Question of the Day - 10 October 2014

This is a great question, and the basic answer is simple, if not what you likely want to hear. From our experience in talking to friends and associates, and information gleaned from feedback sent to LVA reader polls and our various blogs, the general rule of thumb is that resort fees are still charged even if a room is comped, rendering such offers of "free" nights somewhat disingenuous, although it could be argued that you are receiving a free room, while still being required to pay for the extra resort "amenities" that you may or may not use. If you're paying $12.95, or even $25, for a room that has a current rack rate of $120, for example, then it's still a darn good deal. Hence, it might pay dividends psychologically to look past the PR-speak and semantics and, rather than getting hung up on the fact that you're paying a minimal fee for things you don't want and/or an allegedly "free" offer, adopt a "glass-half-full" mentality and look at it as a really cheap rate for a great room that you could not ordinarily have hoped to book by any other means.

Another important point to bear in mind is that while we just stated that resort fees attached to comped rooms are the norm, this policy is consistent only in its inconsistencies, since there is often no official written-in-stone law and the discretion of your host/concierge frequently comes into play. As Jean Scott wrote in her Frugal Vegas blog post on the subject, way back in 2010:

"Unfortunately there is no one general casino policy on this. In fact, the answer may not be the same from one visit to the next at the same casino. You will need to ask each and every time you make a reservation and verify when you check in.

"This is one area where a host can often make fees disappear if you have given some substantial play. Even if you are paying for your room, you could ask your host – nicely – if you 'qualify' for having the resort fee taken off your bill. As the famous saying goes: 'It never hurts to ask!'

"One last tip: There is often a disconnect between casino departments and even if you have been told there will not be a resort fee added, it may mysteriously make its way onto your hotel bill. So, a good rule of thumb is to always check your bill BEFORE you leave. It is much easier to get it corrected then than after you get home and check your credit card charges."

That's all true and sound advice and the "Queen of Comps" received some sensible, sanguine responses from some of her readers, such as:

• "We are coming to Vegas in August, staying at THEhotel. They instituted a $15 resort fee recently, but it’s worth mentioning that they include in-room Internet access and gym admission with the fee. Those are both extras that I would end up paying for anyway, so it’s kind of like a wash. We considered Red Rock, and love the place, but Station's resort fee does not seem to include anything [we want/value]. We don’t play enough to merit comps, but three years of reading Las Vegas Advisor and this blog have helped us learn the tricks and get the deep discount we got!" [Ed: That's good to hear!]

Another respondent commented:

• Received an offer from the Mirage for 3 nights in a suite + $150 free play. Will be using Internet and fitness center for first time, so resort fee is OK. Also freeplay easily offsets cost of fee. Total charge $54.

And here's some feedback in a similar vein that we've received in response to various LVA Reader Polls on the subject of resort fees and comps:

• "We would probably do without any of these amenities if we weren't paying a resort fee. So whatever is included, we're taking advantage of it."

• "This past summer, I got 3 separate two-night-free offers from the B-Connected club to stay at the Orleans and checked in and out sequentially for 6 nights free, including dining credits and waived resort fees. Two of the offers were in a postcard and the third was through the website. Pretty generous offerings to a very low roller such as myself. One night between two of the stays, I actually was required to leave, so I splurged on a $33 room at the Suncoast.
• "I can stomach the resort fees if they are in a reasonable range like $7-14 and include 'free' Internet usage. Otherwise, I refuse to make a reservation."

• "I was in Las Vegas about 2 weeks ago and when I checked into New York-New York, the not-so-friendly clerk informed me there is a resort fee of $11.99 per day [Ed: this is now $20, plus tax]. When I questioned it, I was informed 'they all do it'. This was the first time any additional fees were mentioned to me. When I made my reservation via phone, the person taking the reservation never mentioned the fee. Standing at hotel registration with your bags in hand, what choice do you have? You pay the fee. However, I complained at check-out and they quickly removed the fee." [Ed: Bravo! See advice above: It never hurts to ask.]

• "I used to use words like 'diabolical' to describe resort fees, but I since have learned to tolerate them. First, they are only really a problem when you are uneducated about them, but with experience and by reading LVA, etc., you can anticipate the resort fee and incorporate it into your comparison. I've come to see that they are as much a way to pay the booking agencies such as Travelocity and hotels.com a lower proportion of the total cost of the room rate, since the resort-fee portion apparently is exempt from the commission to the agency. That means that, all else equal, the hotel's costs are a few dollars lower. In a market as fiercely competitive as LV hotel rooms is these days, at least some of this savings presumably is passed onto the consumer in the form of lower total dollars spent on the room. Even with resort fees, the value proposition at just about any hotel in Las Vegas is pretty hard to beat."

• "Yes, I really do use the fitness center -- but not daily. I do wish that, since I’m paying for the fitness center, I would get free access or a reduced fee for the spa, too. As for the Internet fee, it’s cheaper to pay a resort fee than to pay the daily rate at many non-resort fee hotels."

That's what we mean about being stoical as opposed to hysterical about these surcharges, which are now so widespread -- having infiltrated both downtown and the 'burbs -- that it's virtually impossible to avoid them. Properties like Treasure Island and the J.W. Marriott in Summerlin seemed to blaze a promising trail with their experimentation with optional resort fees, offering guests the choice of a discounted package of amenities versus the ability to pay for individual elements on an à la carte basis. We had high hopes for this kind of program, which seemed like the fairest approach, but both hotels have since discontinued this option, so evidently it didn't work out as they'd hoped, for some reason. However, as a couple of people have indicated, sometimes the "squeaky-wheel" approach works, and if you query/complain about the fee, you might just get it waived.

As to one specific exception to the rule that we know about, if you are a Diamond or 7 Stars member of Caesars Entertainment's Total Rewards program, you don't have to pay a resort fee at any of their Las Vegas properties.

Meanwhile, we just this week updated all of our Las Vegas hotel resort fee listings, there having been many movings and shakings afoot of late. Some are up (e.g., Bally's, Circus Circus, Downtown Grand, Harrah's, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Plaza, Silverton, Stratosphere), one is down (J.W. Marriott), and some amenities have been added here and there (e.g., Downtown Grand's now includes self parking, valet, and pool access, Excalibur recently added a $20 dining credit, Flamingo and Planet Ho include Internet access for two devices, not just one, and Palace Station now offers a shuttle service to the airport), while others have been subtracted (no more in-suite private-label coffee at Signature, while El Cortez has substituted a bottle of wine in The Flame for a glass of wine or draft beer in Cafe Cortez and no longer offers free access to the daily slot tournament.) The bottom line is, as we say in the U.K., "you pays your money and you takes your choice" (so make sure you're well-informed when you make it by checking out that last link.)

• "Not a question, but a comment on today's QoD. The question was regarding Resort Fees at Strip properties and that is why I do not stay on the Strip. I have stayed at all the Boyd properties and the El Cortez for years. All my stays were marketing or host comps. I have never been charged a Resort Fee. I was told at Boyd and El Cortez that comped rooms do not receive a Resort Fee. I know that things change but for now no Resort Fees on comped rooms at Boyd or El Cortez. Thanks for listening." [Ed: Thanks for sharing!]
• "Red Rock Resort (and I presume other Station Casinos are similar) waives the resort fee on a comp night (but also strips out the amenities normally included with the fee), and reduces it to $12.50 on paid reduced-rate nights from marketing offers. I'm unsure if you then do get the amenities if you're paying the partial fee - I would hope so. They way it's phrased on their reservation page is, "The Hotel Amenity Fee is Inclusive on comp nights & reduced to $12.50 on paid nights." Despite their use of the word "inclusive", I verified on my last trip that you do NOT get any of the resort fee perks if you're staying on a comp offer. The D Las Vegas waives its fee on comp nights. The Golden Nugget waives its stupid $5 "Downtown Destination Fee" on comp nights."
• "It is my experience that when staying in a comped room through a casino marketing offer (like free room + $150 FreePlay) at MGM Resorts, the resort fee is waived. This may depend upon the offer, though. If you get a comp through myVEGAS or something like that, it is not waived. "Also, at Caesars properties, the Resort Fee is waived for Platinum TR members and above. Unlike MGM, which still gives you the perks when the resort fee is waived, Caesars does not give you the perks of the resort fee when it is waived. This typically means that Platinum players are better off paying the resort fee if they want to use any of the services. For Diamond players (who already get free fitness center access), it normally means just paying for internet access when you want it, which tends to be cheaper than the daily resort fee (especially if you don't need access every day)."

• "Quick followup on MGM resort fees. It may vary by property, too. I just booked an offer at the Mirage and verified that the resort fee there was waived on comped nights (through casino marketing). My wife booked an offer at New York-New York and it looks like we will have to pay the resort fees there, even though it is also for comped rooms through a casino marketing offer." [Ed: Yup, just like we said, this whole area is apparently consistent only in its inconsistency...]

• "Not a question, just an FYI on resort fees: [CET] Diamond members do not pay, but you also do not receive any of the perks. So, Internet, gym fees, etc. must be paid for in order to use them. Not sure how 7 Stars works." [Ed: Wow, so for Diamond players, it's pretty much the same as it used to be at TI and J.W. Marriott. Not such a perk, really, but at least those amenities are optional. Any 7 Stars high rollers out there care to share how it works for them? We're guessing you get the best of both worlds, but await confirmation on that...]