Wynn Resorts starts charging a $20-per-night resort fee

[SteveBourieOLD]

Wynn Las Vegas and Encore have implemented a resort fee of $20 per night for guests. The mandatory fee includes Internet access, phone calls, printing boarding passes and use of the fitness center. "Responding directly to extensive customer feedback, the resort fee will offer value to customers with a bundling of the most sought-after amenities," said Wynn Resorts in a statement.

Read the whole story - Las Vegas Sun

[dewey089]

Re: Wynn Resorts starts charging a $20-per-night resort fee

Yep, MGM also has gone the resort fee route this month.
Well, let's hope Harrah's will hold the line and Coast will at least keep it cheap.

Some reports that MGM did not charge resort fees on comped rooms. I don't know if that is true for Wynn or not. It is reported that folks who made reservations before the move to resort fees at Wynn are grandfathered in and will have the fees waived, but it is a good idea to get a confirmation of charges in writing and pay close attention at check in and check out. Sometimes fees have slipped into the paperwork.

Wynn still has one of the lowest live poker rakes in town, however. And the new uncrowded ACE bus gets there in record time from those downtown hotels that remain free of resort fees and half the price of strip properties.

[Ben Jammin]

Re: Wynn Resorts starts charging a $20-per-night resort fee

I don't pay no stinking resort fees. Unfortunately we on these sites make up only a small minority of customers to the Strip casinos. The rest of the mullets line up for the slaughter.

E mail and call casino management. The wheel that squeaks the loudest gets the grease.

Make sure your complaint reaches the right person or all is moot.

[dewey089]

Re: Wynn Resorts starts charging a $20-per-night resort fee

Here is my favorite story of the week.
A woman books an emailed promo that says something like:

"Buy one night, get one night free, with resort fee waived and gives a rate. Let's say the rate was $50.

So she calls and books.
When she reviews the charges, she sees a resort fee added in.
"The resort fee is waived for this promotion, " she reminds the booking clerk.

"Oh, that is just waived for the free night; you still have to pay it on the paid night."
Can you believe it?

(Sorry, I don't have the casino or remember the source of that story. It was not Wynn.)

Resort fees make it lots of fun for the writers of promotional rates to compose the come-on emails and newsletter advertisements. There are so many small print tricks that can be applied.

Should we take a lawyer with us when we book a room in Vegas now, or should we practice by playing a bit of chess before we call to make the reservation?

My last trip I did decide to stay two free nights at the Orleans and some cheap nights at the Gold Coast where I fully expected to pay the cheap $5 and $3 resort fees respectively. (I guess I am still not a purist, Ben, as you are. You do have my respect, however)
The Orleans gave me $10 in free food as well, which I thought was very generous since I have not gambled there since 2006 when they downgraded the 10/7 DB to 9/6DB and I got mad and said I would never go there again. (Again, Ben, you can see how fickle I am. Not much of a true reformer)

In the end, without protest from me, they just did not charge me any of those fees, just as Vegas Club that got my okay for a $5 upgrade to the North Tower rooms (when I called to confirm my booking) did not charge me that fee either.
Go figure.

[JupiterFL]

Re: Wynn Resorts starts charging a $20-per-night resort fee

We need to start a petition to stop resort fees. If you want to increase the pricing of your rooms just tack on 5 dollars or however much you would like to charge. This will continue to push customers away from the strip.

[dewey089]

Re: Wynn Resorts starts charging a $20-per-night resort fee

It is fairly simple to write to your favorites and either object to resort fees or thank them for not having one. A flood of those letters would get noticed.