Las Vegas: If check-in wait is too long, Palms will comp your drinks

A Las Vegas resort is betting that cocktails will make waiting in line at check-in a bit less stressful by placing a portable bar in its lobby that dispenses libations that could be free.

The Palms is calling this lobby bar the Beverage Butler. For $5, guests can purchase drinks made with rum, vodka or whiskey. For those who have waited five minutes or more to check in, the drinks are free.

Palms officials, knowing that tales of long check-in lines in the lobbies of many hotels are common, are hoping they won’t have to serve too many comped drinks.

“We seldom have lines at our front desk, and we emphasize this by giving away complimentary cocktails whenever the wait time exceeds five minutes in length,” Daniel Lee, the chief executive, said in a statement.

The resort is confident it can keep the lines short. The offer is good during prime check-in hours: 4-7 p.m. Thursdays and 4-8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.