David Mckee's Stiffs & Georges

Recent Entries

No recent entries.

Advertisement

Archives By Month




October 2009

September 2009

August 2009

July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

April 2009

March 2009

February 2009

January 2009

December 2008

November 2008

October 2008

September 2008

August 2008

July 2008

June 2008

May 2008

April 2008

March 2008

February 2008

January 2008

STAFF BLOGGERS

Robin Camacho
Las Vegas Real Estate



David McKee
Stiffs & Georges



Jean Scott
Frugal Vegas



Archives By Subject

ABBA (4) [RSS]


Alaska (7) [RSS]


Alex Yemenidjian (29) [RSS]


Ameristar (39) [RSS]


Animals (26) [RSS]


Architecture (48) [RSS]


Archon Corp. (1) [RSS]


Aristocrat (4) [RSS]


Arizona (2) [RSS]


Atlantic City (231) [RSS]


Australia (14) [RSS]


Bally Technologies (4) [RSS]


Baseball (17) [RSS]


Boulder Strip (35) [RSS]


Boyd Gaming (121) [RSS]


California (30) [RSS]


Cannery Casino Resorts (29) [RSS]


Carl Icahn (19) [RSS]


Charity (12) [RSS]


Cirque du Soleil (28) [RSS]


CityCenter (21) [RSS]


Cloverfield monster (5) [RSS]


Colony Capital (57) [RSS]


Colorado (18) [RSS]


Columbia Sussex (170) [RSS]


Cordish Co. (9) [RSS]


Cosmopolitan (19) [RSS]


Current (370) [RSS]


Detroit (46) [RSS]


Dining (39) [RSS]


Don Barden (24) [RSS]


Donald Trump (73) [RSS]


Downtown (113) [RSS]


Economy (309) [RSS]


Election (151) [RSS]


Encore (29) [RSS]


Entertainment (185) [RSS]


Environment (14) [RSS]


Florida (26) [RSS]


Fontainebleau (51) [RSS]


G2E (25) [RSS]


Gary Goett (7) [RSS]


Genting (6) [RSS]


George Maloof (15) [RSS]


Golden Gaming (4) [RSS]


Goldman Sachs (9) [RSS]


Harrah's (372) [RSS]


Harry Reid (13) [RSS]


Herbst Gaming (31) [RSS]


Holy Cow (1) [RSS]


Horseracing (32) [RSS]


IGT (18) [RSS]


Illinois (46) [RSS]


Indiana (46) [RSS]


International (149) [RSS]


Internet gambling (33) [RSS]


Iowa (8) [RSS]


Isle of Capri (44) [RSS]


Jack Binion (3) [RSS]


James Packer (67) [RSS]


Kansas (56) [RSS]


Kentucky (16) [RSS]


Labor (86) [RSS]


Lake Las Vegas (7) [RSS]


Lake Tahoe (13) [RSS]


Laughlin (17) [RSS]


Lawrence Ho (21) [RSS]


Louisiana (38) [RSS]


LVCVA (28) [RSS]


M Resort (17) [RSS]


Macau (172) [RSS]


Marketing (88) [RSS]


Maryland (8) [RSS]


Massachusetts (11) [RSS]


Melco Crown Entertainment (29) [RSS]


Mesquite (10) [RSS]


MGM Mirage (399) [RSS]


Michael Gaughan (10) [RSS]


Minnesota (4) [RSS]


Mississippi (34) [RSS]


Missouri (20) [RSS]


Monte Carlo fire (20) [RSS]


Morgans Hotel Group (32) [RSS]


Movies (57) [RSS]


Neil Bluhm (18) [RSS]


New York (9) [RSS]


North Las Vegas (3) [RSS]


Ohio (13) [RSS]


Oklahoma (3) [RSS]


Oscar Goodman (16) [RSS]


Pansy Ho (1) [RSS]


Penn National (95) [RSS]


Pennsylvania (102) [RSS]


Pets (21) [RSS]


Phil Ruffin (30) [RSS]


Pinnacle Entertainment (60) [RSS]


Planet Hollywood (58) [RSS]


Plaza (5) [RSS]


Politics (215) [RSS]


Problem gambling (15) [RSS]


Racinos (5) [RSS]


Regulation (190) [RSS]


Reno (12) [RSS]


Riviera (36) [RSS]


Sahara (11) [RSS]


Sheldon Adelson (268) [RSS]


Shuffle Master (5) [RSS]


Silverton (2) [RSS]


Singapore (30) [RSS]


Slot routes (5) [RSS]


South Carolina (2) [RSS]


Sports (26) [RSS]


Stanley Ho (64) [RSS]


Station Casinos (142) [RSS]


Steve Wynn (183) [RSS]


Tamares Group (23) [RSS]


Taxes (86) [RSS]


Technology (79) [RSS]


Texas (9) [RSS]


The Mob (9) [RSS]


The Strip (543) [RSS]


Tilman Fertitta (17) [RSS]


Tourism (37) [RSS]


Transportation (21) [RSS]


Tribal (103) [RSS]


Tropicana Entertainment (90) [RSS]


TV (111) [RSS]


Wall Street (241) [RSS]


WMS Industries (5) [RSS]


World Series of Poker (6) [RSS]


Recent Comments

Illinois: No country for big casinos
JohnTerez said: What your name? , <a href="http://pdabooks.org/membe... noir wine&l...   [More]

Nevada: The Stupid State
PortoM0n said: Don't go far away. , <a href="http://cool-wallpapers.ev... cool wall...   [More]

They burned the Monte Carlo ... and may get away with it
JohnTerez said: Try see it. , <a href="http://smart.fm/lists/152... glass supplies</a>...   [More]

Nevada: The Stupid State
PortoM0n said: Hi brothers and sisters! , <a href="http://boxesandarrows.com......   [More]

They burned the Monte Carlo ... and may get away with it
SoloJ3ss said: Great... , <a href="http://boxesandarrows.com... to make deer a...   [More]

Search

Subscribe

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog.


TAGS

alex yemenidjian ameristar animals architecture atlantic city australia baseball boulder strip boyd gaming california cannery casino resorts carl icahn charity cirque du soleil citycenter colony capital colorado columbia sussex cosmopolitan current detroit dining don barden donald trump downtown economy election encore entertainment environment florida fontainebleau g2e george maloof harrah's harry reid herbst gaming horseracing igt illinois indiana international internet gambling isle of capri james packer kansas kentucky labor lake tahoe laughlin lawrence ho louisiana lvcva m resort macau marketing massachusetts melco crown entertainment mesquite mgm mirage michael gaughan mississippi missouri monte carlo fire morgans hotel group movies neil bluhm ohio oscar goodman penn national pennsylvania pets phil ruffin pinnacle entertainment planet hollywood politics problem gambling regulation reno riviera sahara sheldon adelson singapore sports stanley ho station casinos steve wynn tamares group taxes technology the strip tilman fertitta tourism transportation tribal tropicana entertainment tv wall street

From the mailbag #4: California, tech troubles & 'resort fees'

Posted At : September 10, 2009 11:02 AM | Posted By : D McKee
Related Categories: Planet Hollywood,Steve Wynn,MGM Mirage,Boulder Strip,Marketing,Technology,Morgans Hotel Group,Current,Sheldon Adelson,The Strip,California,Harrah's,Boyd Gaming,Tourism,Station Casinos

Reader Kerr Mudgeon is less than amused by a recent dig at the cuisine offered by Commerce Casino to California firefighters. He writes: "The firefighters can go to numerous other nearby eateries if they don't like the FREE meals offered by the Commerce Casino -- same as paying casino customers can eat at other places if they choose. Sound like 'looking the gift horse in the mouth.'"

Good news from IT: Our "austerity regime" of no photos and no links will, it is promised, be ended today. I can think of several potential blog entries yesterday that went unwritten because no linking capability was available, so this should put some wind back in S&G's sails ... although some might say a lack of wind is the least of this blog's problems.

It's absolutely imperative that you read our 9/10/09 Question of the Day. No, I didn't write it. Our hard-working research duo of Jessica & Tanya did. (Also, Steve Friess recently mis-credited me with the Today's News column; that's a J&T Production, too, along with the occasional assist from Anthony Curtis himself.)

Aaaaaaaaannnnyyyyy-way, today's topic (and it's only online for one day) is the pernicious Vegas phenomenon known as the "resort fee." The winner of the Sustained Greed Award goes to longtime gouger Station Casinos. Station's Green Valley Ranch is also the premier resort-fee offender ($25).

Others who provide optional amenities -- of varying desirability -- in return for the fee include Bellagio ($25), The Mirage ($15), Planet Hollywood ($5) and Gold Coast ($3, which actually buys you quite a lot). The geniuses at Morgans Hotel Group get the Steal the Stripes out of Your Socks Award for charging you $7 for "in-room safe, parking, minibar (but not its contents), bath products, and a plasma TV."

There's a word for that Hard Rock Hotel & Casino practice and the word is "chintzy." As our researchers note, "For hotels to presume to charge guests for amenities that they have no intention of availing themselves of, but cannot avoid, seems a very counter-productive measure that can only generate ill-will."

Kudos to the following fee-eschewing properties: Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn Las Vegas, Encore and anyplace owned by Harrah's Entertainment. Yes, Harrah's. I tip my fedora to you, Gary Loveman.

Comments (Comment Moderation is enabled. Your comment will not appear until approved.)
Rice's Gravatar I think you are being a little soft on the Stations folks. They charge $25 a day at Red Rock too!
# Posted By Rice | 9/10/09 2:57 PM
KC's Gravatar Just got charged $10 fee for my "comped" room at the Rio. So Harrah's might be changing their practice.
# Posted By KC | 9/11/09 2:57 AM
Jim Mason's Gravatar Don't leave out M-$25 per night. They must want to pay off
the place in 6 months.
# Posted By Jim Mason | 9/11/09 3:14 PM