Las Vegas - Monte Carlo "resort fee" ripoff

I have stayed at the Monte Carlo many times, most recently in June 2009. However, for my next visit in November 2009 the hotel has indicated that there will be a "resort fee" of a little over $10 *DAILY* for this:

"For your convenience, a daily resort fee of US$9.50 (subject to applicable lodging tax) will be added to the guest account and includes the following hotel services: fitness center access, daily newspaper, 2 bottles of Monte Carlo water per day, complimentary copying and faxing, boarding pass printing, and free local and (800) calls."

Although I admit that $10 a day is trivial, I do find it outrageous to be charged for services I don't want. I will make use of only the daily newspaper, and boarding pass printing which occurs only on the day before checkout, so $10 on all other days is superfluous.

I might make use of the water bottles, but I would much prefer to order water at the poker tables from the cocktail waitresses and tip them a dollar each time, rather than ignore them by using hotel room bottles which likely are too large to fit in the poker table drink receptacles anyway.

It is especially insulting to be told that local and (800) calls will be free. Don't nearly all of us own cell phones nowadays with call plans that make it free for us to make local and (800) calls from Vegas without any extra charges?

Opinions? Is this resort fee being applied at all MGM Mirage properties, or only at the Monte Carlo?

Let them know you will go elsewhere.

Vegas fee and no fee list (http://www.vegas.com/incl/resortfees.html)

Let them know you will go elsewhere.

"Dear Monte Carlo,

Thank you for the information regarding the resort fees. It seems like a lot of work for you to arrange this all for me so, for your convenience, I will stay somewhere else."

Mike

All of a sudden in the last few months these things have been popping up everywhere.

I have an upcoming comped stay at Palazzo that was booked before they added a resort fee - so I'm interested to see if they try to charge me one. Actually, I hope that they do so that I can say something about it.

Sounds like another bean counter proposal. Let's charge them $10 a day, and give them $1 worth of stuff. When a resort fee is compulsory, then it's a bad idea.

"Dear Monte Carlo,

Thank you for the information regarding the resort fees. It seems like a lot of work for you to arrange this all for me so, for your convenience, I will stay somewhere else."

Mike

:D

I have stayed at the Monte Carlo many times, most recently in June 2009. However, for my next visit in November 2009 the hotel has indicated that there will be a "resort fee" of a little over $10 *DAILY* for this:

"For your convenience, a daily resort fee of US$9.50 (subject to applicable lodging tax) will be added to the guest account and includes the following hotel services: fitness center access, daily newspaper, 2 bottles of Monte Carlo water per day, complimentary copying and faxing, boarding pass printing, and free local and (800) calls."

Although I admit that $10 a day is trivial, I do find it outrageous to be charged for services I don't want. I will make use of only the daily newspaper, and boarding pass printing which occurs only on the day before checkout, so $10 on all other days is superfluous.

I might make use of the water bottles, but I would much prefer to order water at the poker tables from the cocktail waitresses and tip them a dollar each time, rather than ignore them by using hotel room bottles which likely are too large to fit in the poker table drink receptacles anyway.

It is especially insulting to be told that local and (800) calls will be free. Don't nearly all of us own cell phones nowadays with call plans that make it free for us to make local and (800) calls from Vegas without any extra charges?

Opinions? Is this resort fee being applied at all MGM Mirage properties, or only at the Monte Carlo?
(1) Bring about 800 pages of business documents to copy and fax free.:D
(2) Why is there ever a charge for toll free usage--virtually all hotels charge for this, when it costs them nothing. [Harrah's casinos in Atlantic City, used to give you 30 minutes/call of 800 usage free--but I think they stopped.]

(1) Bring about 800 pages of business documents to copy and fax freeI'm sure you have a friend who needs a copy of 'War and Peace' faxed to then....... :D

Resort fees are something I hate but they seem to be popping up so much that it is hard to avoid a hotel because of them. In this case I would just try to get all my international faxes sent out on this trip......to at least get some value out of it. Notice they never include internet, something somebody would actually want.

I can't wait to try the Monte Carlo water. That's got to be worth $10 right there. :rolleyes:

The only way these fees will go away is if consumers a) refuse to book at properties that have them or b) refuse to pay the fees. (If you didn't use any of the services provided by the fee, why should you have to pay for them?) The latter used to be a successful strategy when such fees were relatively new, but not sure that's going to work much anymore.

Vegas fee and no fee list (http://www.vegas.com/incl/resortfees.html)

Thanks for the nice list as mine was very outdated.

MisterNice

Vegas fee and no fee list (http://www.vegas.com/incl/resortfees.html)

More than $22 at TI :eek:. That's more than the room :rolleyes:

Vegas fee and no fee list (http://www.vegas.com/incl/resortfees.html)

Thank you for this as well...... will certainly help where to stay next time we are in Vegas. Domestic long distance is pretty valuable for me since US Roaming is pretty expensive for me.....

We were warned by the check in chick in the VIP lounge that we would pay a $10 a day resort fee at Monte Carlo -- for basically nothing -- free wi fi (um, we have Verizon or another service like EVERYBODY else this time of century), 2 bottles of water a day, a newspaper every day. We did not receive any bottles of water, nor did we receive a newspaper, although the newspapers were left out near the elevator. However, on the bright side, even though we didn't play because we were too busy with poker thus were coasting on past comps, either the host or the computer removed the resort fee.

I agree I would not stay there unless I was comped, esp. now with easy access to Bellagio (our poker home) blocked off by construction. While we were at Monte Carlo, we had to drive every day, because we couldn't figure out how to walk there even though in theory it's close. We did TRY to walk but we were turned back. So staying at Monte Carlo cost us the cool free drinks at Bellagio poker room...Back in the day, there was a free tram between the two properties. Gone, gone, GONE.

Monte Carlo should not charge a resort fee, they should be glad anyone still stays there at all. The resort fee plus "getting there" issues pretty much guarantee you won't stay there twice. I loved Andre's restaurant though. It was fabulous. I hope once City Center is open, they work out these "access" problems. I'm not gonna pay a resort fee to be in a low security federal prison where I can go out if I pay bribes. RIght now, that's the situation with Monte Carlo. Such a hassle to go anywhere. I was very disappointed despite the great pleasure I took in the visit to Andre's and the beautiful suite. When I accepted their comp, I did so assuming that access to Bellagio would be pretty durn easy.

From Monte Carlo, the west side of Las Vegas Blvd is where you need to go for pedestrian traffic.

From Monte Carlo, the west side of Las Vegas Blvd is where you need to go for pedestrian traffic.
Isn't Monte Carlo on the West Side?
I was in LAS the weekend of Sept. 25, and you could walk from MC to Bellagio; when did they close that side off--I assume it is for the City Center Project.

Isn't Monte Carlo on the West Side?
I was in LAS the weekend of Sept. 25, and you could walk from MC to Bellagio; when did they close that side off--I assume it is for the City Center Project.

I really need to stop thinking while I'm upside down :D. Yes, please do exactly the opposite of what I recommend :D.

Wow.. thanks for posting that list. I didn't know that so many hotels charged a resort fee, not to mention some high resort fees. I never even use the phone in the hotel room. Although, I've had to come close sometimes. I don't know if I am just in the wrong places, but it seems AT&T isn't so great in Vegas.

Every rinky-dink property in town is now charging a resort fee, and if you booked on PL or Hotwire you're stuck with it even though you thought you prepaid for the room.

We need the FTC to put a stop to this nonsense.