Resort Fees: What They Are and How To Avoid Them

Resort fees - what are they? Why do you pay them? How can you avoid them?



Resort fees are charged by most Vegas hotels for using their "facilities". The fees tend to cover a large gray area in a lot of cases: it can be a basic charge that only amounts to a couple of dollars and is added to your hotel room bill for incidentals; it can be a basic fee added for your use of the gym or basic spa facilities (whether you use them or not); it can be a nominal fee charged for the use of the in-room telephone - it could be for basically anything the resort chooses, and it could cover any combination of services to boot. It depends on the hotel and what they offer versus what they want to charge you for.

Many resorts started charging the fees regularly a couple of years ago. To me it seems as though the fees appeared with more frequency after the recession began, sort of as a way to compensate for lost earnings. I also wonder if the fees are used to offset any free rooms that people (like me) are getting.



There's a way to get around resort fees in most cases, and it's very simple. Here are two of the very best ways to try and avoid them, but remember that they are not foolproof and you should be sure to check the terms and conditions when booking your rooms to determine what the charges are (if any) and what the fees include:



Book your room online - Many hotels will waive resort fees if you book online. You should check with the hotel to make sure this is the case, as some resort fees can be as much as $25 a night. If there are any resort fees, they will be applied to your bill at the end of your stay, and you should receive notification from the front desk before they are applied. Ideally, the front desk should notify you of any and all resort fees at the time you are checking in.



Book your room directly through the player's club or from the slot club offers you receive - This is the way I personally avoid the fees. By signing up to become a member of a casino's players' club and booking my reservation directly through the players' club or the offers I receive from them as a result of my previous play, I automatically avoid the resort fees that are normally charged to other customers. And that's a good thing for me: if my room is totally comped based on my previous play, I don't want to be surprised by a $12.50 charge at the end of my stay when I don't do anything but stay in my room and use a single towel and wash cloth. (Let's not discuss the bath goodies I took, though, shall we?)

In any case, take advantage of the players' clubs and online offers when you can. Not only will you avoid the fees, but you'll probably also get a better rate than you would just by calling up the hotel and booking your stay directly through them.