The Resort Fee in Las Vegas Hotels: How to Avoid Paying It and Which Option Is Best for You
Apparently, the main complaint from tourists when they are in Sin City, besides the huge amount of smoke pretty much everywhere (with the exception of the top-quality places such as Venetian and Palazzo, Bellagio and so on), is the this mandatory additional, fixed charge imposed by many establishment and off the Strip. You may want to find out how to avoid paying this additional cost altogether (read below to find out), but before that let's see what it is exactly and let's work out if avoiding it is actually the best thing for you and for your pocket.
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What is it: it is an additional charge (on top of your room rate and taxes) which is meant to cover the establishment' facilities and services, which include the use of the gym (or fitness centre, or exercise room), the use of the spa (Jacuzzi, Saunas, Steam Rooms), local phone calls, daily newspapers to the room and other services (each establishment may have all of these, fewer or more). The principle behind this is that, since every guest is going to use some if not all of those facilities and services, rather than paying for the individually they are all combined together in a single cost.
Resort Phuket
The Price: The cost ranges from around five to fifteen dollars. It is added to the advertised rate at check-in. All Vegas establishments state how much this additional fixed charge is but it often is in the fine print of their rate page or special offer page. If in doubt, just pick up the phone and ask them; we do it all the time to be absolutely sure of what we are going to pay, since we like to keep to our allocated budget.
It is often the case that the more facilities and services an establishment offers within that charge, the better quality of these facilities and services. For example: there are places which will charge 5 dollars overall, but, in some cases, that charge covers basic services and facilities, such as the use of a very basic, almost unusable fitness room (as opposed to a well-equipped gym). It is therefore important to find out, before you book, what is actually offered and what those services and facilities actually are. We are avid users of the gym when we are in Vegas (partly to burn the extra calories we accumulate by eating at Las Vegas buffets every single day of our stay!) so we call each time before we book to confirm what type of fitness facilities are included, what their opening hours are, whether it's just a cardio room or if it is a fully-equipped gym, and so forth (each hotel may change their policy on this additional charge and on what's included almost overnight, so it's always advisable to check). You will be surprised at the differences; just because an establishment states that they have fitness facilities included in this charge, it does not necessarily mean that those facilities are actually good. At the same time, just because they don't charge this cost, it does not mean that you will not end up paying it anyway (more on this later).
So, how to avoid paying this charge?
There are mainly two ways to avoid paying it:
to book a place which does not charge it (but beware of the drawbacks, as we'll explain further on)
to book a special players card offer; sometimes special package offers (say '3 nights for the overall price of 99dollars', and so on) are additional-charge-free and, even better, they are tax-free (what we mean is that the advertised package price is all inclusive of any charge, so there are no surprises at check out). Every time you are about to book a room or suite, no matter what package it is or from what special offer, always read the fine print and, if in doubt, ask them over the phone.
We like to choose accommodation based on how good the rooms or suites are, how good their customer service is, how good their casino is, the facilities they provide (gym, spa, pool and so on) and the quality of their buffet. We do not like to limit ourselves to the establishments which don't apply the additional charge often because there is always a 'catch'; more on this further on). So, we will select special offers and packages which, overall, are convenient and a good deal without sacrificing the quality of the stay. As per the best price overall, bear in mind that one place may be additional-charge-free, but the overall deal may be not so good (for example, they may not offer you buffet deals or they may not offer you free-play).
What's the catch of when an establishment does not charge this additional cost?
The majority of the establishments in Sin City which apply NO additional charge actually offer worse services. By that I mean mainly worse fitness and spa facilities and with restricted opening hours. This is mostly the case with the Caesars' Entertainment establishments (former Harrah's group): they have the most limited fitness and spa services in terms of opening hours and quality. Some of their pools and pool areas are also quite 'deficient'. On the other hand, some which do charge an additional cost, have amazing facilities and services and in the end you will be more than happy that you have paid it; you may not care for the gym (unlike us), but you will probably enjoy a better pool area! Finally, some of the MGM group establishments (the newest ones, such as Cosmopolitan) are also additional-charge-free but you will be hit by expensive prices if you opt to use their services after all.
So, if you plan to avoid using any of the facilities or services and you are staying in one of these additional-charge-free establishments, make sure you truly do not use these services because, if you do, you will be disappointed and, above all, you will be hit by a huge charge (fitness and spa facilities are ridiculously expensive if you pay for them separately and, as already said, some of those services are not good).
Off-Strip establishments which do not apply this additional charge can still offer services and facilities but of course, understandably, they may be limited in quality and variety (though not always), though they are often available for longer hours during the day, often closing later at night. We like that! One of the best off-strip places with no additional charges but offering decent services (such as fitness facilities) is El Cortez, situated downtown (but this establishment is very affordable in every aspect, actually, whilst clean and nice, so it's a great deal if you are on a budget).
So, in summary: before you book, make a list of the facilities and services you are likely to want to use (phone calls, gym, spa, rest areas, etc) and find out how much they are separately. Do the math, work out which ones you are likely to use and which ones you are not and then decide which accommodation establishment is best for you. Some places (such as Gold Coast) have a very low additional charge so it becomes almost a non-issue. But, admittedly, some have a high additional charge, in which case working out what's best for you, what's offered, what quality accommodation you will have, what customer service will receive and so on, will be worth-while endeavours before you book your stay.
Catch N.1 - Caesar's Entertainment establishments (Paris Las Vegas, Bally's, Rio All-Suite, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Imperial Palace, Planet Hollywood and Harrah's), do not impose the above-mentioned additional charge attached to a room reservation. However, if you book over the phone, they will charge you a ridiculous .20 'processing cost' (as if they were the only ones with telephone assistance in the world), which tops and exceeds many of the establishments' additional charge. So, if you can, avoid booking over the phone because, unfortunately, they do not inform their phone customers of this processing cost, quite deceptively we could say. This ridiculous processing cost is waived for high rollers and certain 'VIP' members and it is also waived for seniors. Make sure you ask before you book (before you even tell them your name or total rewards card number).
Catch N. 2 - Some of the no-extra-charge establishments actually offer no facilities that would warrant any additional charge or, if they do, they are sub-standard (in our opinion). Some of them will even 'hit' you with other charges, such as the Caesars Entertainment (former Harrah's Group) 'booking processing cost' (as explained in the earlier paragraphs of this page). Others, such as Four Season, are so expensive overall that applying a few dollars to their over-the-top nightly rate would be insignificant. Moreover, as already explained in the previous paragraphs, if you then decide to use one of their facilities, you may be disappointed by their limited opening times and/or how expensive they actually are if paid for separately. So, make sure you ask as much information as you can and don't chal bad about doing so, otherwise you will be either disappointed or will simply end up paying more than you would have by just paying the additional charge!
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