Resort fee The "D"

Do they still have a resort fee? I made a reservation today and there was no mention of a fee.

 

yes they do. You will pay and you will like it!!

 

They do not charge it on comped rooms.

 

It's $20 a night payable when you check in. What does it get you? Pretty much nothing but a lighter wallet.

 

hmmmmmmm how is the D a resort? bend over and pay it I guess. When everyone has one now what you going to do? but $20 seems extreme

 

tom -

The purpose of the Resort Fee/Downtown Destination Fee, or whatever it is called, is the competition. The price of the room does not change, in *MOST* cases. The price is rearranged to post the "resort fee" out of sight of the hotel search engines.

For example: if two similar hotels, say the California and the Downtown Grand, both have similar rooms priced to compete at $50 for a certain night, here is how they look to a search engine:

Downtown Grand $32 (...but has an $18 dollar per night resort fee)
California $50 (no resort fee)

By pushing a hunk of the room costs into a Resort Fee, a hotel "appears" to be cheaper. As a result, that hotel with a Resort Fee is listed earlier on any "Search by Price" listing. A corollary of this is that a hotel without a Resort Fee is disadvantaged, appearing to be more expensive than it really is.

My source for this explanation is the Five Hundy by Midnight interview with Mr. Derek Stevens, who is an executive with the Golden Gate, The D, and Riviera hotels. Basically, once one hotel started this "shell game", the others had to follow, to keep from losing business. The current "group-think" among Vegas observers like Dr. Dave Schwartz of UNLV's Center for Gaming Research is that Nevada will eventually pass a law against Resort Fees.

If you search on "Vegas Resort Fees', you will see more information than you need. The vegaschatter.com data is really good. It becomes "no longer a problem" for you, once you know to look for it. Downtown, the Four Queens and the Boyd Casinos (Fremont, California, and Main Street Station) do not have resort fees. Golden Nugget claimed it would NEVER charge a "Resort Fee", but eventually hedged, by charging a "downtown destination fee", achieving the same result.

With respect,

Downtown Gene!

 

What disturbs me most about these fees, is how the government legislators allow them to disguise the actual cost of a room, via the resort fee.

Obviously, the govt benefits from taxes derived on every aspect of tourism,--hotel fees, rental cars, flights, etc.

And since they benefit in that regard, that's an inherent conflict of interest. Hence, they continue to do nothing. Why would they ever attempt to bite the hand that feeds them? And don't think for a moment money isn't exchanged, for them to continue to be allowed to do what they're doing. Fancy lobbying, and handsome political party/candidate contributions, buys them that protection. It essentially makes the politicians co-conspirators to the deception.

Why this continues to go unrecognized is baffling.

 

Thanks Gene for explaining it well. I knew this was the case, much as when airlines did it and now have to show cost with fees (after govt forced them) when they were able to hide them before. But allegiant still hides some charges with high fees for even caryy on bags while SWA still does not even charge for checked bags but does for priority seating. Allegiant has more extra charges then them all but is cheap if you just walk on plane and don't care where you sit.

The bad part is the resort fee is not as clearly shown as it should be when booking on net or phone.

 

Golden Gate room cost $29 - Resort Fee $20. Just crazy lol, might as well just make the room $49 with no resort fee. I think the majority would probably prefer that.

 

I don't believe this as an explanation. This is an excuse to charge one and get away with robbery as they have no amenities that make it a resort. None of them downtown really do but if it's basically the same price as Internet and some waters than it's justifiable. $20 + is just insulting and over time the rates will creep up they already are this month and the fee for nothing will stay the same. It's to make more profit in rooms while blind siding the customer nothing else.

 

For what it's worth he's correct. This was the cause for the spread of resort fees in vegas. It's been written about several times. No. I do not like them and look forward to the day they're finally abolished.

 

Yep. It has to do as well with maneuvering for a top billing when rooms on discounters are sorted low to high. One way to tell which places are just following the trend is to take a look at what happens when free rooms are offered. At the D NO RESORT FEE is charged even for the lowest comp end, the two for one deal. So the rack stays low ( I can't beat it for the dates I check) and the mailing I get for minimum play gives me two nights for $34. Compare that to MLIFE who charges the resort free on "free" they rooms give through MyVegas or at Sam's Town who will charge the cash nights on a two for one deal or to the CET resort fee charge on free rooms to a friend recent offer.
I don't like resort fees either. But that made no difference in the marketplace. Had "no resort fees" been a popular deal, CET would not have reversed their policy. They tried the "no" route and the market did not give them an edge. That says more about the consumer than about the provider. I don't expect them to be abolished.

The Four Queens has no fee.
And then there is always Arizona Charlies for real purists.

Otherwise I'm thinking it will be standard soon downtown as well.

 

The MyVegas rooms are MGM group not CET

 

keep in mind that the tax rate is different for rooms and resort fees.

the rooms are taxed at a higher rate and the resort fees are just basically sales tax rates.

When the casino "sells" a resort fee they get to pocket more money.

When casinos pocket more money they translate that to players with more generous comps, more cocktail waitresses, more fun things to do.

With this thinking, in an ideal world, casinos would give away free rooms to everyone with a $50 resort fee. Of course they wont allow this to happen because of the agreements with people who live of that tax base that hotels bring in.

I dont think any of us begrudge casinos making a profit.

So we actually, in an odd way, we benefit from resort fees.

 

I think they will eventually be abolished only because the airlines tried the same game and were eventually corrected. Different list of rules obviously but I think enough people will complain to force someone's hand.

Agree about the consumer line however. Just like 6/5 blackjacks, resort fees only stuck around because people were ok paying them. the fees are just so darn sneaky. When booking our room earlier this year it was amazing how they are hidden on some websites. I'd love to know a number on how many people are completely clueless about any extra fees when they book their room and only find out upon check in.

 

I do actually agree with this conclusion, as it concerns the first hotel to implement the resort fee. Those that followed were likely responding out of competition. It must have been a real shock for the other hotels to see the rearrangement of search results that followed the first resort fee.

The most interesting case to me has been the Golden Nugget. Hotel management held out for months, before finally establishing the "Downtown Destination Fee"(DDF). It has the same effects for the customer, while nominally satisfying their pledge of "No resort fees". As others will note, a hidden charge is unethical, whatever the name.

One point not yet mentioned is that resort fees have a disproportionate impact on the "Grinder" customer. The Vegas traveler who is surprised by a $20 per night resort fee for a $19 midweek room is impacted far more than the traveler who sees the $28 resort fee for an MGM Grand skyloft that runs in the four figures per night...but then again, the resort fee exclusion improves a hotel's price by a much higher percentage, in the lower-priced rooms.

Stay informed.

Regards, Gene!

 

That's what Caesars thought too, even building a marketing campaign around not charging resort fees. But no, people don't look at the bottom line, they look at the price that's quoted. Just read any forum posts about Spirit Airlines from people who clearly didn't read the fine print before booking. Anyway, in 2012 Caesars quietly ended their campaign and introduced resort fees about a week afterwards.

 

Hey, thanks for that. I post edited to make the point accurately.

 

Ughhhh... anyone who is THAT opposed to paying a "resort fee" deserves Arizona Charlies!!!

 

I was booked five nights there for my next trip. Two room suites were about $38 total on weekdays. However, cheaper options opened up. It is a fine location for going out Boulder highway.

But please, keep trashing it. All the traditionally trashed places have been getting facelifts, so it is harder to go frugally on little gambling.
I used to go to the Gold Spike, to Imperial Palace, to the old unrenovated Plaza, to the Las Vegas Club when they were so trashed and also cheap.
By the end of the month I guess we'll have the "improved" Linq at $80 at night. I leave that to the more deserving folks.

My standards are pretty low. I camp in the back of my van up here near Turning Stone: Electric, hot showers, bass fishing, wifi for $25 on weekends.
So when I walk into a place with hot water right where I sleep and towels and free coffee....well...that is all the luxury I need in Vegas. I'm not there to luxuriate. I want to play poker, so the trashed spots are just what I deserve. And if a few of the upscale its-only-money folks sit down at my poker table. Well, I like that just fine as well.