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.

Finally DIDN'T book a trip because of Resort Fees

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by landsburger, Mar 6, 2016.

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

    landsburger High-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2007
    Messages:
    540
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    It's taken years, but I'm finally feeling sticker shock with these "Resort Fee & Tax" charges. Maybe it was this high last year, but I thought I remembered it being in the $20's a Mandalay, Aria and most other places.

    $36 is a lot to swallow for services I don't want. Internet, calls, fitness... I know that the point is to have an excuse to charge the fee and not provide value, but still.

    Looking at $144 tacked on the bill - crazy. Especially because the real tax is another $42. So a subtotal of just over $600 becomes about $800.

    Not that Vegas is going to care, but 9-8 trips this year just became 2-3. I'm not a cheap person. We're not high-rollers, but we spend good money between the tables plus food and shops and shows. Their nickel-and-diming cost them some cash.

    I guess I'm just surprised that it finally got to me. Didn't think it would. Once i get there it's easier to throw cash at activity.

    And we drive from LA, so if they really start charging for parking!

    Ah well.
     
  2. lnz

    lnz Tourist

    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2012
    Messages:
    67
    Location:
    New Zealand
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15
    A couple of years ago, I complained about resort fees to the booking fella on the phone at TI and he offered me a 'resort fees optional' room. From memory, the basic price of the room was a tad more expensive than a regular room, but still way cheaper than paying for the regular room AND resort fees. It felt like the moral high ground to me - or what passes for moral high ground on a trip to Las Vegas :evillaugh
     
    It's been a while
  3. darrywizz

    darrywizz MIA

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2016
    Messages:
    21
    Location:
    Austin
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    7
    I prefer to stay at the hotels without resort fees. And guess what I pay almost the same amount which I see at the time o booking. I do agree that hotels without resort fees are not that glamorous but they do provide most of the facilities. I whenever I happen to go to a pool at the Strip, I pay the entry fee for non guests which is also much lower than paying a resort fee of about $30 per day. I use the hotel room only for a nap during the night, so I never mind the extra features which are there in hotels like Caesars, MGM, Aria etc.
     
  4. Ben Jammin

    Ben Jammin MIA

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2008
    Messages:
    1,181
    Location:
    Cali
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    120
    Resort fees have been ruled legal by the FTC. We Humans lock on the lowest advertised price, and then capitulate to the deceptive resort fee tactics. Corporations rule this country. We are their sheep to shear.

    Note: this is not a political statement, rather an opinion by me.
     
  5. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2010
    Messages:
    6,477
    Location:
    Chicago South Suburbs
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    25

    No, it's not political. The FTC has identified it as an unfair practice but need additional legislation to rein them in. We'll see if anyone picks up that ball and runs with it.
     
  6. GottaLuvCruising

    GottaLuvCruising High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2005
    Messages:
    717
    Location:
    Orlando FL & Vassalboro ME
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    11
    Two of our three Las Vegas trips in the last year were booked OFF the strip at properties that do not have resort fees. Our hotel total is less and includes complimentary breakfasts. I'm over it.
     
  7. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2006
    Messages:
    8,337
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    8
    Sorry, I'm calling BS on this. Do you frequent CET or MGM Casinos? My limited play gets me comps and reduced rate offers all the time. I might have to switch rooms on a 5 day stay, but I'm just gaming the system. Believe me, I hate resort fees, but in researching any booking, I add the fees and taxes to arrive at the "walk out the door" price. Then I make my choice. Then again, we could always take Petula Clark's advice.....
    [video=youtube_share;Zx06XNfDvk0]http://youtu.be/Zx06XNfDvk0[/video]
     
  8. GottaLuvCruising

    GottaLuvCruising High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2005
    Messages:
    717
    Location:
    Orlando FL & Vassalboro ME
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    11
    I used to get really good rates or comps @ CET, but not so much lately. As I compared options, the lowest one was the Stratosphere (which I do not want to stay there), but Rio (also don't want to stay there) wasn't much more. Even so, a 2 bedroom 2 bath suite with breakfast at Residence Inn was only $1 more than two rooms at Stratosphere and less than two rooms at Rio. Our current booking was a couple hundred less than Harrah's or Flamingo, which we do enjoy. We've had the same accommodations at the Residence Inn twice before and it was very comfortable. We get a car anyway.

    Three of us play MyVegas so we also looked at their room offers for Luxor (lower room rate but NOT the Excalibur) so we could use the MLife buffet offers, too. But two rooms with the resort fee were once again much more than our current booking. So we do factor in many options including cost, comfort and convenience.

    IMHO Resort Fees should be included in the room rate - they are mandatory and taxable - they way they do it is unfair.
     
  9. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2012
    Messages:
    7,877
    Location:
    Fort Worth
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    100
    hammie... No resort fee at the downtown Boyd properties or 4-Queens... but all of the rest charge one: Nugget, Plaza, Golden Gate, 'theD', El-Co, DTG.
    To be fair, I know that Plaza, Golden Gate & 'theD' all waive the resort fee on a comp/offer... just one more reason why I love downtown!
    :beer:
     
    Annual Spring Trip!
  10. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2009
    Messages:
    16,017
    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    175
    DTG also waives it on a comp.
     
  11. ExVegasLocal

    ExVegasLocal Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2013
    Messages:
    395
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    99
    The resort fees have been waived on all the comps I have received from Red Rock.
     
  12. stackinchips

    stackinchips VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2009
    Messages:
    1,202
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    9
    I think the only group that charges resort fees on comped rooms is CET. Of course they are also probably the worst operator in Vegas, so that should be no surprise. On their lower end properties, I wouldn't pay what they want in a resort fee for the room.
     
  13. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2015
    Messages:
    9,296
    Location:
    Digital Nomad from Southern Ontario
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    28
    I think that Gottalovecruising is making a very important point here - particularly, that off-strip is the way to go for Vegas regulars.

    When you think about it, so much of Vegas is built around extracting every little charge out of tourists. The tunnel. The "Airport fee" for taxis. 6:5 blackjack. Slots with <90% payout. Booking fees for tickets. Resort fees. Things that we all know are complete and total crap - but for the honeymooning couple of 24 year olds with pockets full of wedding gift money who just wants to party, $10 here and $30 there isn't about to stifle them from saying "Vegas baby!". These "run of the mill" tourists certainly aren't inclined to go to the effort of looking into cheaper alternatives - and even if they were, they want to tell their friends "We stayed at Planet Hollywood!" and brag about it - whereas Residence Inn won't have nearly the same effect.

    So, there is a way around resort fees - it's just a matter of what you want to get out of your trip. If you're going to live like a tourist, you're going to pay like a tourist.
     
    [TENTATIVE Late Jul/Early Aug] Vegas by way of Chicago/Elko/Reno!
  14. BlacklabberMike

    BlacklabberMike MIA

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2014
    Messages:
    5,373
    Location:
    Where's Ware?
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    25
    that's your opinion. last trip i got all fees comped at PH
     
  15. Joe Strummer

    Joe Strummer VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2006
    Messages:
    5,109
    Don't miss VEGAS because of Resort fees !.....please !
     
  16. smerrian

    smerrian View from Bally's

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2014
    Messages:
    8,331
    Location:
    South Jersey
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    50
    Well said, Notfromconcentrate
     
  17. stackinchips

    stackinchips VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2009
    Messages:
    1,202
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    9
    Are you referring to the lower end properties part? Because the comped resort fees is a fact. Even if you "got them comped off" it's because they were charged in the first place, and you had to play enough for them to comp those fees off, above and beyond what you were comped upfront. The same comps could have been used for meals or drinks instead of a resort fee on a comped room.
     
  18. stackinchips

    stackinchips VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2009
    Messages:
    1,202
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    9
    I don't disagree with your premise, but keep in mind that for the VAST majority of Vegas visitors, they are in Vegas specifically because of the strip, even the people who have been there 50-60 times. Sure if you're willing to drive, or if the strip amenities don't appeal to you and/or aren't why you go to Vegas, there are better value options available in the Valley. Reality is though that it's not worth it to most people who are going to Vegas to go stay somewhere they need a car to get to where they actually want to be. Especially when copious amounts of alcohol are likely to be consumed, just to save a couple bucks. Your implication that people who stay on the strip do so in order to "brag" to their friends about where they stayed is laughable.

    I can get comped rooms at any Mlife property whenever I want, but even if I had to pay, I would just pay up rather than get a rental car, and haul my ass to some remote off-strip property (especially one that's not a resort) to save a few bucks. I'm going to Vegas to be on the strip, I'm not going to sacrifice that to save a few bucks on my trip. In the big picture, it's not worth it. I can certainly appreciate that for some people it's totally worth it to them. More power to them, but the truth is that for the majority of Vegas visitors, it is not.
     
  19. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2015
    Messages:
    9,296
    Location:
    Digital Nomad from Southern Ontario
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    28
    Well, it's more than a couple of bucks. I realize you're using the term figuratively - but for a five night stay, $30 in resort fees is $150 extra, plus tax. If the stay would have only been $300 at $60 per night in any case, you have to consider that it's a 50% increase in the cost of staying there. I consider myself to be neither a high-roller or a cheapskate... but I'm saying this based on what the OP had to say... specifically, that they are skipping out on an entire Vegas trip only because of the resort fees. So this mentality is seemingly not that much of an uncommon one.

    I can appreciate that the convenience of being on the strip can be worthwhile when it comes to having a night out, but let's not kid ourselves... staying slightly off the strip by a 500m walk or so is not the end of the world. As Vegas regulars, we know that this option exists. But to the "Vegas freshers", the combination of the romance of staying on a strip property and the level at which looking for an alternative is unappealing, it simply isn't something they'd be at all inclined to do - so they'll just pay up, even if doing so begrudgingly.

    As for the bragging rights - perhaps you travel in different circles than I do... but most "Vegas conversations" that I overhear in my part of the world have a typical line of questioning to the effect of "Where did you stay?", "What shows did you see?", "Did you win any money?", etc.

    Even the most clueless first time Vegas tourist can see the $26/night valley hotels when they search on Expedia. But travel can be a mode of conspicuous consumption just like anything else - and having said that, just as Forever 21 will be scoffed at in a Gucci crowd, saying "I went to Vegas and stayed at the Cannery" will be scoffed at in a Caesar's palace crowd.

    I realize this opens up a whole other debate of the importance of the opinions of others - but I 100% believe that there is a "Joneses" factor present when talking about your trip to Vegas.
     
    [TENTATIVE Late Jul/Early Aug] Vegas by way of Chicago/Elko/Reno!
  20. stackinchips

    stackinchips VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2009
    Messages:
    1,202
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    9

    Of course I've heard the same questions. I ask the same questions. If someone tells me they stayed in a Cosmo WA Terrace, I don't feel as if they're bragging, just as if they told me they stayed in a Harrah's Mardi Gras standard room, I don't look down on them. It's simply inquiring about their trip. People like to stay at nice resorts, because they enjoy staying at nice resorts, not because they need to stay at the highest end place so that when someone asks about their trip a month later they can "brag". That's just an absurd proposition.

    As for the actual resort fee argument, I'm not denying that people wouldn't/won't opt for an off-strip alternative to save on the RF. There's definitely people who will. We all make choices with our money and determine if the perceived value of the good/service received is worth parting with our cash, or if an alternative is worth the sacrifice to save cash. The reality is that for the majority of Vegas visitors, it's worth it to pony up the cash to stay on the strip. If that weren't the case the strip hotels would be empty and that's far from the case. As for the OP, foregoing a trip altogether seems a bit extreme. Perhaps the OP is going to opt for a different destination? If that's the case, to each their own, as I said before we all make choices regarding our perceived value. If the option was to go or to stay home and twiddle your thumbs, well, that just seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.