I wrote a previous article on comps. That article is more of a primer on comps and the benefits. This article will give you some more information and perspective on comps and how to start maximizing them. So once you have been to Las Vegas, and you are planning a return trip, this is when you should try a tactic to get more comps. The first thing you should do is to call Casino Marketing to book your room. You can find this phone number on the back of your Players card, which you should have signed up for on your last trip. This is usually an 800 number. When you call you can give them your players card number and the dates you hope to visit. They can then possibly give you a better rate based on your account activity. That means how much you gamble and spend when you visit one of their properties. This is why it is so important to get a players card and to use it. Using it means that you book your room through Casino Marketing or directly through the casino/hotel rather than a budget website.

I know I have backed budget websites such as www.kayak.com or www.lasvegas.com, but if you are looking for comps, you are better off booking through the hotel itself. If you are a one time or first time Vegas visitor, those budget sites are great.

You also need to make sure that when you eat at a restaurant you charge it to your room, which is linked to your account. Also, you can get show tickets right through the concierge or ticket office in the hotel. That also works if you are seeing a show at a sister property, you can charge that to your room as well. I know I have also backed discount, same-day, ticket brokers and I still do, especially if the show is not at one of hotels sister properties. Remember, this article is about how to maximize comps. If you would rather save the money because you are not spending much otherwise at your hotel, go ahead and use a discount ticket seller.

My husband and I go to Vegas frequently enough that we now try to patronize the hotel that we are staying at for all of our meals and entertainment. We also charge absolutely everything to the room, from shopping, to eating, to spas, to shows. We also have both of our players card linked to each other and always use our players cards at card tables and slot machines. Then the night before we check out, and when we’re pretty much done spending, we go to the players card desk and ask them to analyze our spending patterns. They in turn call the front desk so that when we check out the next morning, we will have some spending comped, usually in the form of food and beverage credit. That means they just deduct that amount off of our bill. We have to check out at the front desk, rather than using express checkout, but hey, it’s worth it.

Imagine choosing which flavor you will be today. Ah, raspberry, melon; maybe peach. That will be the most of your worries if you spend a day at the spa. A couple of years ago I splurged and spent an afternoon at the Spa at the Luxor. I chose a Sea Salt and Honey scrub, followed by a massage. Then I had the awful task of choosing which scent I wanted to shower myself in. Each shower, you see, had a different scent theme, including shampoo, conditioner and body wash. I have checked, and Luxor has since changed their Spa services. No worries though, most hotels on the strip have an excellent spa. There are a few that you can only visit if you are a guest, such as the exclusive Bellagio Spa.

A few months ago, at Thanksgiving actually, I spent a fabulous 4 hours at the Aladdin / Planet Hollywood Spa by Mandara. I got the Spa Day For Her package. It included a Hot Stone Therapy Treatment, a Facial, a deluxe Manicure, and deluxe Pedicure. It was sublime. I had always wanted to try to the hot stone Therapy. It wasn’t so much a massage as a relaxation technique. They stones are very hot and smooth. Then they are covered in hot oil and smoothed quickly up and down your body. Since they are so hot, there isn’t much massaging going on. It is more like hot gliding. If you really need a muscle massage, get one. If you want a neat way to be relaxed, get the hot stone therapy. There are a barrage of treatments to choose from, and I suggest that you do. Aladdin/Planet Hollywood Spa

Vegas is much more fun if you can actually get away from your normal life. Going to the spa is just the ticket. It forces you to relax, and makes you able to absorb all the reasons that you chose Vegas, and forget about everything else; at least for a couple of hours.