[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by BBMW

If you gamble in pretty much any form in a casino, you have a players card. You want one, because that's how you get comps. To get a players card, you have to let them scan your ID. And you use your players card when you play (see above.) So for many, if not most of the people in the casino, they already know who you are, and are tracking you.

But to scan every time you park? No thanks.

(I don't gamble, either, BTW)

[Grumpypotpie]

Originally Posted by Clarkcty

A lot of businesses not affiliated with Caesars will be affected if they really start charging for parking especially for locals. I love checking out the restaurants and bars at the LinQ and Im glad Caesars does not charge for parking. Charging locals for parking is like saying do not come to my property, I don't need your business. Bad move, tourists are here only for a few days, locals are here 24/7/365 and yes locals do visit the bars, restaurants and locals gamble on the Strip.

Do you think Caesar's likes money less than MGM? I don't. They are trying to dig out of bankruptcy to boot. It's only a matter of time.

[Grumpypotpie]

Originally Posted by Independentthinking

Actually, I think it is a big deal (even for tourists). And no, it's not just the parking fee on its own. But rather, it's the nickel and diming I think will cause problems. Anyone wishing to stay at the Cosmopolitan now has to pay a resort fee and parking. That equates to approximately $50 before you even look at your room charge and taxes (and I believe those are charged for the add ons). It really doesn't matter what other cities do, Vegas has been known for years to have discounted rooms which were subsidized by gambling. I know people like to make the argument that it's more about conventions now then gambling, but not all of those Convention goers are playing at the tables. At some point I do think it will impact their bottom line. At some point, we will have another recession. Sounds like a perfect time to revisit this conversation.

Anyone who is paying for a room at Cosmopolitan isn't going to flinch at an extra $50.

[Clarkcty]

Originally Posted by Grumpypotpie

Do you think Caesar's likes money less than MGM? I don't. They are trying to dig out of bankruptcy to boot. It's only a matter of time.

I have no problem with Caesars NOT charging locals with parking, do you?

[Independentthinking]

Originally Posted by Grumpypotpie

Anyone who is paying for a room at Cosmopolitan isn't going to flinch at an extra $50.

Although I used the Cosmopolitan in my example, just about all the casinos on the strip are charging resort fees and parking fees. So this would apply to the lesser casinos also. I'm thinking that Excalibur guest might not be too pleased at paying $34.01 for a resort fee and then $10-$15 for parking. At a weekday price of $80, that only increased their cost by a little over 60%. But I guess that's not a valid concern.

[69Charger]

Originally Posted by Grumpypotpie

Anyone who is paying for a room at Cosmopolitan isn't going to flinch at an extra $50.

Yes they will, the whole concept is ridiculous.

[Independentthinking]

Originally Posted by 69Charger

Yes they will, the whole concept is ridiculous.

Funny thing is, I'm actually staying at the Cosmopolitan tomorrow and I'm bothered by it. I switch over to a fully comped hotel for the two days after that (no resort fees or parking fees). My wife and I have made less trips to Vegas since they bumped up the resort fees (yeah we noticed). We've been spending much more time at Lake Tahoe and Reno as they do a better job of taking care of their customers. Adding parking to that just went over the top. I suspect most people don't take advantage of the fitness center and may not even use much of the internet, so there's not much value to them. It really amazed me with the parking that it would not be included in the resort fees.

[BBMW]

It's the concept Vegas is built on now. Give people a luxury experience, and they'll pay anything you want.

Originally Posted by 69Charger

Yes they will, the whole concept is ridiculous.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by Independentthinking

Anyone wishing to stay at the Cosmopolitan now has to pay a resort fee and parking. That equates to approximately $50 before you even look at your room charge and taxes (and I believe those are charged for the add ons).

Originally Posted by Grumpypotpie

Anyone who is paying for a room at Cosmopolitan isn't going to flinch at an extra $50.

The thing driving hotels everywhere to do this is the online comparison shopping websites such as Vegas.com, Expedia, Travelocity, TriVaGo, Hotels.com and others.

Travelers use the comparison websites, and the comparison websites report the room rate. If one hotel were to bundle that $50 into its base price, all of a sudden the comparison websites would show that it is more expensive, even though the revenue collected is the same.

To consumers it appears to be nickel-and-diming, and consumers *say* they would prefer all the charges bundled, but consumers vote with their dollars - and use the comparison shopping websites.

Frankly, I'm surprised more Strip properties haven't gone to a model of a *very* low hotel room with a *very* high "resort fee." Room rate of $10... with a resort fee of $150. The comparison shopping sites would show the room rte as $10.

[Independentthinking]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

The thing driving hotels everywhere to do this is the online comparison shopping websites such as Vegas.com, Expedia, Travelocity, TriVaGo, Hotels.com and others.

Travelers use the comparison websites, and the comparison websites report the room rate. If one hotel were to bundle that $50 into its base price, all of a sudden the comparison websites would show that it is more expensive, even though the revenue collected is the same.

To consumers it appears to be nickel-and-diming, and consumers *say* they would prefer all the charges bundled, but consumers vote with their dollars - and use the comparison shopping websites.

Frankly, I'm surprised more Strip properties haven't gone to a model of a *very* low hotel room with a *very* high "resort fee." Room rate of $10... with a resort fee of $150. The comparison shopping sites would show the room rte as $10.

Ahh come on now. You really believe people are that stupid that they wouldn't notice the additional cost when they went to check out on the web sites? I'll give people a little more credit than that.