Last month I wrote about MGM’s Aria Las Vegas charging $26 for each bottle of water they leave in guest rooms. You’d be better off buying water at the airport when you land, at the inflated prices there. It was the perfect example of the kind of costs that make people feel cheated on a Las Vegas trip. Vegas is suffering, and executives there can’t seem to figure out why.
A reader shares that the were billed “$50 to charge a laptop” at Paris Las Vegas, and they thought this was “an even more outrageous fee.”
On our last trip, my adult daughter brought her computer to finish some last minute work and needed a workspace. The only suitable workspace was a small desk and chair that also housed the minibar. From your article, I told her to avoid the minibar, since moving anything will result in charges.
She set up her laptop on the desk and looked for an outlet. There was one right above the desk, but it was full, so she unplugged one of the cords and plugged in the computer.
The guest was charged $50 (plus tax!) and there wasn’t an obvious explanation for the fee, so the guest pressed for an explanation. There was a “very small sign with even smaller print that says Please refrain from unplugging the tray. If this occurs, a fee of $50 will be applied.”
The little sign was not near the outlet. Disgusted, I went to the front desk to have the charge removed. The woman there told me that they couldn’t remove it because it was a third party fee. She even had a picture of the minibar with the sign at her fingertips to show me the warning.
The head of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said on Thursday, “Visitation is down about 7 %, ADR is down, and RevPAR is down 14 % — the largest drop we’ve seen this century outside a crisis.”
Indeed, the city just saw the sharpest month‑on‑month deterioration outside 9/11, the financial crisis and 2020 pandemic shutdowns. CoStar’s weekly note on the city: “Las Vegas posted the second‑largest occupancy drop of any U.S. market, off 11.9 % last week.”
| Current level | Year-Over-Year | |||
| Visitor volume (Jan‑May 2025) | 16.46m | ‑6.5 % | ||
| Hotel occupancy (May 2025) | 83% | ‑3.1 | ||
| Room nights occupied (May 2025) | 3.88m | ‑5.5 % | ||
| Strip ADR (May 2025) | $212 | ‑1.2 % | ||
| Strip RevPAR (May 2025) | $181 | ‑4.8 % | ||
| Strip Gaming Revenue (May 2025) | $714m | ‑3.9 % | ||
| Weekly occupancy (July 13-19) | 74.30% | ‑11.9% |
There’s price fatigue and fee backlash; inflation and high interest rates squeezing leisure travelers that fill value and mid-tier properties (driving down their rates, putting pressure on upper tier); Canadians not visiting the U.S.; weaker value from service cuts and higher costs in response to ~ 30% wage growth since the pandemic.
Why could this possibly be happening?
(HT: Dan F.)
If I want to get screwed by casinos I would go to the Indians. ….
Oh the games they’ll play… I still haven’t forgiven the Ritz-Carlton Cincinnati for its pressure-sensor mini-bar, which they like to charge you for things you never consumed, but weren’t there to begin with (always take photos and fight that nonsense.) Thanks, as always, to Gary for continuing to name-and-shame these locations and bad actors.
To add insult to injury, I see there’s a charging kit for sale in the minibar. Imagine buying the [costly] charging kit and then getting slapped with a $50 fee when you go to use it in the wall.
So what happens if there’s a power outage or some such, everybody’s billed $50 and the front desk can’t remove it because it’s a “third party” fee?
Paris Las Vegas hotel management can ESAD.
(That’s a ‘90s acronym, maybe urban dictionary has it defined.)
@1990 – not only should we thank Gary for naming-and-shaming the bad actors, we should also thank him for taking the smart and rational customer’s side.
On Reddit, I’ve noticed if you post anything remotely non-superlative in a hotel or airline subreddit, inevitably a group of min-wage unionized filth (the low class workers) will jump to the defense of the hotel and airline. Like, they’ll unironically argue the guest should have taken a magnifying glass to all fine print in the room.
Don’t tell me not to call these human beings filth. I’m actually being very polite in that terminology.
Vegas sucks! Ever since greedy corporations and REITs took over and forced the Mafia out, Vegas hasn’t been the same. In the old days, they just would have busted her kneecap rather than charging her $50!
Las Vegas increasingly has a network effect problem. An industry has network effects when the value of a product or service is contingent on those around you also participating (like how Facebook is valuable because your friends are on it). Many singles visit Las Vegas to meet and socialize with young and attractive people. But those young and attractive people in their early to mid 20s are increasingly priced out of visiting the city, reducing the network value.
Even if they do come to Vegas, however, they often can’t afford entrance into the Las Vegas nightclubs, which have become more and more of a shameless cash grab focused on “exclusivity” and less focused on social interaction.
Gambling can be done on your phone now. Every city has bars. What made Vegas special historically was the glitzy lights, the high concentration of attractive people to meet, and the super social atmosphere. Take that away by pricing out the young and gatekeeping “exclusive” areas and Vegas gradually becomes a hollow shell of itself. The problem is curable, but it would require the nightclubs and hotels to consciously redesign their strategy to attract young people and promote social interaction rather than staring at a slot machine all night.
@Unintimidated — Woah, umm, not sure about that; I tend to put the ‘blame’ on poor management or excessively greedy owners pushing these bad practices (as opposed to blaming workers or consumers, who often ‘pay the price’ for others’ greed and incompetence.) Then again, I recognize that you and @Erect (same guy) are just ‘stirring the pot’ here, so… keep stirring!
For those that don’t know Paris LV is a Caesars property. And Aria is MGM.
@erect
+1 on the acronym ESAD
@unintimidated
+1 on calling the union workers filth, and I would add a cancer on the industry
@Unintimidated you are the worst kind of person…something you are probably proud of. I’m sure you make some of the statements you make about working class people because you are a deeply insecure individual who craves any attention any way they can get it.
If you have such little regard for the people that keep this country going maybe you should move to the UAE or Qatar where your hateful and disgusting opinion of the working class would fit in nicely. There are a lot of people over there who love to troll on people who work their a@@es off to provide the nationals with the excessive entitlement they have come to expect.
You really should take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why you are so hateful toward the working class and whether your mother would be proud to hear you speak like this.
@Doug maybe you want to look in the mirror too.
Judging from the comments you have made on WFTW, you have no tolerance for anyone but people of privilege and those who are willing to just lay down and take whatever you think they should take. Maybe someday you’ll find yourself having to do the work no one will for you because you are so awful to the working class. Maybe then you’ll understand. But, I’m not holding my breath. People like you never change, they just move on to hating the next group they’re told to hate by political and media extremists.
Last year I had to spend a few days in Atlantic City. It is a sad ghost of what it once was, a few big casinos pushing gambling (where we stayed you have to find a back door to avoid walking past the machines just to get to the elevator), a fun but dated boardwalk, and a very poor city beyond it. Granted the dynamics are somewhat different, but Vegas might take it as an example of how it could go without some rethinking.
You can scan the QR code and see the prices. Interestingly, while the food and beverages are as expected ($22 nuts, $15 Pringles, $25 M&Ms, $17 Fiji water), the charging kit was “only” $50 (OK, $100 after you plug it in). It’s nice to see you can gamble in the room. Pick a plug to unplug: a 50/50 chance of losing $50.
Any time I am in Las Vegas for a conference or such, I always make it a point to fill out the post-event survey and add “please find a different city for future events” under the “comments” section.
@parker
you really have no idea who I am and what I do for a living
I am actaully in hospitality, I started 35 years ago as a bell boy in a hotel and held numerous rolls in the industry and now I own my own tour operator company
I have a lot of respect for the workers, but no respect for the unions and the corrupt bosses, I have sen hotels almost go bankrupt due to union regulations, I have seen hotels shut down for 2 years in order to be able to re open and run a profitable business, if you do not believe me then ask any hotelier in new york or san francisco and they can tell you about it
You have no clue about my politics and you will be surprised to know that I hate all politicians equally
This trend has been several years in the making. Parking Fees. Resort Fees. Now more nickel & dime grab fees (there were plenty before). For those who used to like going to Vegas for spending time at the sports books, now there is online wagering (in select states). Some living in SoCal might be feeling economic strain and spending fewer weekends there. Oh yeah, aforementioned Canadians (not to mention other foreign visitors) are choosing to vacation elsewhere and US airlines are showing softness in domestic travel.
In Vegas, there is a sense of entitlement for tourist spend and tipping. Tell someone who lives in Vegas about high prices and they say they need to eat. They need to compete on price, value, service, and the experience offered. I don’t feel pity for Las Vegas.
Hotels, airlines, and rental cars are all playing “Gotcha” with the public. People are tired of it, and more are choosing not to use those services. The numbers will only increase.
You have to run your car in the parking lot to stay cool while you charge your devices. I am hoping for a lot of Las Vegas to go bankrupt.
@Doug we all have our story. Clearly yours is of one who has forgotten where they came from.
You and the likes of @unintimidated love to demonize unionized employees. Yet, you seem to forget that unionized organizations are typically closed shops. The employees don’t have a choice but to join the union if they want the job.
Yet, you who now employs people at this level want to blame the employees for demanding that companies taking in BILLIONS of profit pay them a living wage and provide basic benefits. I’m sorry but that dog won’t hunt for me.
And this has nothing to do with your politics and everything to do with your common decency and respect for people. If your issue is with the organization then stop with the class warfare. Be better.
I actually think there is a more benign reason why the drop in visits… It’s because the “Revenge” travel phenomenon since COVID has run it’s course. It will go up again.
Las Vegas economics- similar to the overall US economy- follows the same pendulum/boom/bust cycles.
If you believe as I do, it’s easy for any of us to confuse Correlation with Causailty.
-Jon
@Parker — Thank you for continuing to fight the good fight.
Another reason to travel with an extension cord or small power strip.
As a 25-yr Southern Californian, I see no reason to go to Vegas, anymore. It used to be a fun, carefree jaunt up the 15. Up to a land of cheap and tawdry thrills, and a few spills, that made for good small talk years later. Now, it’s demoralizing crapfest of bizarre fees, stupid lines, brain-teaser minibar games, and stupidly expensive everything. Frivolous fun with a hint of danger can be had anywhere these days. The rat pack are all dead, the mob is gone, and all that’s left is a shallow pool of clumsy corporate exploitation.