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Originally posted by: rayxtwoQuote
Originally posted by: salukidean
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Originally posted by: rayxtwo
Quote
Originally posted by: salukidean
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Originally posted by: rayxtwo
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Originally posted by: salukidean68
Whys everyone so opposed to resort fees? I hated having to pay $15 a day for internet......now its all included at almost every property. If you want to take on a good fight, attack the hotels for dealing 6:5 blackjack
Here's the deal...... I don't need or want 95% of the things they "give you" with the resort fees. You chose to pay the $15 per day for the internet. No one twisted your arm. If you want to play 6:5 Blackjack, again, it's your choice. I have a mobile "hot spot" that I pay $50 per month with unlimited access. I don't need their internet, gym, newspaper, bottled water, etc.... Why in the hell should I pay for something don't use????
Did you even bother reading anything that I've posted on this matter or listen to the podcast? The reason they have added these fees is to lower the "base" price of the room so they show up on the first page on websites like Priceline and they don't have to pay commission to these websites on these fees. Not only ripping us off, they are ripping off the websites that sell their rooms too.
Ray
P.S. BTW, you were bitching about paying $15 a day for the internet, now you pay $25. WTF
The casinos are going to collect this money one way or another....it in their budgets for the bottom line. Make them eliminate resort fees and that $20 a night will cost you $30 extra on a booking site as commission will need to be paid on it. Resort fees actually save the consumer money in the long run and give guests added amenities.
I'm going to break down the total value of the resort fees for me. I'm going to use the TI Hotel for my example. They charge $25 per night making my four night stay an extra $100.
In-room high-speed internet access.
Access to the fitness center.
2-for-1 cocktail (one per stay).
2-for-1 Lunch, Dinner or Weekend Brunch buffet (one per stay).
Daily newspaper at Guest Services.
In-room local/toll-free phone calls.
Printed airline boarding passes.
Copies and faxes (up to 10 page).
Internet Access. I have a "Hot Spot" for my mobile devices that works in 95% of the country. I don't need the hotels. VALUE $0.00
Fitness Center. I don't belong to a health club at home. Why would I jump on a plane, fly 1,500 miles just to go to a gym to work out. If I don't get enough exercise walking up and down the strip three or four hours a day in 100 degree heat, I need to give it up. VALUE $0.00
2-for-1 Cocktail at the bar. OK, rarely drink anymore but I'll give this a value for those that do. A drink at a casino bar is now $7 to $8 so you save that much. If I really wanted to get a cheap drunk on I would have a friend buy in at the lowest minimum bet crap table we could find, I play the "do" and he plays the "don't". The only time we lose money is on the 12 on the come out roll minus what we tip the waitress. We don't stiff them. They have children at home to feed. VALUE $8.00
2-for-1 Buffet: I do have to eat at least once in four or five days so there is some value there. Is their buffet worth it??? I don't know. Never eaten there. For argument sake, let's say it is. I didn't look up the prices but I'll give it this value. VALUE $30.00 Would be nice if they gave you a line pass.
Newspaper. I get my news off the internet which I get for free. The only reason I get the local paper at home??? I got a Cardinal's wrist watch for subscribing for two months. That cost me $20. As for the Vegas paper??? VALUE $0.00 (even if it's a USA Today)
In-Room Phone Calls. HELLLLLLLOOOO!!!! CELL PHONE!!!! Not one person in Vegas has ever said "I have to go back to my room. I have to make a phone call" in the last 30 years. If you don't have a cell phone, you sure as hell can't afford a trip to Vegas. VALUE $0.00
Airline Boarding Pass. Value $5.00 I have to get home.
Copies and Faxes. I'm getting my money's worth here. I'm getting five copies made of my naked butt and faxing all five to my job back home. VALUE $PRICELESS (Real Value $0.00 because I'm not going to do it).
So to sum things up, I'm paying $100 in (bogus) fees and getting $43.00 in services I use. The was I look at it, you're STEALING $57.00 from me. I don't give my business to crooks. Man up and tell me straight up how much my stay will cost me. Being sneaky is not a way to run a business.
Ray
Let's break down the value of not having the resort fee.
The hotel is still going to collect that $100 cost on the room. They are just going to charge $35 extra on the room so they cover the booking fee and still get their money.
Instead of paying $100 and getting $43 in services, you'll end up paying $140 and getting $0 in services. You're saving $83 by the TI having a resort fee instead of building it into their base rate.
There's no way in hell that they would boost their rates that much. They want to stay on Page ONE on all the travel sites. You're actually convinced that what they are doing is 100% honest and above board. I want you to say it, word for word, that you don't think that this is the least bit sneaky. BTW, Do you REALLY think that thousands of people "DEMANDED" Harrah's.... excuse me Caesars (a pig in a different dress is still a pig in my books) to start charging a resort fee???? Maybe I missed it on the news where there were protest marches down the strip in Vegas, with people carrying pitchforks, burning Gary Loveman in effigy that made him cave in. NO!!! This "DEMAND" line of crap is some kind of PR U.S.D.A Prime Cut "B.S." to get the lemmings to buy the snake oil.
Like I said at the beginning of this. I've contacted the Federal Trade Commission about this. Maybe they will make the decision if this is wrong or right.
Ray
I do think these hotels would all rasie their rates even more than the cost of the resort fees if they didn't have this revenue stream. Those showing up on the first page would still be on the first page as rates would rise $20-30 per night at all hotels.
Proof of this is the D who actually lowered their base rates when a resort fee was instituted.
Do I think this is a little sneaky? Of course it is.....but its sneakly to the booking agents. The properties themselves and the guests booking the rooms receive the benefits of this arrangements. As long as I'm a benefactor of the current setup, why would I complain?
If resort fees were ever deemed illegal, it would be a result of complaints from expedia, travelocity, and others (the real victims in this arrangement). Let's hope it never comes to that though as we'll all end up paying higher rates with no benefits......and than all those complaining today will be screaming for the reinstatement of resort fees.
