name and state (city optional) if you want it considered for publication.

David C. Surette of Vancouver, British Columbia wrote:

>Many thanks for your newsletter during the past few months as I
>planned my 1st time ever Vegas trip.  We have just returned from what
>turned out to be a totally enjoyable vacation which included a few
>days in Vegas.  The spectacle of the Strip was overwhelming; we didn’t
>manage to get to the downtown area or the outskirts as we were
>thoroughly immersed in centralized exploration.  The mega-resorts were
>fabulous and provided great backdrops and settings for our numerous
>photos.  We were only there for 46 hours but managed to see all the
>major sites and resort properties between the Luxor and the
>Stratosphere.  We tempted fate and the laws of physics by partaking in
>both of the Stratosphere’s attractions (fortunately, before the
>wonderful buffet dinner at the Bellagio).  Our other meal was the
>Dinner Buffet offered by Mandalay Bay.  Almost every review we read
>rated Bellagio as the #1 Buffet in Vegas….  however, we found
>Mandalay Bay to be superior in this respect.  The food quality and
>selection was equal or better than Bellagio, the cost was ~$7 less and
>the setting/ambience was similar.  At Bellagio they peel and devein
>the jumbo shrimp and slice the Alaska King crab legs for you…  I’d
>rather do it the Mandalay Bay way where they make you work a bit for
>that wonderful seafood flavor by not deveining the shrimp or slicing
>up the crab legs !  Believe it or not, seafood tastes better when
>savoring that wonderful taste is prolonged by wrestling with the
>shells.
>
>We saw a great show both evenings, booked through “Best Reservations”
>as advertised in your newsletter (editors note:
>http://www.showvegas.com/svpricing.cfm?cscheme=5&amid=143 ). 
>As the tickets were prepaid (in
>addition to a $9.90 service charge per show) we merely showed up at
>the “will-call” section of the Box Office an hour before showtime,
>presented the credit card and sited the reservation #.  Our tickets
>were handed to us and it was “showtime”.  We had great seats for both
>shows: Sigfreid & Roy and Cirque du Soleil’s Mystere.  Overall
>we preferred Mystere over S&R but wanted to
>be counted in the many who have seen S&R during their 29 year reign in
>Las Vegas as the #1 Box office draw.  I am already planning our next
>Vegas jaunt which will include seeing Cirque du Soleil’s “O” and Lance
>Burton, shows we couldn’t possibly fit in this time around.
>
>Our fondest and most vivid recollections of the Strip were Paris and
>the Venetian’s facades, the Star Trek experience at the LV Hilton,
>Bellagio’s fountain, everything at Mandalay Bay, Treasure Island’s
>”touristy” Pirate Battle, and the realization that things
>(mega-resorts) are actually much farther away than they appear.  We
>stayed about 3/4 mile off the Strip at Quality Inn Key Largo and took
>taxis everywhere we went.  In retrospect, it would have been less
>expensive to rent a car but the hassle clearly wouldn’t have been
>worth it.
>
>We discovered that Vegas is a tip-hungry town…  especially taxi
>drivers.  Standard tips at the Buffets seemed to be about
>$5/table…we tipped about $5 for drinks at the gaming tables.  The
>only uncomfortable or disturbing experience we had was with a cab
>driver who insisted on a better tip.  He literally was not going to
>let us out of the cab until we paid him off.  The trip was from the
>Bellagio to the Mirage for the S&R show…  the cost on the meter was
>about $4.60 ..  I gave him $6 and waved off the change, tried to open
>the door and found it locked.  From his broken English I initially
>thought that he wanted to give me change or misunderstood that he
>could keep the change but quickly realized that he was asking for
>more.  He seemed to suggest that he had to pay out-of-pocket for the
>right to pick up guests of the Bellagio and that he was losing money
>by only receiving a $1.40 tip.  We were already running a bit late for
>the show (had to forego the two free drinks) and I didn’t want to
>argue so I firmly and with some authority in my voice demanded that he
>immediately unlock the door (as we couldn’t).  He complied but
>continued to rant as we walked toward the Mirage entrance, a tad
>embarrassing but we survived.
>
>
>On our next visit we’ll shell out the extra bucks and stay at either
>Treasure Island or Mandalay Bay.  Our accommodations at QI’s Key Largo
>were adequate (clean, quiet and roomy) but too far away from the
>Strip.  The check-in staff there were exceptionally polite, efficient
>and courteous.  Given the nature of the interaction we observed with
>some of the other guests, I commend their patience and
>professionalism.  We missed our flight to LA because we arrived at the
>airport after the baggage check-in time limit.  We were held up in
>traffic because of a serious accident and the flight time was moved 20
>minutes forward….  two things I didn’t count on.  We had to be in LA
>to catch a Cruise Ship so we split up and hit the other airline
>line-ups in search of two seats to LA in time to make the cruise.
>Fortunately, Southwest Airlines came through for us and we were in LA
>with 2 hours to spare.
>
>Looking forward to our next visit!

Thanks for the great letter. It inspired us to write our article on tipping today. If a cabby has to pay to pick up at Bellagio, that’s not only news to us, but not your problem. Your tip was plenty generous for a short trip.

I too have had cabbys attempt to screw me by taking me the longer route, etc. (thinking I was a tourist that didn’t know any better). Anytime you get into ANY dispute with a cab driver, simply mention that you are going to call the Taxicab Authority and file a complaint. Ever seen a cab driver’s face turn pale? I have. The Nevada Taxi Cab Authority is at 486-6532 and is also listed in the white pages under “Nevada – State of / Taxicab Authority.”

Also, remember that is says right on the cab — that they carry less than $5 in change. While that is generally not true, and unpleasant cabby can refuse to change in your bigger bills so get small bills before you catch the cab. Casinos aren’t short on change! Better yet, just rent a car at http://www.travelnow.com/cars/search.jsp?cid=2005 and save yourself the hassles and cab lines.

Olaf Acker wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Comdex is NOT the biggest computer convention in the world.
>That`s the CEBIT in Hannover,Germany with over 600.000 people
>visiting each year.

We stand corrected. It is the largest in North America.

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Your input is welcome. Want to hear more about a subject? Don’t agree with something we said? Write us a “letter to the editor” at allvegastv@aol.com Please include your name if you wish to have it published (stating your city is optional). Also, guest article submissions are welcome with full credit to you, your website, etc. if accepted.

Note: You may enter every contest, but only one entry to each. Please note the expiration date and only enter if you will be in town and can use them. The 10′th entry in each contest will be the winner (unless otherwise noted). Just sent a blank email to the specified email address — we’ll get your mailing address from you only if you win. Also, please do not enter if you have won within the past month.

PLAY RIO MAGAZINE – we have one copy of this magazine that is essentially a guide to the Rio Hotel. Enter at (contest closed) and Rio discount rooms are available at http://www.accessvegas.com/rooms/las-vegas-hotel-reservations-strip-area.htm (Rio link).

ANNUAL GUIDE TO WINTER RECREATION – for Southern Nevada and surrounding areas includes information on snowskiing, snowboarding, and other winter fun available in our area. We have one copy. Enter at (contest closed)

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Have a request for a review? Boggled when you come to town and see the hundreds of dining, attraction, and show opportunities? Let us know what you’d like to hear about! Unlike the tourist magazines where all of the “articles” are really paid ads, we give you the honest scoop. If you appreciate this service, please consider booking your rooms and rental cars for ALL destinations with us at http://www.accessvegas.com You get secure ordering with the convenience and savings of booking online!

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All contents copyright 1999 Ted Newkirk
November 24, 1999