Are resort fees like a tax? If so, should rich people pay more?

Some of you have this issue nailed-- "resort fees" are merely a way to disguise a price hike or the basic price of staying at the hotel. As some of you have keenly pointed out: whats the difference if Resort A charges $79 for a room, and Resort B charges $59 for a room plus a $20 resort fee -- when both rooms are otherwise "equal"?

The difference is that Resort B can advertise its room for $59-- and leaves hidden in the fine print that there is an additional $20 resort fee.

You can really go to extremes here: Resort A with the $79 room charge has a $5.99 movie rental fee. Resort B with the $59 + $20 total charge has a $7.99 movie rental fee.... and you can go right down the list.

Welcome to marketing.

Don't use big words you don't understand. Casinos are free to reward favored guests as long as they don't do it based on race, religion, etc.

Yes, it is a form of discrimination. The bigger your action, the more youre comped. the less you play, the less youre comped. Its discrimination by spending.

My favorite fee was the one bagiant caught at aria i believe. The "exit" fee of 45 bucks. I cant believe that one wont backfire.I'd be on HIGHLY PISSED OFF individual if i caught that one checking out.

J

Thank you for stating that. I wasn't trying to be one up on others.
I thought all the Vegas experts here knew your host could remove it.

Haha. I for one can say that I am by no means a Vegas expert. I certainly wish I was. I come here to acquire knowledge. BTW, I didn't even know what a "host" was until I googled it.

I still believe those hotels who aren't upfront about their resort fees (stated on their home page along with the price per night AND reservation page) are being very sneaky. Ideally, hotels should advertise the rate per night INCLUDING resort fee. Hotels that have the resort fee cost hidden or not stated upfront won't get my business. If we can't get rid of the resort fees, we can at least make it known to the hotels that we don't like their business practices and not patronize them until they fully disclose the amount of the resort fee they charge.

I currently don't intend to visit Vegas in 2011.

I won't say I will not patronize a place with a resort fee, but being the frugal type, the places I choose to stay could hardly be called "Resorts". I did, and will continue to find the best bottom line total price, including taxes and fees, and that is the primary factor when making my decision on where to stay.

I wonder how many of the casinos which have fees, vs those without fees, also still offer "BIG 6 BIG 8" on their craps layouts.

To me, the Big 6/8 layout wager signals a casino management mentality that is truly unfriendly, and userous. I wonder if, in general, those same casinos also have lower VP pay tables than the norm, higher slot holds, more "sucker" bets and games, etc.

Since I rarely gamble without an edge, coupon, promotion, etc, and stick primarily to live cash game poker, I did not bother to look and compare. :::shrug:::

I have heard that resort fees help hotels deal with people booking through websites like travelworm, expedia etc. The story was that the reduced price coupled with the commission paid to the website was hurting the profit on rooms. The websites dont immediately pay for the rooms they book either. The Resort Fee belongs to the hotel and the travel site gets no part of it. This excuse would make more sense if it was only applied to those types of reservations. The reality is they charge it because people pay it, Just like 6/5 BJ. If the public refused to stay at those properties, it would go away.

It helps on those sites because the rooms appear cheaper than they really are. A $59 room with a $20 resort fee reallly cost $79, but it will appear to be cheaper than a $69 room with no R.S.

EXACTLY!!!! They charge them because people pay them. Period. I love it when someone tells me I get to pay a "resort fee" at a hotel that THEY built, with the amenities that THEY added to make their property more desirable than the next. I refuse to pay them and you sure don't need a "host" to get them waived.

I stay at these properties but ONLY if I have the resort fee waived at the time I book. I also request an email stating clearly that they are waived. They don't waive I don't stay and the hunt continues. I have not paid a resort fee EVER in Vegas,,and I NEVER will..no I am not a highroller or even a regular gaming card user. I try to be nice and joke about it with the person taking the booking over the phone, if they say no I will ask for a customer service manager , again make a few jokes and ask them if they really want me to stay somewhere else..blah blah blah