I'm not sure, having read the thread, if "My wife and I checked in on 4/14/07 at the Tropicana Atlantic City, we were given a room at a rate of $409.00 in the West tower." means that they paid for the first room at $409 and were then moved or if the "we were given" means that the first room, at $409, was comped.

A friend of mine is a professional poker player (like, it's her job, she pays legal taxes, etc. on the money). She's regularly comped rooms in the better hotels because she, and the other people playing (also comped) are a draw to the hotel. If she got a room like this, under the current agreement with the hotel, she would, I believe, be as entitled to another room as someone who paid for his room.

I was comped meals in a casino when I was attired in such a way (non-slutty, mind you) that people were actually coming into the casino to look at me. The meal sucked, but it wasn't worth the effort of complaining because I was so amused that people were so interested in lil ol' me that the casino thought it was worth money. That's just one of my weird stories, and has nothing to do with being comped as a professional. (I don't think that writing - part time - or paralegal rates a comped room!)

I'm heading to Vegas tomorrow for a seminar. Had I not been comped my full seminar admissions, I would NOT be staying at the hotel, on the Strip, where the group booked a block of rooms. Holiday Inn is perfectly adequate for my hotel needs - which are Internet (not even free at the fancypants place I'm staying!), sleep, and shower. In that order. (Last time I stayed, I stayed at the closest chain hotel and walked - gasp, WALKED - to my destination. I saved only about $30/day, but that's a lot to me - and I walked in the sunshine.)