California Woman Tips $100 While In Las Vegas—Then She Sees If It Really Works

A self-proclaimed “365 party girl” based out of California tried greasing the palms of hotel employees in Las Vegas for a better room. Evie Ann (@lovely_evieann) wanted to check if slipping a crisp $100 bill would result in an unofficial upgrade. So she documented her attempt at doing so and shared the results online.

Ann’s video begins with a recording of the bill in question resting on the lobby kiosk. “Seeing if tipping a hundred dollar actually works in Vegas,” she writes in a text overlay. Seconds later, the results of her experiment are instantly apparent.

She records a swooping Las Vegas skyline from up high. It would seem that her lobby bribe was a success. “Finally tried it at the Cosmopolitan and thank God it worked! Had the best birthday weekend!” she wrote in a caption of her clip.

“Got upgraded to the wraparound suite,” she penned in yet another on-screen message.

Following this, she performs a sped-up walkthrough tour of her accommodations. The large domicile features a capacious living room, stunning bathroom, ample kitchen, and chic modern fixtures. Also featured in the clip are two of Ann’s friends, who are seated at a high-top table near the kitchen area.

Shimmering Night Lights

The real star of the show is the city skyline at night, however. Under darkness, a sea of bulbs illuminates the desert sky. And from the upgraded room Ann received courtesy of her graft, it looks majestic. The final view she shows off in her clip is that very same balcony shot, just under the glow of dawn.

Folks who replied to Ann’s video had differing opinions on this practice. Some said that leaving hefty portions to employees is a hit-or-miss practice. “One time I tipped girly but they gave me no upgrade,” one wrote.

Another echoed this same unfortunate gratuity outcome, sharing, “Tipped 60 at Paris for it not to work.”

But one person who claimed to work as a front desk agent said, “tipping 100 will get you far.” According to the agent, they said that giving an employee money at the onset “set[s] the tone for the rest of the check in.” That means if there are available upgrades, you’ll probably get them.

However, another hotel lobby worker said that giving out cash like you’re a high rolling Don isn’t an upgrade guarantee. “As a front desk agent in Vegas, I can tell you it doesn’t always work. Just depends on the day and how many days you’re staying,” they penned.

‘I’m Not Waiting Until 4PM To Check In’

One commenter’s reply suggests that perhaps sly cash hand-offs work better in some establishments than others. Like Ann, they also visit the Hotel Cosmopolitan. “I fly into Vegas by 8am every trip. I stay at Cosmo and always tip front desk 50. They throw me a couple comps and get me in a higher floor room immediately. I’m not waiting till 4pm to check in,” they wrote.

The author of this Mile Value blog post wrote about “the $20 trick” method he had heard about. The premise is simple: When asking about any potential upgrades, wrap a credit card with a $20 bill. If the associate can’t find anything for you, they slide the $20 bill back.

However, if they do, then they get to pocket some cash as a result of hooking you up. The writer concedes that the $20 trick has mostly gained popularity in Las Vegas. However, he did manage to secure a room on the second highest floor in one of the towers at his Hawaiian Hilton hotel using this trick.

The crisp bill also got him free breakfast for him and his family. What’s more is that gaining access to the tower also got him access to a private pool that had a fantastic view of the ocean. Had he paid for access to this tower, he would’ve had to shell out $840 more. Instead, he paid $20.

Las Vegas Tipping Culture

BroBible previously reported on another traveler’s Vegas trip, where a $50 bill at Planet Hollywood landed them a serious room upgrade. As folks opined in this Reddit thread, this is just par the course when traveling in Las Vegas.

One person who replied to a curious non-American’s curiosity surrounding tipping culture said that they’ve always gotten something for their cash in Nevada’s most famous city. “I’ve done this in Vegas multiple times and it’s worked every time. Throw them a 20 and get an upgrade,” they wrote.

Have you ever tried tipping in Vegas to get a freebie? Did it work?

BroBible’s reached out to Hotel Cosmopolitan and Ann via email for further comment.