I hate them, and it looks like CET is bringing them to Vegas. I first heard the news here and it's been spreading around the web like wildfire ever since.
To me this is a bad, bad move. They have been touting "no resort fees" and whipping ALL the other strip properties for a couple of years with the "savings" you get by staying with them versus a property that charges a fee. Now them is they.
I am never going to be a fan of extra fees associated with anything. I get the concept, "We bundled together our most popular services and charge you less for using them". But, I have a couple of problems with that concept.
Problem #1
I have a smartphone. I don't use the in room phone for local or long distance calls. I don't bring a laptop so in room wifi is useless. I'll use the spa if I'm getting a spa service, but spa access comes with a service so that is a net zero deal for me.
Imagine if ALL of a hotels guests showed up to use the spa on the same day. It comes with the resort fee they were forced to pay so they might as well use it. So a hotel that has 4000 rooms with an average of two guests in each room means 8000 people a day will pack the various areas of the spa... RELAXING!!!!!!
Most spa's have 50ish lockers in them, is there going to be additional fee if you want a locker? Is that the next profit center waiting to be exploited?
Problem #2
Most of my rooms are free because I gamble. Don't charge me a fee when I'm willing to throw down my gaming dollars in your hotel/casino. I realize I could "pay" the resort fee in a few hands or button pushes, but you are taking my gambling money away. Didn't you guys make money on the casino at some point in history?
When the MGM folks started resort fees you weren't charged if you were comped, but not at every property. They were charging them at Monte Carlo and NYNY for some reason. We stayed at MGM, Mandalay, Luxor and Aria and weren't charged one when non-comped guests were. We felt like big shots... But a week ago I called the MGM to book an offer and I was told I'd get three free nights, freeplay and show tickets, but they would charge me $25 (plus 11% tax!) in resort fees. Thats $83.25 I am not going to spend in the casino. I was told there was a possibility they wouldn't charge it, but no guarantee. I'm not booking a room that may or may not cost me an extra $83.25.
Now the CET folks are joining the party and it's too early to tell how its gonna work. But, if they want to start charging me a resort fee on a comped room bridges will be burnt.
