More on Resort Fees

[dewey089]

I'd be curious to know if anyone has encountered resort fees at casino hotels outside of Vegas. I traveled from Lake Charles. LA to Biloxi and then up the Mississippi, staying in places that had live poker, and I did not encounter this practice. I did not pay a resort fee in Tunica. I have not seen any mention of it in Midwest focused discussions. Their may be some somewhere in Reno because I saw that Circus Circus in Reno was advertising that they do not have them and that suggests perhaps that some of their competition do.

Harrah's announcement this week that they would not charge resort fees was a breath of healthy air in a climate where the resort fee virus was spreading quickly through Vegas. This means the Flamingo corner of the strip is resort fee free until we hit Mirage to the North, Tuscany and Westin to the East, and Planet Hollywood to the South. To the West, Palms charges just a dollar and Gold Coast just $3; this is still annoying, but nothing like the average $15-$28 charges at Station Casinos. Rio has no fee.

Fundamentally they hide part of the hotel bill in fine print, only discovered perhaps in booking or confirmation or check in or check out or in the credit card bill a month later.
And book at a discount site and the whole process is even more confusing because the discounter does not collect the fee. The casino hotel collects the fee and not at the time of booking. Also, trying to comparison shop is impossible. The low-high price rankings at the discounters don't include resort fees.
Places without them get false press. The El Cortez, recently, in a respected gambling newsletter came in fifth place as cheapest for February. They should have been in first place. Resort fees were left out of the mathematics used by the authors.

The issue may not be limited to Vegas casinos. Other tourist hotels around the country have been doing this. Some have had to settle lawsuits when the practice was too hidden.

Have you encountered them at casino hotels you visit?

Now is a fine time to write to your casino of choice and either thank them for not having the fees or ask them to consider dropping them. Harrah's decision to use no fees as an advertising theme is surely making them perk up their ears and listen. Many people are telling casinos with resort fees that it is a deal breaker for them. Some are even changing their regular place of gambling.

My guess is that once most people know about these fees, know how they increase the confusion in booking, and know that they take more from the wallets of the frugal and newbie traveler and less from the well bankrolled rich folks (comped players and savy travelers won't pay them) folks will pressure the casinos will roll all charges into the upfront price.

More information on this topic is collected here:
Vegas Resort Fees
However, please do not comment on that blog. Steve has allowed this link, but please bring any questions or discussion back to this board where it will be much richer and seen by many more people.

[flysrb]

Re: More on Resort Fees

Hey Now!
I just booked at the Trop in AC, comped. and they said there was a fee, last time I stayed there,there wasn't one.
Borg has 'em too, has for a whlie.
And Harrah's Resort.

[dewey089]

Re: More on Resort Fees

Thanks for those. Nasty business. Perhaps that explains my recent very low price rate e-mail come ons from AC.

[stungazed]

Re: More on Resort Fees

Hey Now!
I just booked at the Trop in AC, comped. and they said there was a fee, last time I stayed there,there wasn't one.
Borg has 'em too, has for a whlie.
And Harrah's Resort.

The fees in Atlantic City should not be confused with resort/hotel sevices fees. They are state mandated taxes and tourism fees. All of the casinos are required to charges them. I'm not sure about the Trop's fees or if they add anything additional to the state taxes (haven't stayed there in many years) but the Harrah's properties and Trump properties only charge the state taxes.

There is however an issue with these state taxes on rooms however as Trump charges $5 per night and Harrah's charges $13 per night. In the many posts on this topic I've seen on numerous message boards no one seems to know why there are different rates at different companies.

Thanks for those. Nasty business. Perhaps that explains my recent very low price rate e-mail come ons from AC.

Dewey,
Your low rate e-mails are exactly that. Atlantic City is hurting worse than any gaming destination in the country right now and are trying to lure people in. I've seen advertised rates for as low as $35 a night at Bally's and there are no additional fees added to this rate other than the state taxes and tourism fees.

I think it's going to be very important in your article not to confuse taxes/fees the casinos are required to charge with fees the hotels WANT to charge as a profit center. In the case of Atlantic City, these fees are not an option.

[dewey089]

Re: More on Resort Fees

Great distinctions, Stungazed. I am just beginning to get a feel for what Atlantic City is doing and this is very helpful. It does seem slightly different from Vegas if the government and not the hotels are adding the fees, although the newbie and uninformed booking experience might be exactly the same with the fee different and undisclosed upfront in advertising, and the difference in casino fees makes comparing prices more complex. The surprise factor might be the same as well. So there would be perhaps some similarity in consumer experience.

We always need to remember the parking fees in AC when we book.
Last I checked those $25 traditionally ultra low prices(even in good economic times) in the most frugal AC rooms at The Irish Pub lose a competitive edge when we add seven dollars a night for parking.

Are these fees charged for comped rooms as well? It does not seem that the casino can use them to encourage more play as can happen in Vegas.
And while they are different, perhaps they are more stable. Hooters reraised their resort fees twice. That makes sales hard to evaluate and comparison shopping impossible without some access to updated lists.

Are the fees only charged by casinos or also charged by nearby motels?

Thanks for the post. I do have some inquiries on Atlantic City out to friends who are regulars so perhaps I'll have some more to share once they respond.

[dewey089]

Re: More on Resort Fees

so I just called around this morning and gathered information.


Let's do the numbers:


Tax: Add 14%
Occupancy tax: Add $5 - $10 in most places per night . Only $1 at the Irish Pub, but they only rent during late spring and summer season.

When I called around on January 11, only Harrah's properties quoted $10. $13 quoted by Stungazed is what they charge for a comped room. They told me at Caesar's that it was the same for every Harrah's property and would be the same regardless of the dates booked.


Self Parking: Generally, a one time $5 fee for the length of your stay. Beyond that you can come and go for free at Caesar's if you have a pass that you are a hotel guest. At Harrah's if you come and go it is $5 a day.

At Trump Plaza you pay $5 and get a one time complimentary in and out by being a hotel guest. After that you pay unless you just leave your car sit in the garage and walk. The Irish Pub has no parking at all available, but a nearby parking garage charges $7 per day.


Parking fees change. It could be as much as $20 to park during busy times.
Valet parking prices are extra.


So when booking, ask all these questions again. Especially ask what the parking fee is likely to be for the dates of your stay. It seems that this is the fee most like the resort fees, able to be manipulated by the casino hotel, depending on what they think the market will bear. Also, parking is higher at many places if you don't sign up and show the player's card.

[atlanticcityrose]

Re: More on Resort Fees

It's different in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
In Atlantic City, the state demands a $3 parking fee, part of their move to infuse cash into the state budget. But all the casinos charge at least $5, some more if they can get it due to a special event.
There's an easy way to avoid parking fees in Atlantic City. If you have a premium player card, parking is usually free at all affiliated properties. If you don't? No problem. Just scout the machines for premium cards others have left behind. In my experience using them, the Borgata is the only joint to EVER check IDs.
The hotel fees are also different. In NJ, the state demands the taxes, but it's only about $5. You usually don't get it forgiven if you're comped, except maybe if you're a whale. Some properties, notably those owned by Harrah's, have been charging more. It's not like Vegas, where the hotel charges up to $40 a day for things you probably won't use.

[dewey089]

Re: More on Resort Fees

I get the distinctions from Vegas and agree that the fees are less insidious, easier to predict, and never a huge $28 Red Rock surprise.

I would still love it if all casinos everywhere put on their come-on advertisements exactly what it actually costs to stay there, taxes and fees included. That would protect those who are not savy travelers and it would make the entire process of booking a room less of fine print nightmare. When taxes were just a few percentage points of a purchase, it was not so important, but a $10 fee at Caesar's on an advertised $35 room, adds a fine print hidden hotel rate increase of almost 30%. It ought to be right upfront. That ought to be law.

Okay, enough ranting. Can you help a bit with the parking?

Suppose you are a frugal gambler or a live poker player, so you don't earn the upscale colored cards, and you also don't like the idea of misrepresenting your identity, think through for me a good parking strategy.
I don't quite understand exactly how they charge.
Were I to park center boardwalk where I am not staying, and never move my car over five days, would my parking fee be still be just $5 on the way out?

Were I to take an extreme frugal room for $25 at the Irish Pub in the summer months when most hotel prices are very high, could I leave my luggage at the Pub, drive to the nearest casino, park and never move the car, and then pay only $5 on my one exit to drive home?

Live poker players and the low bankrolled people never get these fancy upcolored cards. I'm looking to explore some good parking strategies for them (me).

[stungazed]

Re: More on Resort Fees

I get the distinctions from Vegas and agree that the fees are less insidious, easier to predict, and never a huge $28 Red Rock surprise.

It's bad enough when the resort fees in Las Vegas were $5, but they have steadily gone through the roof with places like Red Rock and Green Valley Ranch charging an extra $25 per night. I really can't get why they do it even though people have posted numerous reasons why. Honestly I think they should just add the resort fee to the base rate and be done. I despise the fact that a hotel can advertise a $39 rate but after the resort fee the rate is $64. Taxes bother me to a degree especially when the city is raping the tourists (take Las Vegas rental car taxes for example, over 60% on my last rental)

I would still love it if all casinos everywhere put on their come-on advertisements exactly what it actually costs to stay there, taxes and fees included. That would protect those who are not savy travelers and it would make the entire process of booking a room less of fine print nightmare. When taxes were just a few percentage points of a purchase, it was not so important, but a $10 fee at Caesar's on an advertised $35 room, adds a fine print hidden hotel rate increase of almost 30%. It ought to be right upfront. That ought to be law.

They DON'T want to help the people that aren't savvy, that's why they do it.

Okay, enough ranting. Can you help a bit with the parking?

Suppose you are a frugal gambler or a live poker player, so you don't earn the upscale colored cards, and you also don't like the idea of misrepresenting your identity, think through for me a good parking strategy.
I don't quite understand exactly how they charge.
Were I to park center boardwalk where I am not staying, and never move my car over five days, would my parking fee be still be just $5 on the way out?

OK, there's a lot of odd things that go along with parking in Atlantic City. Some casino garages charge when you ENTER. Some only give you a ticket when you enter and you pay on the way out. For those that you pay upon entry, $5 will be the fee no matter how long you stay parked there. You could virtually leave your car there a month and it would only be the $5 you paid upon entry.

For the garages that charge on exit, I'm not sure if they still charge per 24 hour period or if it's a 1 time fee as I don't use any of the casino garages that charge on the way out these days. The 2 places I park at regularly charge on entry and I'm always comped this based on my players card or a coupon they mailed me.

Were I to take an extreme frugal room for $25 at the Irish Pub in the summer months when most hotel prices are very high, could I leave my luggage at the Pub, drive to the nearest casino, park and never move the car, and then pay only $5 on my one exit to drive home?

This would depend on whether you parked at a place that collected on entry or exit. If you chose a place that charges on entry like Trump Plaza, you'd pay your $5 on the way in, and that would be all you would pay the entire time the car is parked there.

Live poker players and the low bankrolled people never get these fancy upcolored cards. I'm looking to explore some good parking strategies for them (me).

When there is a special event or a busy summer weekend when the casinos charge upwards of $20 per day to park, even a REGULAR player's card maxes you at $5. For example one summer day when I was in AC Bally's was charging $20 for parking. 7 Stars, Diamond and Platinum players were free and gold card players were $5. The $20 rate was for non card carrying people. They do this to keep people going to the beach from parking in the garages.

[dewey089]

Re: More on Resort Fees

Very helpful Stungazed. Thanks for taking the time to explain all of that. I guess I'll call around again and just ask that question of when the money is collected and if the car is never moved, whether the fee is still just $5. The assurance that the fee will never be more than that as long as I have a card is also very good news as I have read quite a few posts indicating that there was a $20 fee and one of the operators warned me about the busy times. But I'll ask that question as well.

It is hard sometimes to know how to phrase these questions. One desk clerk refused to go with my line of reasoning and hung up on me. It was very strange. The strangest was calling the Irish Pub and listening to the fellow (who said he was the owner) talk as fast as a used car salesman always selling his product of justifying his mathematics. It took me a long while to get simple, straight answers to my simple questions asked patiently and calmly. This guy was a character out of the movies.

None of them want to have this conversation. They want dates or card numbers or everything except what you ask them to tell you.

Eventually I will get some strategies. Thanks for all you have posted.

It is hard to learn frugal strategies because posters generally are folks who gamble at a high enough level to be comped rooms and parking probably as well. Maybe I'll try calling the poker rooms. They probably know how to get the cheapest parking.

Atlantic City is just five miles from my house and I used to go years ago and stay at the Sands and the Claridge when there was still low limit blackjack and full pay VP and the rooms were inexpensive and there was very little need to manipulate. I think the parking then was $2 and we could either come and go or we just parked and walked.

I hear that blackjack is coming back at the $2 level, but they charge a 25 cent fee per hand. Hilarious. Another new fee that focuses primarily on the low level gambler.

Thanks again.
Next I'll need to know where in Atlantic City I can connect with some fiesta Henderson like Feel Good Soup.

[stungazed]

Re: More on Resort Fees

Very helpful Stungazed. Thanks for taking the time to explain all of that. I guess I'll call around again and just ask that question of when the money is collected and if the car is never moved, whether the fee is still just $5. The assurance that the fee will never be more than that as long as I have a card is also very good news as I have read quite a few posts indicating that there was a $20 fee and one of the operators warned me about the busy times. But I'll ask that question as well.

I can assure you that at the places that collect upon entry the fee will be just $5 no matter how long it will be there as there is no booth on the way out. You simply exit the garage. Theoretically your car could be in there for a year and they'd never know when it came in, with exception that it would be absolutely filthy with sea salt and would stand out like a sore thumb if it were parked in the same place for an extended period of time.