1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

Luxor & Resort Fees

Discussion in 'LV Strip Hotels' started by Yiazmat13, Aug 6, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Yiazmat13

    Yiazmat13 Newbie

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2015
    Messages:
    5
    Hi all, I'm new here but have a question.

    I'm staying in Luxor for a week later this year, and I object to paying the $196 as a resort fee. It apparently includes:
    Wired Internet
    Local and 800# calls
    Fitness Center
    Local Newspaper
    Fun book
    2 Free Drinks per Stay



    I am from UK and I'm in Vegas so why would I want to read the local newspaper or make local calls? I don't know anybody in America, let alone Vegas.

    Nothing I have is wired, so why would I need Wired Internet?

    Also, why would I want 2 free drinks when I can go into the casino and get them all day long?

    And finally, why would I want to keep fit in the fitness center on my vacation...


    Is there any way to avoid paying this absurd fee for something which I am never going to use?


    P.S What is a fun book???????
     
  2. queuetee

    queuetee VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2008
    Messages:
    1,542
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    25
    oh...first post. Have you read any of the existing threads??
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2015
  3. jamesxnj

    jamesxnj VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2009
    Messages:
    2,296
    Location:
    TN
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    17
    Wired internet means it's not wireless for your devices..(It's plug in ethernet)
    2 free drinks means you don't have to be gambling to get them.
    Some people will read any newspaper even in LV..
    And some people actually do work out in LV and keep up thier routine away from home.
    A fun book usually has 2for1 coupons for shows or dining or a % off a show etc.Sometimes match play coupons for gambling.
    Have you been to LV before because if not getting past this resort fee issue that won't be the last problem you will have there.
    Have a great trip
     
  4. Krh2o

    Krh2o MIA

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Messages:
    592
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    103
    Welcome to the board. I am assuming you booked your room through a third party website, and not directly through Luxor. The resort fee does include some different amenities now. The rooms have wifi, according to the website at least, I haven't stayed there in years so I cannot confirm this. Also they no longer include the 2 free drink tickets. In your Fun Book, there are coupons for the food court, restaurants, shows, etc. The best one is the $20 food credit at one of their restaurants.

    Look at the resort fee as just part of the rate. They add resort fees to make rooms look cheaper on search engines. Enjoy Las Vegas.
     
  5. Nevyn

    Nevyn VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2007
    Messages:
    8,403
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    18
    No, at Luxor, there is no way. Other than playing so high you get it comped.

    Most of those "amenities" used to be provided anyway when there was no fee. Just consider the fee part of the room rate. It doesn't matter what its for, its just part of what you pay.
     
  6. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2013
    Messages:
    31,307
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    28
    If something significant goes wrong with your room/stay, you can also complain for comped resort fees. We got it waived for a night last trip there because our ceiling dripped when it rained, and we were unable to be moved. I hate complaining, but ever since the "resort fee" era started with CET, we have done it a lot more. But otherwise, significant gambling is the only other way I can think of, and then your "paying" for it anyway...
     
  7. vegasvic

    vegasvic VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2013
    Messages:
    3,473
    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    45
    Unfortunately these fees are a way of life in most places in Vegas. I don' t know if your UK phone will work here, if not you may actually use the phone to get some info or make a reservation somewhere, etc... .
     
  8. andyg99

    andyg99 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2014
    Messages:
    1,808
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    56
    don't forget that the resort fee also includes faxes... I can't count how many times in my 18 years of going to Vegas that I have had to send or receive a fax... I think it has to be at least 0 times....

    resort fees are just part of the bill.... although I was surprised I had mine waived on my recent stay at Excalibur and I'm definitely not a High Roller....
     
    Vegas Trip #57
    Vegas Trip #58, Sammy Hagar
  9. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2003
    Messages:
    29,787
    Location:
    A nice place
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    110
    To the OP ... sorry about some weird American cultural practices. Enlightened businesses have figured out that Americans would rather enjoy a $110 room that includes wireless and a paper and maybe a drink coupon versus a similar room for $80 with a mandatory $20 fee that entitles them to wireless and a paper and maybe a drink coupon.

    ;)
     
  10. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2007
    Messages:
    6,752
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    35
    Unfortunately if you don't gamble enough to get comps you will need to factor in resort fees at most hotels in vegas, strip, off strip and downtown. Downtown I think only the boyd hotels and 4 queens don't have resort fees but the rest do.

    Many of us hate those things too but we just factor in that amount when we are looking at room rates. If the hotel with resort fees is cheaper (total cost, including all taxes and fees) than a hotel without fees we will stay at the lower (overall) priced hotel.

    Hopefully the legislators will put a stop to these bogus fees one day but since these hotels are contributors to their campaigns it doesn't seem very likely. :Þ
     
  11. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2003
    Messages:
    29,787
    Location:
    A nice place
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    110
    I'd like our legislators to amuse themselves with things a bit more substantive than this extremely transparent practice -- 3.2 million posts on it at VMB alone means no one is in the dark -- but that's just me and that's nearly political.

    To the op, it is a niggling and annoying thing, but rest assured if the resort fee wasn't a separate line item you'd be paying the same ultimate price for the room and the "amenities" with it rolled in to the overall cost.

    (We're paying an absurd amount for parking during an upcoming city stay. I found a nearby hotel that didn't have it but the hotel didn't offer the quality we wanted. It is what it is.)
     
  12. newmans

    newmans VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2014
    Messages:
    1,648
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    65
    I put resort fees in the same basket as airlines charging for baggage fees and seat selection............BUT way more people seem to complain about resort fees. Las Vegas hotel rooms are cheap compared to most large cities and vacation destinations. Airline fees are pretty much where ever you fly.
     
  13. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2001
    Messages:
    4,786
    Location:
    averill park ny
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    26
    Most of the posts said everything. We have not succumbed to resort fees without protest. it is an old story for us.
    A few things to add.
    First. All those "benefits" are pretty much bogus and just there to give the fee some character as actually buying something. Some are nice, like wifi and a savings. Many of the rest were there before the fee to anyone for free. Many casinos included a fun book and free drinks in coupons, for example. So, don't apply logic to the situation. It will make you crazy. If casinos charged a fee but included nothing for the fee, then it might be grounds for a law suit. So to be really successful at "drip pricing," you get stuff like a paper and free parking and a funbook.

    Second. Casinos sell rooms in many, many ways and sometimes pay a percentage of the hotel fee to the discounter or marketer. Resort fees are collected directly by the casino. So a casino charging $50 a night for a room and wanting to raise the price to $70 does better to have a resort fee of $20 because they get all of it.

    I hate these fees. But Mlife's biggest competitor, CET tried to market rooms without them and found that there were not enough folks who cared. So all strip casinos charge them. And really, if you do the math, those who might not charge resort fees would just have bigger hotel rates, so for you, it probably does not matter. For low level gamblers who wanted to score comps it does. It erodes the 2 for 1 offers for example. But you are new.

    Get a firm confirmation that shows the fee, so that if it goes up before you arrive, you won't have to pay the newer, higher fee.

    Also, your Mlife choice does not charge another annoying fee that is becoming quite popular, the insidious "early check in fee" If Luxor has a clean room, you'll be assigned It even at one in the afternoon, 2 hours before check in. If CET has a room....well.....probably not. You have to pay another $20.
    So you picked the right chain if you are arriving early.
    Also, if you want a guarantee on early check in, you can pay about $30 in advance and go into the room at 8 or in the morning. At CET, you would have to book the whole night before.

    Finally, you have stumbled on this board where you will get varied advice, but overall good advice from very nice people.
    So, there you go. You stumbled on resort fees and this board. So, in the world of good and bad, that is about a wash.
    We are not so impotent in being able to give you advice that will save you money in other ways.
    Enjoy Vegas. Then post again and tell us all about it.

    And if you think you might like staying somewhere with lower fees on your next trip, take a look at some other casinos off strip. Orleans, for just one example, has a fee much smaller, better gambling, nice rooms, a shuttle to the strip, a city bus to the strip, and cheaper food as well. And it charges less to begin with and comps better. Go out from Luxor on the 201 bus right on the Tropicana side of NYNY (cost is $2 each way or $5 for 24 hour pass) and see what you think. Grab a cheap buffet that I think is better than the Luxor buffet. Check out the pool, hot tub, etc.

    Here is a good site to compare resort fees
    https://www.vegas.com/incl/resortfees.html

    Oh, welcome to the board, Plenty of folks here from across the pond with expert experience.
     
  14. andyg99

    andyg99 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2014
    Messages:
    1,808
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    56
    my last stay at the Luxor (8/14) I was charged for early check-in.... the previous times I had stayed there if I arrived early I'd get a room with no extra fee....
     
    Vegas Trip #57
    Vegas Trip #58, Sammy Hagar
  15. tex55

    tex55 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2012
    Messages:
    656
    Location:
    Southlake, Texas
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    95
    The only way to avoid resort fees is to stay off-Strip in a non-casino hotel. You can also stay at one of the few hotels without a resort fee; look at the sticky on this website. None are on the Strip.
     
  16. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2001
    Messages:
    4,786
    Location:
    averill park ny
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    26



    I called two Mlife places a week ago and each said none of the properties charge for a room after about noon if the room is ready. If I get some calling time, I'll call Luxor and ask. What time did you arrive? After noon is not supposed to be an issue. Good to get some definitive answers on this one, but I can't call today. If you call be sure to make a distinction between a quaranteed early check in room and one that is just available early when you walk in after noon.
    That Luxor stay was a year ago? Things may have changed since then.
     
  17. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2001
    Messages:
    4,786
    Location:
    averill park ny
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    26
    Okay, I did get a chance to call the Luxor, and there is no early check in fee or late check out free (often you can extend an hour) It is based on availability. They did have a fee policy, but they discontinued it.
    There is a fee if you want to arrange a guaranteed room early check. That is $20 and that is what is listed on their internet site. But if you just stumble in from the airport at noon and they have a room, you are good to go to it early.
    I would say, for folks following this, if you move from hotel to hotel in Vegas, pack a small bag with medicine, VP strategy sheets, swimming trunks. Then if they can't check you in early, you can check your luggage and still do what you want.
    Joe wrote about the Downtown Grand. They checked him in and said they would phone him when the room was ready. They did that but at the time there was a line of 25 people just so he could get his key.
    So, hope to check in early, but if you have available rooms at Mlife you get them.
    I usually call and extend my checkout time an hour at no cost. That gives me less time to have my luggage with the bellman. In fact, if I have any travel time between casinos, I check out at say 1 and am at the next place fairly close to check in time.
    The rules at Mlife are not the same at CET.
    I know of a fellow, for example, who was staying for a convention at the Rio with his wife in an expensive upscale room and wanted to downgrade for a few more solo nights after she went home. The room was ready, but they wanted $20 for him to move his luggage to it. He talked them down to $10.

    Checking luggage with the bellman is great, but it does require a complete and careful packing up.
    I've been booking the D and the Four Queens back to back most of my trips. It is a very short walk, so I walk over with no luggage and do the bed bug check. Then I pack out some things, put them in the next room, and then go back for other things. There is no requirement for fitting everything in the suitcase perfectly. Often I make three trips. Both places will put me in as soon as the room is ready unless I want a particular room at the Four Queens and then I often do have to pack carefully and wait. Once the D put me in at 9 AM. No issues. No fees.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 7, 2015
  18. sr1972

    sr1972 Tourist

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2014
    Messages:
    59
    Location:
    Louisiana
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    13
    I stayed at Luxor in April, checked in around 1045am and was charged $20 early check-in, good to see they no longer charge this, was pretty aggravating for a room that was ready.
     
  19. h0und10

    h0und10 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2015
    Messages:
    1,524
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    5
    I stayed at luxor two weekends ago. checked in at 930 on a whim to see what they had available and they charged us 20 bucks for early check in ( we did not care as it got wiped out and comped off the back end anyway) but i was still bummed.. i mean if the room is ready, its not doing any good just waiting there empty for a few hours.. might as well try to please as many people you can to get them to come back.
     
  20. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2001
    Messages:
    4,786
    Location:
    averill park ny
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    26
    Thanks for those. Inconsistency in this fee just as there was in the resort fee. I hate all this "drip pricing' partly because it is so difficult to tie down a consistent policy. We can "do the math," but the details of the word problem keep changing.

    I am getting the sense that noon is perhaps the fee changer. Before noon they kick us into the fee, but no one on the phone has admitted this.
    I rarely have much personal experience with that because I go for 20 days on a nonstop flight that gets me to the hotels no earlier than noon. And most of my bookings are Boyd or downtown. Then I stay for 20 days so hopping from casino to casino has me checking in between noon and 2, so that is the time I like to cover with no fee.

    I'm glad to collect so many experiences here. Perhaps it is time to write a letter and ask for a clear cut answer.
    Good to know too that the fee can be negotiated with enough play. That is no help for the moderate gambler, but good to know just the same.
    Thanks again to all.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.