Las Vegas resort fees

Old Nov 6th, 2013, 04:36 PM
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Las Vegas resort fees

I have not been to LV for several years. 5 of us are planning a trip for early June. As I look at room rates, all of the strip hotels I have checked charge from $18-$22 per day resort fee. It seems like a rip-off, just a way to add to the price of what appears to be a good room price.

Are there any hotels near the strip that do not charge this fee? We were thinking of each getting our own room for comfort, but the fee adds quite a bit to our stay. Suites would be okay if it had a separate bedroom, but the ones I looked at were either too expensive or is just one larger room. One person in our group has mobility issues and a portable oxygen tank. We aren't sure if staying off the strip is feasible with her condition.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Old Nov 6th, 2013, 05:06 PM
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Almost all of the strip hotels are owned by 3 or 4 companies now. One of them, Harrahs I think, stayed away from the resort fees for many years but finally joined the fracas this year.

Early june "specials" probably don't pop up until March or April, so if you book something this far ahead, check back in late March to see if rates have gone down.
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Old Nov 6th, 2013, 05:07 PM
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http://www.prweb.com/releases/Las-Ve...eb10510700.htm

Be on the lookout for Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales; there were some great sales last year.Not sure if they will be for
June.

I like using this site for great rates: http://www.smartervegas.com/

Sign up for unlisted offers in the upper right corner.
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Old Nov 6th, 2013, 10:12 PM
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How about Hotwire? Their rates are really great, but I don't know about this fee..
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Old Nov 7th, 2013, 03:41 PM
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Thanks for the help. I will definitely keep checking prices. I signed up for smartervegas. The prices I have found for next June are good at Flamingo, Monte Carlo, New York New York, Luxor and Harrah's if it wasn't for the daily resort fee. I still can't believe they charge this much per day. I could understand if it was a one-time charge for the stay.

Does any one know if there are any one or two bedroom suites close to the strip? That would work for us if not to far.
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Old Nov 7th, 2013, 06:02 PM
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I think there is a "Hilton Grand Vacations" club right behind the Flamingo. Also another Grand club on the strip but it is too far north for comfort. And Marriot Chateau is next to the Planet Hollywood and there are also the Vdara Hilton Suites with a decent location.

The MGM has a "Signature" suites location behind the hotel but the suites are a long long walk to the strip.
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Old Nov 7th, 2013, 08:33 PM
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The Venetian has suites - they probably have a resort fee too though.

http://www.venetian.com/Las-Vegas-Ac...ations/Suites/
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Old Nov 8th, 2013, 07:07 AM
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If you're going to have a rental car, you could stay in Henderson and commute to the Strip. DW and I stayed at the Fiesta and when we got there, they upgraded us to a nice suite which had 2 bathrooms all at the prepaid price.
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Old Nov 8th, 2013, 07:23 AM
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I have 'heard' that some hotels(like Treasure Island and Vdara) might waive the fee if you call them directly, but I have never had success getting them to. Once I did receive free show tix though. Anyways, you DEFINATELY want to stay center strip if you have mobility issues. I would suggest Bellagio, Caesars or Paris
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Old Nov 9th, 2013, 06:30 AM
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There's a time share property right near Hooters that I stayed at a few years ago. I think it was a diamond property, maybete Desert Rose, and they rent by the night. One & 2 bedroom suites with full kitchen.

The strip is a long road. Nothing wrong with taking a taxi.
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Old Nov 10th, 2013, 05:27 AM
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I am looking at a lot of options. Trying to please 5 people may not be easy. That's why I was first looking at each of us having our own room or if a couple of people want to save money, they can share a double.

The consensus now seems to be the least expensive place on the strip, which at this point is Circus Circus. I have read the reviews and understand it is at the low end of the scale on the strip. Not sure they care. 3 of the people have never been to LV and are just excited to go there.

One person suggested to me I should look at downtown hotels. She said her friends always stay downtown. They told her it is is much less expensive to stay and eat there and you can take a bus easily to the strip. Any thoughts on this idea? I have only considered the strip so this is a new idea to me.
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Old Nov 15th, 2013, 03:39 AM
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The resort fees are terrible, I can't think why they don't just tell you the total up front. We usually stay at the Luxor, because there is easy parking attached to the pyramid (our choice to stay even though the tower is an "upgrade"), and you can get to the car without going through the casino. We only stay in LV if we need a place to stay the night before or after a flight for day trips in the area with friends.

Friends from LA often stay at the Rio (just off the strip and with a shuttle) or the Golden Nugget (very good rates). They often are just stopping on the way to somewhere else or visiting with folks who have never been there.

Circus Circus is quite far up the strip, I would want to be a bit closer to the main action so you could walk the strip. It is quite a long walk from Mandalay bay to CC, and I have found the monorail not that convenient, but maybe that's because I have trouble finding the stations.

I would look at one of the sites that will give you rates for hotels for your dates, then go to the hotel sites and look for special promotions when I find something that looks good. Sometimes if you sign up for their rewards card you will get a special deal. Rates vary greatly depending on what conventions etc. are taking place.
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Old Nov 15th, 2013, 11:44 AM
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The 'M' Casino Resort has no resort fee and is a beautiful Hotel.
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Old Nov 17th, 2013, 01:09 PM
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Resort Fees are nothing but a ripoff. Hope you find a place that won't stick it to you!
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Old Nov 17th, 2013, 06:44 PM
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Avoid Circus Circus. if you're on that tight of a budget go with Gold Coast Hotel or Orleans Hotel. They are "off strip", but no further from center strip than Circus Circus really...and they have shuttles day and night to Flamingo Corner (near Caesars, Flamingo, Bellagio, Bally's, Harrahs). Gold Coast has a decent buffet, a very good steakhouse and a good Chinese restaurant. Across the street from Rio and The Palms for more dining choices.
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Old Nov 18th, 2013, 05:25 PM
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Thanks for the suggestion. I will pass it along to the group. Neither Gold Coast or Orleans has a price listed yet for our dates. I am not opposed to staying off the strip. Not sure about the others. I know they have shuttles to the strip, but some people complain about how slow they are. Some of us don't mind walking. Is it easy and safe to walk to the strip from these hotels?

I can't believe the resort fees. Why not just charge a price and be done with it? I saw an ad for Flamingo that said no resort fees, but when I tried booking with our dates, the resort fee was charged.

I know where Circus Circus is located and realize it isn't the best location. I've read lots of reviews and most are okay. Is there some other reason we shouldn't stay there?
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Old Nov 18th, 2013, 05:55 PM
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We stayed at Circus Circus just about two years ago. There was a resort fee ($7.50 a night), but when I backed out the airfare, I think the hotel was coming out to around ten dollars a night. However, I would not fly from the East Coast and spend my vacation there again. One night, on my way in or out, sure. The room was fine, but the place is a maze and poorly run. We had a lovely snack in their steakhouse, but their lower price food options are to be avoided. And the place is loud, kind of zooey, and full of large families running all over. We were aware it was at the end of the strip from a previous visit, but the location had become much more deserted, with most of the surrounding properties either construction sites or closed.

You could try Silverton or Palace Station, but for either of those you need a rental car. I love Downtown, but I wouldn't stay there unless I wanted to be downtown. My quirky child is in love with the El Cortez, but I've only eaten there, not stayed.

The strip bus has gotten expensive, and we were much less impressed with it than we were on our first visit. We rented a car for the day, and next time we'll just do it for the whole trip. We avoided the strip, but otherwise didn't find driving all that difficult, and actually found it the easiest and simplest way to get downtown (we had to pay for parking, but not much, and it wasn't traumatic).

Try Hotwire, or even airline sites. Our nearly free hotel wound up being part of a bundle from U.S. Airways, and if it's cheap enough, the resort fee shouldn't be the end of the world.
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Old Nov 19th, 2013, 04:17 AM
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Suggest you stay mid-strip - especially with a group of 5 - so that if somebody wants to walk somewhere - or ride the bus, etc - they can but don't have that far to go while the others can do what they want. Keep checking deals - and Flamingo usually has some deals - and if you can get a room high up 18th floor (but they sometimes charge a premium) and on the Bally's side - you can watch the great Bellagio fountains while having wine and cheese/whatever - in the room. Planet Hollywood has the same view rooms if you work them. Bally's also has some deals and Paris is nice - but usually a bit more. The new Aria mega complexcan also have some deals.
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Old Nov 19th, 2013, 06:46 PM
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Since we have several months until our trip, I will continue to search on a regular basis. Someone suggested black Friday and cyber Monday. I will be sure to look on both of those days. I see some of the reservations require a deposit up-front. I would need to research that more closely to see if it is refundable. While our dates are fairly firm, you never know what can happen. When I travel personally, I often book, cancel and rebook several times before my trip. I can't get used to the idea of resort fees and deposits to book a room. LV definitely doesn't have bargains like there were when I first went there several years ago. And they wonder why travel is down to their city!

Thanks for all of the suggestions and recommendations. I will see the group next week and update them on the information I have gathered. Booking for 5 people is much more work than planning a personal vacation.
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Old Nov 29th, 2013, 08:18 AM
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I had just the same dilemma! In the end I reserved at a resort hotel (without a casino - it's not important to us that to have one in the hotel) just off the center strip with no resort fees.
I used several sites to check out hotels w/o resort fees.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/Las-Ve...eb10510700.htm
Haven't been on the vacation yet, so I don't know if I made the correct decision. We're going to have a car so we'll be able to get around (and battle traffic, apparently).
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