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Saturday, July 23, 2016

Dear Golden Nugget,

Why ya gotta be so scammy?

My wife and I recently returned from what was my first trip to Vegas. At age 52, I'd obviously seen and heard a vast amount of information about the iconic city and I'm happy to report that it did not disappoint.

I lost a few hundred dollars gambling, had some fantastics meals, did a lot of shopping and saw that absolutely amazing Cirque du Soleil Beatles tribute show "LOVE."

Based on the stats from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's "2015 Las Vegas Visitor Profile," my wife and I spent more money on lodging, food and drink, transportation and shows than your typical Vegas couple.

Unfortunately, the Golden Nugget Resort and Casino stood out as a very sour note to an otherwise wonderful trip.

We booked our room and fully paid over a month in advance. Our stay was an off-peak Tuesday through Friday and, compared to the Friday we checked out, the check-in line Tuesday was quite sparse.

However, as my wife and I went through check-in at the Nugget, we were informed that, instead of the king bed we'd reserved and paid for over a month in advance, our room now only came with two full beds.

I thought the Nugget representative was joking, but she glibly explained that "beds are available on a first come, first served basis."

What? I've been a business traveler most of my adult life and have never encountered such a smarmy attempt at an upsell.

Once my wife and I were able to mentally process what was happening, which, I inferred to be a blatant and absurd bait and switch, the representative changed the story from no rooms available with king beds to only smoking rooms were available with king beds. Begrudgingly, we indicated we would accept a smoking room. The rep then searched the computer and indicated that there were in fact no smoking rooms with a king bed available either. On a Tuesday, in mid-July. It was then that the representative indicated that there was a room available with a king bed for an additional fee.

It was a cringe-worthy and petty money grab. But what was really frustrating was how unnecessary it was. If the Nugget is so cash strapped that it needs to game reservations for an additional $40 a night, I don't understand why they simply don't limit reservations to the rooms, beds and rates required for them to be as successful as they want to be. We would've had no problem whatsoever booking the room at the up-sold rate. Instead, we had to endure an unctuous and insulting psychodrama, just so the Nugget could add a few bucks to our bill.

As a result of the Nugget's knavish treatment, we mostly avoided gambling in their casinos. We avoided spending money in their restaurants too-- as I was convinced that the breakfast I would order would suddenly not come with toast, but that if I was willing to order a more expensive breakfast and sit in another section, toast would then be magically available with my breakfast.

Overall, I really enjoyed my trip to Vegas. And I will likely return. But I will do my best to never give the Nugget another penny, and I'll aggressively discourage my friends and family from patronizing their establishments.

Reason of review: Not as described/ advertised.

Location: Portland, Oregon

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