Poll : 29 July - 11 August 2015

Analysis

Many thanks for all the votes, which yielded some really useful -- and equally surprising! -- results, and for all the email feedback. Here's a sample of the latter:

• "I always like a deal on meals and shows. Now as far as resort fees go, prefer non, but whenever a fee is charged I find that keeping the taps running takes the sting out of the fees. 'Nuff said." [Ed: We take your point but hey, we live here too, and it's a desert out there, man! Don't thirst LVA to death in your quest to protest hotel fees!]
  
  
• "I hate resort fees, but unfortunately very few properties don't tack them on anymore. Therefore I don't necessarily go for the cheapest hotel room, but I do look for what I consider to be the best overall deal considering the room rate, added resort fee, and any perks thrown in. Sometimes it's a no-brainer like the deal I got at the Monte Carlo last August for two nights, at a rate of $32 a night, but with a $75 food and beverage credit thrown in ... It's a gut feel of what's right at the time, and of course I always book reservations that are refundable in case an even better deal comes along."
  
  
• "I hate the fees and hotels should make them part of the rate because that's what they are. A USA Today doesn't cost $32 a day."
  
  
• "I always look for a Strip Hotel that gives me the most through my (player) rewards card."
  
  
• "If we must pay the fee, then we look for included wi-fi and gym/spa access."
  
  
• "In almost 15 years, we have been to Vegas over 22 times and stayed at over 8 different hotels. We know just where we want to stay. A few hotels have been terrible and just a few terrific, so location and the hotel is everything to us. We love the Venetian or Wynn the best, and we will stay there anytime we can get a deal of around $109-119 or so, which never happens on a weekend. We like quite a few others, (Luxor was a surprise), but dislike too many to list them all. We often stay at TI only because it's across from the Venetian and The Wynn! Mandalay Bay is totally "dead" at night. Stupid resort fees don't matter. Almost everyone has them now, anyway."
  
  
• "I go to The Orleans website and see what their rates are. I then go to the site of a few other casinos on town and 99% of the time see The Orleans has the best rates and stay there knowing I am staying at a place I feel comfy, safe and secure and when I know the room will be clean and quiet. There is a reason locals stay there and why I stay there almost every time, too."
  
  
• "We always stay at Polo Towers and now have a timeshare there. In the past we stayed at LVH. With the room rates that the Westgate is offering we would be willing to pay the resort fee just to get the internet. But if we thought about staying somewhere upscale (Bellagio) I would not want to pay the fees."
  
  
• "I stay in the nicest hotel where I can get a comped room. I will occasionally pay for a third night if the first two nights are comped and the rate is reasonable. While the comped room is most important, we also appreciate free play, dining comps or free entry into slot tournaments."
  
  
• "I only stay at brewpubs with an attached hotel and casino. That limits me to only one place in town. Thankfully, it's a wonderful place without a resort fee." [Ed: Some correspondence ensued when we received this answer, which revealed that the reader was referring to Main Street Station/Triple 7 Brewpub, but we reminded them of Ellis Island, which now owns its hotel component, plus there's Barleys, which is owned by Station and part of their Boarding Pass program, but of course it has no hotel.]
  
  
• "I don't stay at hotels, I rent a timeshare that doesn't charge resort fees."
  
  
• "Most important factor for me is a comfortable bed. When hotels brag about their mattresses, bedding and pillows I am listening. Free wifi helps as well, if only as an indicator that this place isn't mired in the last century."
  
  
• "There was a second option I was considering beyond the spa package option. Gambling incentives was my second choice. Now if a casino offered both spa and gambling perks, I would be more likely to choose that one over a comparable hotel that offered on one or the other but not both."
  
  
• "If forced to pay the fees, my absolute MUST would be comped in-room Wifi and free daily breakfast. In my opinion, all the other stuff they include in the fees (spa, fitness center, in-house casino offers) are just a reason for the hotel to have you and your money stay 'in-house'. I come to Vegas for the sites/attractions, food, and shows. The most time I spend at my hotel is for sleeping, of which not a lot is happening either. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!"
  
  
• "I look for the best room deal I can find in close proximity to a Monorail station.."
  
  
• "We travel to Las Vegas 4-6 times a year primarily to gamble. We had been staying at Red Rock for the past 6 years, that is until they added a resort fee to a comped room, the first time I complained, the second time I swore I would never go back. I haven't been back in almost 2 years."
  
  
• "I usually choose the same hotels over and over again by the location and whether or not we like the casino. I will generally pick from a few different properties and then see who will give us the best deal, like comped rooms, with or without resort fee. If you get a full week of free rooms and still have to pay a resort fee, it comes out cheaper than paying a nightly room rate. We stayed at Harrah's in June for 6 nights for $284.00 plus tax. That included an upgraded room that was wonderful."