History of Las Vegas Resort Fees
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Resort fees are a sore topic for many Las Vegas tourists. Most hotels advertise a low rate, only to stuff the bill with resort fees that can be over $40 per night. In some instances, the resort fee is higher than the rack rate for the room itself. Even worse, some Las Vegas hotels that charge resort fees offer little or no amenities to justify it in the first place. It’s little more than a hidden fee at these properties. On the other hand, most services that fall under amenities covered by the resort fee were previously free before the fee was added to hotel bills.
Where Las Vegas Resort Fees Started
The concept of resort fees began with Station Casinos in 2004. This business focuses on the Las Vegas area's market and operates several large resorts frequently visited by tourists, mostly from nearby California. The original charge ranged from $15 to $25, depending on the venue, with Green Valley Ranch having the highest fees.
Initially, Station Casinos claimed it covered various amenities such as use of a spa, web access and shuttle services. The company believed that it received few complaints and, on occasion, saved customers cash since bundling the packages was cheaper than purchasing internet, spa access and taking the shuttle. A trend started to form as other places joined in.
Soon after, Boyd Gaming implemented resort fees at its local venues following Station's initiative. This was introduced at The Orleans, Gold Coast and Suncoast. The charges were quite minimal initially, generally not exceeding $5 or $10.
In 2008, MGM Resorts hopped onto the resort fee trend. Their fees were within the $15-$25 scope at the time, and pricing varied based on the location. Nowadays, MGM resort fees are nearly $40 at most spots.
Caesars Entertainment maintained its traditional pricing structure up until 2013. It then introduced a resort fee to customer bills. That move helped it stay competitive on travel websites where Caesars Entertainment’s base rates were higher at times because its opponents concealed a resort fee from the visible price.
As seen with other hotels, Caesars Entertainment pointed out that this allowed it to combine all of the fees instead of costing services individually. The Las Vegas Sun observed then that 88 percent of participants surveyed on the Strip did not consider resort fees as a decisive factor in choosing a hotel.
Major Las Vegas Properties Without Resort Fees
At this time, Casino Royale’s Best Western is the last casino on the Las Vegas Strip that does not have a resort fee and Four Queens is the only casino in downtown Las Vegas that does not have one.
Most of the major hotel chains that do not have a casino have also resisted the temptation to charge a resort fee. This includes Marriott, Wyndham, Red Roof Inn, Royal Resort and Travelodge. The Lucky Club, a budget hotel with a casino in North Las Vegas, also does not have a resort fee.
Downtown Holdouts Start Charging Resort Fees in 2018
Three well-known downtown Las Vegas casinos joined the majority by starting to charge resort fees on April 15, 2018. That is when California, Fremont and Main Street Station started charging $15 per day. This is essentially what it was charging for parking and internet use. Now it is automatically placed onto the bill, regardless of whether a guest uses these services. This leaves Four Queens as the only property in downtown Las Vegas without a resort fee.
Evolution of Resort Fees
Resort fees started out being relatively low, generally falling in the $15 to $25 range. As we mentioned earlier, the first resort fees introduced by Boyd Gaming were only around $5 to start. With that said, Las Vegas resorts and casinos decided to raise resort fees several times since the concept was implemented.
Las Vegas Resort Fee Increases in 2018
As of July 2018, 46 Las Vegas hotels increased their resort fees, according to data from Las Vegas Jaunt. We also found several more that are not mentioned on their 2018 list. The numbers below do not include the 12% tax rate for casinos in the Las Vegas city limits or the 13% for ones in unincorporated Clark County.
- Mandarin Oriental: $39 to $45
- Palazzo: $39 to $45
- Venetian: $39 to $45
- Aria: $35 to $39
- Bellagio: $35 to $39
- Encore: $35 to $39
- Mandarin Oriental: $35 to $39
- Wynn: $35 to $39
- Vdara: $35 to $39
- Caesars Palace: $32 to $39
- Four Seasons: $32 to $39
- Nobu: $32 to $39
- The Cromwell: $32 to $37
- Paris: $32 to $37
- Planet Hollywood: $32 to $37
- Delano: $32 to $35
- MGM Grand: $32 to $35
- Signature at MGM Grand: $32 to $35
- Mirage: $32 to $35
- Treasure Island: $32 to $35
- Cosmopolitan: $30 to $35
- Mandalay Bay: $30 to $35
- New York New York: $30 to $35
- Park at MGM: $30 to $35
- Bally’s: $29 to $35
- Flamingo: $29 to $35
- Harrah’s: $29 to $35
- Linq: $29 to $35
- Tropicana: $29 to $35
- Trump: $29 to $35
- Green Valley Ranch: $26 to $35
- Red Rock Resort: $26 to $35
- Westgate: $28 to $34
- Circus Circus: $24 to $32
- Hard Rock Casino: $25 to $31
- Rio and Stratosphere: $25 to $30
- Golden Nugget: $25 to $29.50
- Hooters: $20 to $29
- Tuscany: $24 to $28
- Downtown Grand: $20 to $23
- Plaza: $18 to $22
- Palace Station: $15 to $22
- Gold Coast and Suncoast: $16 to $21
- Silver Sevens: $15 to $21
- South Point: $15 to $21
- The Orleans: $13 to $21
- Aliante and Sam’s Town: $13 to $20
- Ellis Island: $13 to $18
- Arizona Charlie’s Decatur: $7.50 to $16
- Arizona Charlie’s Boulder: $7.50 to $10
- El Cortez: $11 to $15
- Cannery and Eastside Cannery: $5 to $9.50
- California: $0 to $15
- Fremont: $0 to $15
- Main Street Station: $0 to $15
Las Vegas Resort Fee Increases in 2017
Fewer casinos raised their resort fees in 2017 when compared to 2018.
- Venetian: $35 to $39
- Palazzo: $35 to $39
- Aria: $32 to $35
- Bellagio: $32 to $35
- Vdara: $32 to $35
- Mandarin Oriental: $32 to $35
- Delano: $30 to $32
- Mandalay Bay: $30 to $32
- MGM Grand: $30 to $32
- Mirage: $30 to $32
- Treasure Island: $30 to $32
- Excalibur: $26 to $29
- Luxor: $26 to $29
- Tropicana: $25 to $29
- Bally’s: $18 to $25
- Flamingo: $18 to $25
- Harrah’s: $18 to $25
- Rio: $18 to $25
- Stratosphere: $21 to $25
- Circus Circus: $21 to $24
- Aliante Casino: $13 to $20
- M Resort: $0 to $20
- Silverton: $13 to $17
- El Cortez: $9 to $11
- Cannery and Eastside Cannery: $0 to $5
- Arizona Charlie’s Decatur: $0 to $7.50
- Boulder: $0 to $7.50
Las Vegas Resort Fee Increases in 2016
Resort fee increases were not as common before 2017. However, we found several that occurred in 2016. They include:
- Aria: $29 to $32
- Bellagio: $29 to $32
- Caesars Palace: $29 to $32
- Cromwell: $29 to $32
- Four Seasons: $29 to $32
- Mandarin Oriental: $29 to $32
- Palazzo: $29 to $32
- Paris: $29 to $32
- Planet Hollywood: $29 to $32
- Vdara: $29 to $32
- Venetian: $29 to $32
- MGM Grand and Signature at MGM: $29 to $30
- Monte Carlo (now Park MGM): $25 to $30
- New York New York: $25 to $30
- Westgate: $22 to $28
- Excalibur: $20 to $26
- Golden Nugget: $20 to $25
- Tuscany: $17 to $24
- Hooters: $14 to $20
- Plaza: $15 to $18
- Silver Sevens: $10 to $15
Las Vegas Resort Fee Increases in 2015
There were even fewer resort fee increases in 2015. With the help of Las Vegas Jaunt, we compiled the increases from that year:
- Cosmopolitan: $25 to $30
- Aria: $25 to $29
- Bellagio: $25 to $29
- Caesars Palace: $25 to $29
- Mandalay Bay: $25 to $29
- MGM Grand: $25 to $29
- Paris: $25 to $29
- Planet Hollywood: $25 to $29
- Wynn: $25 to $29
- Encore: $25 to $29
- Bally’s: $20 to $25
- Linq: $20 to $25
- Monte Carlo (now Park MGM): $20 to $25
- New York New York: $20 to $25
- Tropicana: $20 to $25
- Flamingo: $18 to $25
- Harrah’s: $18 to $25
- Rio: $18 to $25
- Excalibur: $15 to $20
Unfortunately, there is not enough data to generate useful numbers for resort fee increases before 2015. However, many Las Vegas hotels either did not have resort fees in 2014 or had just started increasing the original amount for it.
How to Get Out of Paying Las Vegas Resort Fees
Most hotels will not waive a resort fee. The argument is that it covers amenities that are open to all guests and it is not fair to give a discount to some for these property features and not others. In some cases, travelers have reported complaining loudly enough that the resort waived the fees However, these fees are typically disclosed at the time of room reservation on the hotel’s website or search engines which makes it difficult to claim ignorance when hit with the resort fees on your final bill.
There are ways to get out of paying the resort fee without having to complain about it. Certain properties advertise special mid-week rates that do not include a resort fee, and some may also waive parking fees at the same time.
Higher volume gamblers will usually receive comped hotel rooms, and the resort fee is generally waived for rooms that have been comped by the casino. Caesars Entertainment is the one exception; only Total Rewards members who are Diamond or Seven Stars players will have their resort fee waived on a free hotel room.
One way to achieve a higher tier without gambling is to receive one of the casino company’s credit cards. Tier points are earned on all purchases, so this can be enough to clear the threshold to get out of resort fees. Another idea is the Founders Card, which gives Caesars Entertainment customers automatic Diamond level in Total Rewards.
Of course, you can always just stay at a hotel that does not charge a resort fee. These generally will not have a casino and may also have limited amenities.
What Do Resort Fees Cover?
The resort fee that customers pay at a casino covers several amenities on the hotel’s property. These features can vary significantly from one resort to another. Some hotels offer little more than free internet access, while others have a large resort experience to accommodate its guests.
Phone calls and internet access are usually included in all resort fees. The list below shows the resort fee and additional benefits of it.
What Resort Fee Covers at Las Vegas Hotels
Aliante Casino ($20): Coffee maker, daily newspaper, concierge services, fitness center, two bottles of water and valet parking
Aria ($39): Fitness center, daily newspaper and business center access
Arizona Charlie’s Boulder ($10) and Decatur ($16): Boarding pass printing service
Bally’s ($35): Fitness center and pool access
Boulder Station ($20): Local newspaper, business center, fitness center and pool access
Caesars Palace ($39): Fitness center access
California ($15): Self-parking, boarding pass printing and shuttle to Sam’s Town
Cannery ($9.50): Fitness and pool access, as well as boarding pass printing, fax and coffee services
Circus Circus ($32): Coupon book, fitness center and boarding pass printing
Cosmopolitan ($35): Fitness center and tennis court access
Cromwell ($37): Fitness center
Delano ($37): Fitness and business center access
Downtown Grand ($26): Bottle water, coffee, coupon book, pool and free self and valet parking
Eastside Cannery ($15): Fitness center, business center, pool and coffee
El Cortez ($15): Airport shuttle, fitness center and pool
Ellis Island ($20): Pool, business center, breakfast and coffee
Encore ($39): Fitness center and business services
Fiesta Henderson ($16): Newspaper and business center
Fiesta Rancho ($16): Nothing above typical internet and phone services
Flamingo ($35): Fitness center and pool
Four Seasons ($39): Fitness center, shoe shine and coffee
Fremont ($15): Self-parking, business center and Sam’s Town shuttle
Gold Coast ($21): Fitness center, pool, coffee, Strip shuttle and business center access
Golden Gate ($25): Show ticket discounts and fitness center
Golden Nugget ($29.50): Coupon book, pool, fitness center, parking, newspaper and business center services
Green Valley Ranch ($39): Fitness center, pool, show shine, newspaper, airport and Las Vegas Strip shuttle
Hard Rock ($33): Strip shuttle, fitness center, newspaper and business services
Harrah’s ($35): Pool and fitness center
Hooters ($35): Water, pool and fitness center
Linq ($35): Pool and fitness center
Luxor ($35): Pool and fitness center
M Resort ($25): Newspaper and shuttle service
Mandalay Bay ($37): Fitness and business center
Mandarin Oriental ($45): Shoe shine, business center, coffee and tea service
MGM Grand ($37): Fitness center, newspaper and pool
Mirage ($37): Fitness center, newspaper and pool
New York New York ($37): Fitness center and pool
Orleans ($21): Fitness center, business center and shuttle to Strip and related properties
Palace Station ($30): Pool, business center and fitness center
Palazzo ($45): Pool, fitness center and business center
Palms ($32): Fitness and business center access
Paris ($37): Pool, fitness and business center access
Park MGM, formerly Monte Carlo ($37): Fitness and business center access
Planet Hollywood ($37): Fitness and business center access
Plaza ($22): Fitness center, business center, bottles of water, pool and airport shuttle
Red Rock Resort ($39): Fitness center, business center, pool, shoe shine and shuttle
Rio ($32): Pool and fitness center
Sam’s Town ($20): Business services, pool and shuttle to Las Vegas Strip and California Casino in downtown Las Vegas
Santa Fe Station ($20): Fitness center, daily coffee, pool and free game of bowling
Silver Sevens ($21): Shuttle to Las Vegas Strip and airport and business center
SLS Las Vegas ($32): Fitness center and pool
South Point ($21): Coupon book, fitness center and business services
Stratosphere ($33): Coupon book redeemable on property, fitness center and pool
Suncoast ($21): Coupon book, shuttle, fitness center and coffee in room
Sunset Station ($22): Fitness center and coupons for property
The D ($25): Fitness center and show ticket discounts
Treasure Island ($37): Coupon book, fitness center, business services and pool
Tuscany ($28): Pool, fitness center and coffee
Vdara ($39): Fitness center, business services, pool and water bottles
Venetian ($45): Newspaper, property discounts, pool, fitness center and business services
Westgate ($34): Fitness center
Wynn ($39): Fitness center and business services