BA Holiday. Can you stack hotel benefits by paying with Amex Platinum?

[Royback]

Can anyone confirm if you check in with your Platinum card having paid BA holidays with same card. Does the hotel allow any upgrade or F&B credits.

Vegas. Cosmo.

[BuildBackBetter]

‘Check in with plat card’ doesn’t get you benefits. Benefits come from membership and the channel of booking. Booking through BAH makes you ineligible for any membership benefits.

[MattB]

The Cosmo is leaving Marriott shortly, but to be honest the status via platinum won’t get you much, maybe a midday check out instead of a 11am.

I’m Cosmo Identity gold so the free nights and no resort fees are nice but even then got no F+B other than a 241 at the buffet which wasn’t great quality.

[Guernsey Globetrotter]

Better route would be to try the ‘twenty dollar sandwich’ strategy on check-in 😉

[Simey]

Better to book using FHR (Fine Hotels and Resorts) with your Platinum Service. You should see either some credit for Hotel Collection or a lot more, if it’s fancier places in the Platinum scheme such as free breakfast, guaranteed check-out etc..

I have looked at this before actually not long – are the prices the same / very similar? What is the price of it on BA as opposed to on the Platinum Travel site @Royback?

[Royback]

Simey wrote:

Better to book using FHR (Fine Hotels and Resorts) with your Platinum Service. You should see either some credit for Hotel Collection or a lot more, if it’s fancier places in the Platinum scheme such as free breakfast, guaranteed check-out etc..

I have looked at this before actually not long – are the prices the same / very similar? What is the price of it on BA as opposed to on the Platinum Travel site @Royback?

I’m doing a TP holiday run so it was inclusive of flights etc. Lots of them!!!! But £3k for 5 nights and BACW and AA Business flights

[Royback]

Thanks everyone.

Guernsey Globetrotter! Has this worked for you. Thought it was a $100 dollar sandwich!

[The Savage Squirrel]

Royback wrote:

Thanks everyone.

Guernsey Globetrotter! Has this worked for you. Thought it was a $100 dollar sandwich!

$50 maybe, $100 is a lot when it may be accepted and your upgrade may just be same room from Mountain View to Strip View. Depends what you’re after and how long you’re staying. For $100 on very short stays it’s getting to the point where you could have just booked and paid for an upgrade for that much or less.

I was once upgraded in Vegas from small mini-suite to an absurdly huge top end suite despite no status and no $ offered at checkin. 1 night stay only and wrote on booking notes that this was a special occasion were the factors that may have precipitated this. So your $ offer may just get you what you’d have been offered anyway…

[BB8]

The Savage Squirrel wrote:

Royback wrote:

Thanks everyone.

Guernsey Globetrotter! Has this worked for you. Thought it was a $100 dollar sandwich!

$50 maybe, $100 is a lot when it may be accepted and your upgrade may just be same room from Mountain View to Strip View. Depends what you’re after and how long you’re staying. For $100 on very short stays it’s getting to the point where you could have just booked and paid for an upgrade for that much or less.

I was once upgraded in Vegas from small mini-suite to an absurdly huge top end suite despite no status and no $ offered at checkin. 1 night stay only and wrote on booking notes that this was a special occasion were the factors that may have precipitated this. So your $ offer may just get you what you’d have been offered anyway…

I used to travel to Vegas a lot for stays of typically 7-14 nights. I haven’t been for seven years though.
I did used to try the $100 tip but I was always very specific about what I wanted (suite etc) and I was successful more often than not.
I never used to bother with the ‘sandwich’ though.

[Simey]

BB8 wrote:

The Savage Squirrel wrote:

Royback wrote:

Thanks everyone.

Guernsey Globetrotter! Has this worked for you. Thought it was a $100 dollar sandwich!

$50 maybe, $100 is a lot when it may be accepted and your upgrade may just be same room from Mountain View to Strip View. Depends what you’re after and how long you’re staying. For $100 on very short stays it’s getting to the point where you could have just booked and paid for an upgrade for that much or less.

I was once upgraded in Vegas from small mini-suite to an absurdly huge top end suite despite no status and no $ offered at checkin. 1 night stay only and wrote on booking notes that this was a special occasion were the factors that may have precipitated this. So your $ offer may just get you what you’d have been offered anyway…

I used to travel to Vegas a lot for stays of typically 7-14 nights. I haven’t been for seven years though.
I did used to try the $100 tip but I was always very specific about what I wanted (suite etc) and I was successful more often than not.
I never used to bother with the ‘sandwich’ though.

Can you explain what this sandwich thing is everyone mentioned on this thread?! 🙂 I am looking to use the FHR benefits (once I get the card) for a Vegas trip too.. what was your strategy back then?

[BB8]

Simey wrote:

BB8 wrote:

The Savage Squirrel wrote:

Royback wrote:

Thanks everyone.

Guernsey Globetrotter! Has this worked for you. Thought it was a $100 dollar sandwich!

$50 maybe, $100 is a lot when it may be accepted and your upgrade may just be same room from Mountain View to Strip View. Depends what you’re after and how long you’re staying. For $100 on very short stays it’s getting to the point where you could have just booked and paid for an upgrade for that much or less.

I was once upgraded in Vegas from small mini-suite to an absurdly huge top end suite despite no status and no $ offered at checkin. 1 night stay only and wrote on booking notes that this was a special occasion were the factors that may have precipitated this. So your $ offer may just get you what you’d have been offered anyway…

I used to travel to Vegas a lot for stays of typically 7-14 nights. I haven’t been for seven years though.
I did used to try the $100 tip but I was always very specific about what I wanted (suite etc) and I was successful more often than not.
I never used to bother with the ‘sandwich’ though.

Can you explain what this sandwich thing is everyone mentioned on this thread?! 🙂 I am looking to use the FHR benefits (once I get the card) for a Vegas trip too.. what was your strategy back then?

The ‘sandwich is/was typically a $20 bill folded and placed between a credit card and photo ID.

I’d hand over the credit card and my ID, make it clear I had a $100 bill for them, put it down and push it towards and ask if they had any complimentary upgrades to a *Whatever you have your eye on* suite available please.
You have to be realistic as you are not going to get one of top suites on a long stay. I usually got what I asked for but I was never over the top.
When I didn’t get what I asked for they told me what they had and I decided if that was still OK or not.
If I declined or they had nothing, they wouldn’t take the tip.

Obviously always be friendly, strike up a conversation with the check in staff etc. Tell them about any birthdays or celebration/reasons for being there.

I believe the original ideal of the sandwich was to disguise the tip from bosses and camera’s but lets be honest. This is Vegas, you tip nearly everyone, the hotels know it goes on. I can’t be bothered messing about with the ‘sandwich’ as I thought it was a load of nonsense so I never beat around the bush, maybe that’s because I’m a Yorkshireman too? 😀 Whether this gets you a better room than you would’ve gotten as someone mentioned above is open to question. I do feel with me doing longer stays it helped me.

[Simey]

BB8 wrote:

Simey wrote:

BB8 wrote:

The Savage Squirrel wrote:

Royback wrote:

Thanks everyone.

Guernsey Globetrotter! Has this worked for you. Thought it was a $100 dollar sandwich!

$50 maybe, $100 is a lot when it may be accepted and your upgrade may just be same room from Mountain View to Strip View. Depends what you’re after and how long you’re staying. For $100 on very short stays it’s getting to the point where you could have just booked and paid for an upgrade for that much or less.

I was once upgraded in Vegas from small mini-suite to an absurdly huge top end suite despite no status and no $ offered at checkin. 1 night stay only and wrote on booking notes that this was a special occasion were the factors that may have precipitated this. So your $ offer may just get you what you’d have been offered anyway…

I used to travel to Vegas a lot for stays of typically 7-14 nights. I haven’t been for seven years though.
I did used to try the $100 tip but I was always very specific about what I wanted (suite etc) and I was successful more often than not.
I never used to bother with the ‘sandwich’ though.

Can you explain what this sandwich thing is everyone mentioned on this thread?! 🙂 I am looking to use the FHR benefits (once I get the card) for a Vegas trip too.. what was your strategy back then?

The ‘sandwich is/was typically a $20 bill folded and placed between a credit card and photo ID.

I’d hand over the credit card and my ID, make it clear I had a $100 bill for them, put it down and push it towards and ask if they had any complimentary upgrades to a *Whatever you have your eye on* suite available please.
You have to be realistic as you are not going to get one of top suites on a long stay. I usually got what I asked for but I was never over the top.
When I didn’t get what I asked for they told me what they had and I decided if that was still OK or not.
If I declined or they had nothing, they wouldn’t take the tip.

Obviously always be friendly, strike up a conversation with the check in staff etc. Tell them about any birthdays or celebration/reasons for being there.

I believe the original ideal of the sandwich was to disguise the tip from bosses and camera’s but lets be honest. This is Vegas, you tip nearly everyone, the hotels know it goes on. I can’t be bothered messing about with the ‘sandwich’ as I thought it was a load of nonsense so I never beat around the bush, maybe that’s because I’m a Yorkshireman too? 😀 Whether this gets you a better room than you would’ve gotten as someone mentioned above is open to question. I do feel with me doing longer stays it helped me.

That explains it – great. I, as the OP as well, looking to perhaps use the FHR scheme for a property for a 10-ish night stay in Vegas in 2024 Sep / Oct. Not too many hotels are FHR in Vegas surprisingly and some of the small FHR samples are way out of my budget – funnily enough the Bellagio seems like the best value lol.

The sandwich term was maybe before my time so I guess that could explain my lack of awareness?! Or just my general feelings towards American tip culture being very negative.. either goes!

[Simey]

EDIT: Duplicate.

[SamG]

I used to be in the industry so I’ve been on the hunt with my mates for any Vegas recommendations/ deals they can get me etc and they’ve said these days it’s tricky as hotels are controlling their inventory/ looking to monetise their upgrades etc a lot more than they used to. So a tip is likely only to yield a better room in that category or maybe a slight upgrade. + these days a lot more online / kiosk check in happening anyway. But that said the deal is supposed to be they’d refuse the tip if they couldn’t help you so no harm trying

As a rule best upgrades will come from a combo of booking direct, leaving notes re: an occasion, having status, a short stay on a busy night and/or a late check in. A longer stay is tricky for an upgrade as they’ll be missing out on potential revenue

[ATP]

I tried this $100 sandwich last time I went to Vegas 7y ago at the Palazzo. Check in agent laughed and slid it back stating they could get fired if caught, but she still kindly upgraded us.