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.
“buying water”. What kind of idiot buys water? Smart people carry their own bottles and fill the up.
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.
Appreciate this article. I’ve heard the same complaints from friends. They are done with Vegas. Now I won’t go any time soon. Last place on my vacation list.
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.
confused….use your Southwest credit card points to fly ‘free’ to LV, join MGM Rewards or Caesars Rewards programs and your room is totally FREE (and no Resort Fees), then walk 2 blks to CVS store and sandwiches are just $3.00 (load up) and liqour lowest price = what’s the problem? The slowdown is mostly due to home equity going lower with the real estate dip = folks don’t want to gamble..In addition the Price of RESIDENCY SHOWS is outrageous and has been for some time.
Plug and unplug the outlet 20 times over 4-5 hours so there is a $1000 charge.
I’m guessing the tray needs to know you took something and unplugging it lets you steal from them for free. So they charge $50 to cover the average losses when this happens.
Fight in court. They will lose easily. The reason being the outlet doesn’t have the warning. You never agreed to the fee because you never interacted with the tray. If we all went to Vegas, pulled the cord, and sued them they’d spend so much money on lawyers they’d go bankrupt.
Las Vegas has undergone significant changes over the past 30 years, and unfortunately, they haven’t all been for the better. This city used to be a go-to destination for middle America, offering an affordable and entertaining getaway. However, it’s now become an expensive destination catering mainly to upscale clientele.
The impact of these changes is evident. The charter junkets that once brought in a steady stream of visitors have disappeared, and flights from Canada have been drastically reduced. As someone who works in the airline industry, I’ve seen this decline firsthand. It’s not just tourists who are affected; local businesses and residents are also feeling the pinch.
To revitalize Las Vegas’s tourism industry, it’s essential to address the issues driving visitors away. This includes eliminating or reducing exorbitant fees, restoring free parking at hotels, and offering incentives to attract visitors. By making these changes, Las Vegas can once again become an appealing destination for a broader range of visitors.
The well-being of Las Vegas residents is closely tied to the success of the tourism industry. As the hospitality and travel sectors struggle, the entire community feels the impact. It’s crucial for stakeholders to work together to revitalize the industry and ensure the economic stability of Las Vegas residents.
Gary you go back there and I’ll fine you. This fake world is on its butt. The Venetian charged a couple a 566& fee at checkout insisting they smoked in their room. They were never smokers.!
Vegas casino operators sold all their real estate to investors and now pay increasing rents plus union workers who need COLA to keep up with inflation. So they are getting squeezed on both sides now.
Prediction: more casinos go into chapter 11 and eventually Vegas will reboot as it always has.
In the meantime sell Caesars and MGM and buy Station. I’d bet more home foreclosures as well.
I used to love Vegas. Play craps at a $5 table. Get excellent free drinks, lose a hundred bucks, good times.
Now it’s a $20 table and one crappy drink every half hour.
I’m a retired boomer with a 401k. The sp500 rise means i have more money now than I did five years ago.
I’m not spending any of it in It’s cheaper to take a cruise and gamble on the ship… Even if I do have to buy my own drinks they are cheaper than at Caesars.
Interiors are designed with regulations about certain amounts of electrical outlets. This is why you should fight this. You are the usef ifvthe hotel room and should have access to the outlets for safety purposes. Not some third party. Call your credit card and get the charge reversed.
@1900 – There is no Ritz Carlton in Cincinnati. Do you mean Cleveland?
If there was a power outage, would that mean every room would be charged auto charged $50 once the power was restored?
@askmrlee — Thank you. Good catch. Yes. The one with the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Bah!
I am heading to Vegas in October for a meeting at Paris Las Vegas. Even with the meeting rate at Paris, I was considering upgrading, paying a little more and staying at the Venetian . I’ve been on the fence about where to stay. Thanks for getting me off the fence.
My brother travels to africa for work and out of boredom (because he can not go out after 5pm in angola, congo, malawi or any other hellhole he visits) he once emptied and restocked the automatic minibar a few times
At check out they gave him a bill of a few thousand usd and a few pages long…needless to say he did not pay
Amazing that people pay a lot to go somewhere to get nickel & dimed with losers.
You may gamble at plenty of different locations. Better odds may be found online. Finer hotels at finer locations than the desert abound.
The decision to vacation in Vegas signifies an utter failure in imagination, taste, and value.
@ Gary — Only a moron would pay this fee. Screw the hotel.
Been to Vegas three times since December. Twice for work conferences, once for leisure. My first two trips were rather okay actually. The Palazzo with a Sphere view as a conference hotel was nice. And staying at Harrah’s for leisure made sense: I am not there for the hotel room necessarily.
This last trip for a work conferences in June was at the Aria. I cannot fathom spending my own money to stay there. The fee for just USING the mini fridge was absolutely absurd.
I have friends and family in Vegas, but I am very selective as to where I will stay. And I like to go for whatever I am there to do (conference, concert, etc.) and then get out quickly!
My career responsibilities require me to travel & stay in Las Vegas a minimum of three to four times a year for one to two nights.
Were it not a necessary function & responsibility of my job…… I would choose never to set foot in the smelly, unnatural, noisy, manufactured, degenerate & victim rich environment as it is not place I would ever willingly place myself in.
@Doug — You continue to be quite the character, sir. I’ve been to Africa many times, and appreciate the guidance of ‘don’t go out at night’ for some places (not a bad idea in Kinshasa), I do not see it the way you describe; those are actually beautiful places, in their own way, and often the people there are trying their best to survive, many are actually quite creative and very talented. Hope you can be kinder to yourself and others, both on here and IRL.
@1990
As usual you try to create controversy
I have no criticism of the countries or nations mentioned
My brother travels to around 15 african nations on a regular basis
In most cities it is impossible for a foreigner to walk alone at night and sometimes even during the day
What is unkind about stating that as a white man you can not be safe in kinshasa, lagos, brazaville….etc etc
I did not mention addis abbeba, or mauritius, or namibia, where it is relatively ok to go out
I honestly don’t get your twice or more daily attempts to create noise
@ Franklin — Bravo! I hate the place. Cigarettes are one of the most disgusting things on earth, and the casino hotels are gross because of the smoking.
This is criminal behavior from the hotel but thats off topic.Resorts World is even worse with criminals running the show who paid off the government to not go to jail.
For decades Vegas has been ripping folks off but the reality is in good times people come and pay it and suck it up.The fact of the matter is in case anyone hasn’t noticed inflation is taking off/ticking up,the housing market is collapsing in many a city and a sea of uncertainty is in the air
Our current administration along with tariffs adding to the unknown & fear.
My prediction is the worst is yet to come for travel and the broader economy.
But billionaires have permanent tax cuts which is all that matters for the MAGA crowd
Blame it on interest rates but a year ago folks were buying with a hungry appetite in and out of Las Vegas.Off topic i don’t care who is in the white house democrat or republican but this administration is frightening.Not even South Park could put a smile on my face
very sad times 🙁
I love the world we live in now a days where there is no personal responsibility for anything. I wouldn’t unplug something in a hotel room without knowing what I was unplugging, and realizing it was the cord to a sensor snack tray or minibar, it would be obvious not to unplug it.
@Doug — I never mentioned race. DRC is not ‘safe’ for most people. Hopefully it could be some day. That said, I’d prefer Kinshasa to Mogadishu; that place is a true no-go.
I’m with you on Namibia; Windhoek is quite nice, and Sossusvlei (the dunes) is one of the most unique places I’ve ever been. Hope to make it to Mauritius, eventually; it’s somewhat like Hawaii, I’ve heard.
I’ve spoken highly of regional South African airline Airlink on here before, but so few have ever heard or experienced it. Wish we had more airlines like them in the USA (no middle seats, good food, etc.)
Anyway, I don’t mind the noise; and I do like Africa, so thanks for the chat.
@dwondermeant — ‘Relax, guy.’ It was a pretty wild episode.
Several years ago, wasn’t there a lying racist grifter who bankrupted four casinos that he owned because of his incompetence? Hmmmmmm, what was his name?
@Joe United — No, no… something, something… autopen!
Nate above put it best. Posting again because I’ve not read a truer statement about LAS.
“The decision to vacation in Vegas signifies an utter failure in imagination, taste, and value.”
I live here and gamble here but not on the strip . The off strip casinos offer me FREE rooms and free play.So when I checked in for my FREE room I was told I would have to pay ALL taxes and fees which in the end were far more than the room itself…I said cancel it. I can’t imagine what a std room,meals and drinks might cost an individual for a few days of losing your money.
It boggles my mind seeing young families here dragging three small children….WHY?
If you want to be treated like a human being, try staying off the strip. Station casinos are my favorite. If you must stay on the strip, try the non casino hotels. I found it the big three (Caesars, Wynn, MGM) are the ones that nickel and dime you to death and give you the worst service. Frankly, those places are only interested in taking care of the whales and high rollers.
The solution is for the tray to have a built-in battery.
Third party fee is bullshit too. There is an agreement between the property and said vendor. Doesn’t make sense for the property to relinquish that much control. If it’s on your folio then the property has the ability to add, therefore, remove charges. I wonder what the T&Cs say about third parties?
I used to go to Vegas just to go play golf and poker and hang out with friends. Now I only go to see a concert and then fill in the rest with shows. The fees are everywhere you turn. The prices are outrageous especially on the strip. Thank God I gave up drinking.
It used to be that you could get a fee waived simply by asking. You could get a free room upgrade with the $20 trick. Now you don’t even talk to anyone when you check in. God forbid you arrive early, early check in is another fee. Gambling payouts are worse and worse. And now you have to PAY to sit in a sports book?? WTF happened to Vegas?
The Paris hotel is a gigantic rip off. We’d stay there a few months ago and was charged $60 a day for resort fee and there was no coffee in the rooms. The swimming pool was closed and they still demanded the $60 per day resort fee. On top of that the resort fee did not include parking which they charged extra for. The Paris is a big rip off.
Why the big deal about annoying fees?
The big deal is you are going to lose money at the casinos! The only reason they exist is because you lose…in the long run!
You may get a warm feeling on the days you win…just like peeling in your pants…just wait for the cold reality over time!
Just sayin!
But massive numbers of people are still visiting Las Vegas.
And if you think that Vegas prices are high, just ask a contractor how much he’ll charge you to remodel your kitchen or bathroom, or get prices for a housecleaners, or a steak in a nice steakhouse: they’re all very high.
This is all just the economy that Biden left us with. Biden gave everyone free money and many swamped Vegas so the casinos raised their prices. They made record profits and their employees wanted a piece too, so casino wages went way up. So did airline pilot wages too.
Hence the high prices for everything today.
But it all started with free money from the Federal government.
“ Vegas is suffering, and executives there can’t seem to figure out why.”
I have a clever idea: Why don’t the hotel/casinos send a a survey to past customers asking them why they don’t like getting screwed over by the hotel/casinos? There’s no great mystery here, just people weary of a perpetual enshittification of value. I’m willing to spend – or at least gamble which is often the same thing – a fair amount of money but if I lose that money I’d like to have some small consolation in getting freebies to make me feel better and view the experience as entertainment. Vegas has completely lost sight of that.
I don’t get Vegas. Friends moved there, so we visited a few times and just used it as a jumping off point for the National & and State Parks (Zion, Bryce, Death Valley, Anza Borrego, Valley of Fire, etc.). We saw some shows (esp. Cirque du Soleil). But most of it was sad and boring, and this was 20 years ago.
Highly recommend the Parks. Definitely go for that.
Refrigerators are to keep foods cold. What kind of person lacks the sense to check which cord goes to which appliance? Remove the desk lamp cord and you are good to charge your devices.
Yes the fee is obnoxious but easy enough to avoid with just a tiny amount of common sense.
Before taking your children to any tourist destination, first teach them the value of a dollar. I still recall from 50 years ago my father hectoring us to turn off the lights when we leave a room because electricity costs money. When my family visited me in my first apartment, I reminded my sister to turn off the light when leaving the bathroom because I was paying for electricity usage. Dad exclaimed “Imagine that!”
I’m not going to Casinos anymore, they are all owned and run by Israelis. I don’t give my money to genocidal maniacs. The only thing those people understand is money, once the shekels start disappearing they always change course.
I’ve lived and worked in Vegas for 40 years and the price rip-offs today are the worst ever. Locals used to enjoy a night out for dinner, drinks and a lounge show. The really good lounges are gone. Dinners are over the top price wise now. Even a weekend at one off the resorts made a nice change but no more. Even the locals prices for shows is really hard to find now. And the tourists get hammered even harder. It’s easy to see why businesses are suffering. The bean counters that have slowly been taking all the fun out of my hometown seem to have finally succeeded in killing the Golden Goose. Such a shame.
First, she missed out the sign. It’s NOT that small, she just didn’t see it.
But if you folks think logically, of course they’ll not allow you to unplug it. People will cheat on it, unplug it, took all the stuff and restock it and then plug it back.
Now you’ve learned a lesson and thanks for teaching us as well
The biggest Fails here hasn’t been mentioned
1) There is no space on the desk to do anything. The light takes up space. The ice bucket takes up space, and the upsell mini-bar crap takes up space. If I want to actually use the desk, I need to throw the ice bucket on the floor, slide the light to the left & hope it doesn’t fall off, and curse as my right arm hits the mini-bar crap as I try to write an email.
2) Not enough outlets. Sure, Paris was built 25+ years ago, but the rooms have been renovated at least once. Instead of using a precious outlet to upsell some crap, add more outlets.
Vegas hotel management could learn a lot from the cruise ship industry in terms of how to utilize space while making a room both inviting and functional.
Been there many times,plenty of other places more friendly to spend money at. Never go back.
@Rob – Let me get this straight: you and your family had a full-blown debate over whether to turn off a goddamn light bulb that costs less per hour than a single breath of air in a Walmart? A 60-watt bulb burns maybe a penny an hour, and an LED is practically doing charity work at a fifth of that. If brain cells were dollars, your family couldn’t light a flashlight. And if the goal was to burn calories arguing over nothing while saving fractions of a cent, congratulations, you folks officially discovered the least efficient way to be poor AND dumb.
“The ‘little sign’ was not near the outlet”?! It was right in front of the person’s eyes; Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder could see it but it was deliberately ignored. If people simply refuse to accept the consequences of their actions that’s their tough luck. Perhaps next time see if the hotel has a business center that will accomodate them.
I agree with Doug on unions. Doug: don’t listen to these whiners.
If hotels and businesses do not get there head out of the clouds Las Vegas is going to die
What should the penalty be for the hotel providing inadequate electrical points and inadequate desk space? Should we deduct $50 per night for each of these?
Do not travel to Las Vegas! Everything is now a overpriced scam. It would be cheaper to go to Lake Tahoe, or even Vail, CO. Save your money and avoid looking like a fool for traveling to Scam City.
I’ve stayed in about 100 different rooms in my lifetime, both hotels and motels. Every lamp is plugged in to a socket with 2 outlets. Nightstands with built in plugs, at least 2 in the restroom, etc. There are always other outlets. Like one commenter said, travel with an extension cord, which people do for cruises and laptop users, in sure Gary does :).
I don’t doubt the daughter regrets taking off the plug that caused a fee, and no one wants to pay fees. While she may be doing it for the outlet, others have already done it to consume products without being tracked. Some things require extra work to get it back to how it was. I’m guessing they have to re-inventory the tray and set it up again. I’m this case, an outside company is getting paid to do that work. Should any company eat the cost every time someone reads a sign and ignore it? The hotel might be a big corporation, the company with the tray may not be.
Having interacted with people who do not take responsibility for their inability to read price tags, product instructions, traffic signs, nor practice common sense nor common courtesy, it doesn’t take much to see they were at fault for unplugging the one cord guests are asked not to unplug.
I’m not defending the hotel, you all can hate Las Vegas, I encourage people stay anywhere else they deem better. Las Vegas is called the Sin City. I’m sure there are plenty of great places, but don’t go in the lion’s den and get mad when the lion gets you.
My man needed a spoke person next to the tray to knock his ass out if he attempts to unplug the tray.
I stayed at the Mandalay Bay Resort for a few days and was shocked at a sign that said if I placed a personal item in the refrigerator, I would be charged $50.
In-room coffee was $16. Every time I turned around another death by a thousand cuts was inflicted. I switched to a different hotel to complete my stay as the Mandalay Bay was just an awful place.
Wife and I visited Las Vegas last year to see an Aces game. Resort fees, parking fees, everything is a fee on the strip. Stopped in the casino to play some video poker to kill time. Wife ordered a whiskey sour and I ordered a beer. $58 before tip. And they expect a 20% tip. Ridiculous. I’m hearing that they are blaming it on millenials as apparently they don’t gamble. A few months later, stayed downtown. Much better deal down there and actually more fun with Fremont Strret experience and the multiple bands playing.
I was in that casino a month ago. There is $50 resort fee added per night of stay although the undersized pool closes at 6pm, and a cup of coffee cost $7 at any concession in the casino.
Vegas is a total scam now! The locals now are horrible also. Its like they hate the world. Just dispute the charge on your credit card and say you never authorized it.
I wouldn’t look at the sign either… I know to ignore the items on it. The tray plug should be screwed in and have a sign on it. At someone who works while traveling (especially in Vegas) stealing desk space like that is a travesty. I’m glad I don’t go to Vegas anymore.
A friend of mine nicknames Las Vegas “Lost Wages”. For good reason.
REALLY? Las Vegas is amazing for the most part and that’s the point! Do you think that town was built on winners? What did you expect from a place that is designed and built for one reason… TO TAKE YOUR MONEY STUPID!!! You deserve whatever that place dumps on you… no one forced you to go.
I still cannot get over the charge for parking.
A notice is not a legal contract. It could say the penalty is death, but that would be no more enforceable than a $50 or a $500 fine.
I would put the $50 charge into dispute with the credit card issuer. Tell them your daughter is blind and couldn’t read the card because it is not in braille, so she can’t be bound by the terms. I find the more elaborate and bizarre I make a story the more likely the merchant and credit card issuer are to write off the charge rather than rebutting my argument.
I live in Vegas, never visit the Strip unless an acquaintance comes in town and stays there. I was appalled by the scam pricing at Aria Liquid pool and nightclubs. $750 for a cheap bottle of vodka. Paid parking everywhere with 3 hours free for locals but don’t go over the three hours between trying to pay your ticket at a machine and walking to your car! This is why I never go to the Strip
What is not said here is that the gambling has become a total scam: 6:5 on blackjack, perpetual shuffle, 25C v formerly 10c baseball lines at sports books, only 1 zero on craps.
so sad,
EVERY hotel has insufficient desk space and outlet count. That’s why standard equipment in every traveler’s go-bag is an extension cord with multiple outlet connectors on one end.
@Justin G — Nah, you and @Doug are wrong about unions. Unions, especially within aviation (pilots, flight attendants) continue to be a net positive for society. For workers, of course, unions enable better wages, benefits, work conditions, and general support in their fields. For consumers, a better, more stable workforce often improves product and service quality. And, for business owners, a stable, prosperous middle class (enabled by those unions) often increases profits as that consumer base can actually spend at their businesses. I’ve seen in right wing circles how it has become a rite of passage to blindly attack unions, but we really are all better off in a society with them. Or, you can retreat to Galt’s Gulch and rebuild your own society were everyone is a rugged individualist.
The comment about mini-bar prices make it seem like this is a Las Vegas thing. Its not any hotel in any city with a mini-bar is going to charge outrageous prices if you move any of the items
Las Vegas is a nice place to visit but has become very expensive (not talking about gambling) and less and less inviting to visitors. Most hotels charge a “Resort Fee” which is for basically nothing, but allows for a $25-50/night addition to the cost of already inflated room charges. Most food in Las Vegas is two to four times as expensive as in other resort locations. What used to be reasonable is not. Fees for everything seem to be in place, and even the cost of getting around town is expensive. Ease up. Treat your clients with respect. Provide some nice services included in the price. You will have much more receptive clients. Also, the basics in hotel rooms include adequate outlets, working equipment (AC/heating, lights, outlets, TVs), but what happened to a basic coffee maker or clock radio? What happened to some of the niceties? Las Vegas is going to get enough revenue if the are happy visitors. Don’t charge just because you can. Remember, Las Vegas does not work if people don’t want to come to visit.
The best view of “Lost Wages, NV” is out of the rear view mirror.
It isn’t one thing that’s killing Vegas, it’s a multitude of things.
– Gen Z and Gen Alpha do not care as much about vice-driven social interactions. Check the demographics of people going to Hakkasan. The scene is getting older and isn’t getting in enough newcomers as people decide that they can’t/won’t stay up until 4am in a club.
– The endorphin hits from slots and table games are now coming from FanDuel and eg Marvel Rivals, Genshin Impact, and other quick-hit mobile games. The “branded slot” era in Vegas is dead, killed not by licensing fees but because the very concept of a slot machine is ancient. You’re asking me to do mobile ordering for food at Resorts World, but then asking me to not do mobile gaming?
– Trump’s bungling of immigration, and his resulting goon squad, has turned off the entire world from coming here. Large destinations who have always served the APAC region are all seeing massive drops in attendance. Vegas isn’t any different here. Canadians, Chinese, Brazilians, Euros, nobody wants to roll the dice on getting singled out at the airport. When you see a little league team unable to play in the LLWS, that kind of stuff gets put on the front page of travel blogs across the world.
– Dating apps and Onlyfans have supplanted late-night-Vegas-thirst-traps. Yes the economics of Onlyfans is completely broken, but the raw idea behind it — relatively-lower-risk sex work and the potential for a payday without the traditional hassle of eg dancing — combine that with dating-via-algorithm and Vegas loses a large amount of its sexiness.
– COVID showed the business world that running extremely expensive in-person conferences could be replaced virtually, and so the scale of corporate events in Vegas has gone down dramatically. Yeah, we’ll always need to learn about new methods of mixing concrete in person, but I really wonder what the trajectory for eg Comdex has looked like over the past few years.
Combine all of these together and yeah, high prices are definitely a factor but they are not *the* factor. It’s a lot of little things that are killing Vegas.
Screw Vegas. As long as tourism was booming they had visitors over a barrel. Time for visitors to show them that they’ve had enough and spend money elsewhere.
Once visitors stop visiting and spending money, the casino operators will get the message. Sadly, too many of those that suffer are the employees who have no power over what the operators try to extract from visitors and workers.
Fortunately when I have to go to Vegas for the NAB show, I fly in the early morning and leave early evening. I fortunately live close enough that if I know ahead of time that I’ll need 2 days I’ll still fly home and come back the next day for less then it would cost to stay there overnight.
After 30 years of visiting Las Vegas at least once per year (poker player), 2025 will mark the first year that I stayed home. The last several years, I have avoided the price-gouging of the hotels by using Airbnb’s and cooking for myself, but even this has become tiresome. Most of the residents, and virtually all visitors, are hateful, rude, and every business acts like they are doing ME a favor by serving me. People no longer need to travel to Vegas to gamble, and if I feel like being price-gouged, I’ll simply go to an NFL or MLB game in my hometown.
I love this idea! I’m going to create tons of signs around Hotels in Vegas with random rules—and every time someone breaks one, they’ll owe me a fee.
I’ll place one at the front desk that states every time a hotel employee uses the word “charge” they will legally owe me $50!
Just imagine how rich I’ll get!
Both Hawaii and Las Vegas have turned into complete rip-offs where you are literally robbed at every moment.
I’m actually surprised that they don’t charge extra for air.
And in Las Vegas, it astounds me that a “premier” view is of an oversized, traffic snarled, exhaust filled suburban boulevard (The Strip). No thank you.
Add to that all the crabby, undesirable Californians left to move there. It has got to be one of the ugliest cities in America.
Vacation where they appreciate you instead.
I wouldn’t go back to Vegas at these price gouges.
To be fair, the sign not to unplug the tray, should be a label on the plug.
So when you go to unplug the electric cord of the tray, you see the warning right on the plug, that you want to pull out.
What all hotels SHOULD do is simply use lamps that have an electrical outlet built into the lamp. I have 4 bedside lamps with this feature and it is very very nice, handy. You don’t have to bend down to plug and unplug in your chargers, the outlet is right on the base of the lamp. I would tell the Tray Vendor, sure we will put in your trays, but you have to supply a lamp for the table that has an electrical outlet in the base of the lamp then. We are not just going to give you an outlet and take it away from our guests. This is laziness by hotel management not to address the issue.
I stayed at the Aria earlier this year, for a business trip. There are far too many other good comments/stories here to rehash the same sort of BS experiences, but at a much, much bigger level than my personal experience, my trip to the Aria and Vegas in general has consequences:
I’m on the board of a trade association and we’re picking locations for the annual meeting for Spring 2026.
We have just voted on a very simple rule for the event organizers:
Our event can be anywhere in the USA but Las Vegas.
The Strip just isn’t fun anymore. When the Girlfriend and I go to Vegas now, we stay on Freemont Street where they still comp your drink if you’re playing video poker and it’ basically more fun.
Whoever said Hawaii was a rip-off is dead on. Hawaiians call Vegas the 9th island BTW.
Vegas in the 80’s and 90’s was fantastic! Now, it’s insane price gouging, and it really sucks the fun out of a trip there. My last trip was to see U2 at the Sphere, and will NEVER visit Vegas again. Piss poor value these days.
Maybe I live in a different world. I visit Vegas 3 or 4 times per year. I have never paid a parking fee or resort fee. I don’t use a computer in Vegas and when I am gambling the drinks are free. I took the time to know a host who resolves any issues that arise. Love the place
Geez – those defending the hotel – can get bent
They should have it plugged below the desk (as in added outlets)
They should have TAGGED THE PLUG to not be unplugged
It’s on the desk with zero clue NOT TO UNPLUG IT
Some of you are really just love to side with horrible hotels, airlines, vendors, etc
Las Vegas has a new name: “Sucker City”. Haven’t you heard?
I was at a business convention in Vegas in 2016, and stayed at one of the nicer strip hotels. The room price was very high for very little, and even though my employer was footing the bill, I saw for the first time “the resort fee”, and it wasn’t small. “What the f is that?” I thought. I wondered if there was some indoor pool, or workout room, or sauna, or some amenity that I associate with a “resort”. I asked the front desk, and they couldn’t identify a particular feature or amenity that was what the “resort fee” was paying for. Fast forward to 2022, and I am staying in a very small town in northern Idaho at an inexpensive motel. It has a $5 resort fee. This in interesting, because parking is advertised as free, the breakfast is advertised as free, the wifi is advertised as free, and there is no pool, workout room or discounted access to anything in the town. There was also no maid service or replacement of coffee packets, towels, etc. Turns out, as was admitted by the night clerk, that it was simply a way to make them look cheaper to search engines. I think this is the real reason for the scam; to make the rooms look cheaper on search engine rankings, or to fool the would-be customer into only looking at the cost of the room without the tax and resort fee.
The name of the game is greed. It started with utilities breaking sown charges without reducing basic cost. Airlines looked at that and started charging for everything. The travel industry has followed suit. Hotels in other cities were charging fees before they started in LV. In the late 90’s I was charged $21 a day for parking. When corporations moved into LV the old ideas for drawing in customers were thrown out, because they worked at engendering loyalty and pleasure being here. Now, customer be damned, we want every penny we can squeeze out of you. LV was a place for gamblers, not families. Now gamblers are a sideline and families pay through the nose. You don’t want to come back to LV, no problem. There are more who will come just because of the city’s reputation. Greed is not just in LV, it is everywhere. That is the root problem in this country today.
You weren’t charged $50 for unplugging a plug. You were charged $50 for unplugging the mini bar. You’re basically paying an a****** tax for making them go do a manual count of the inventory, because people sometimes attempt what you did to circumvent the automatic inventory control.
Used to go to Vegas every other month with 10k to play with. Have not gone in years cause its a complete joke. Its like what they did to times square.
Rates were very reasonable if you wanted to book a trip and not have it comped. Used to get upgrades to suites all the time at checkin. They had amazing buffets and restaurants that were cheap. Now they have everything expensive and most times not worth the price.
Never had to complain about things in Vegas cause even when it was not great you were still getting a good value. Now its you get ripped off and only can hope some of it is worth it.
Now if they offered me free airfare like they used to I would probably pass and just travel to Singapore to gamble as its much nicer and cheaper than vegas
Las Vegas had better realize that they’re not the only place to gamble and see a show. I moved here over 30 years ago. I worked and didn’t have time to go to shows. I’m retired now and can’t afford these show prices. We’re killing ourselves with these crazy prices. Including parking.
This must be why the Bellagio keeps begging me to come back with three-night comps. Went there one time like three years ago for a conference and maybe dropped $250 in the little bit of gambling I did.
A few weeks ago, I stayed at the MGM. They charge $50 just for opening the fridge (which we did not use) which seemed a bit much. So we went across the street to the liquor store, grabbed a case of water and some beers, and kept them cold using the ice bucket in the room.
Call the credit card company and report a fraudulent charge. For the entire stay. An electric snack tray? Fine print? Third party charge?? Get real – this screams scam, and the Nevada State Attorney General’s office needs to get a grip on this kind of bs since, as the article points out, it is legitimately hurting the consumer and industry. Las Vegas is the worst, place is such a joke.
That $50 fee to open the mini fridge is news to me. And it really ticks me off to hear it.
I have medication that I need to take daily that is required to be kept refrigerated. When I travel, I always place it in the hotel mini-fridge.
I haven’t been to LV in years. We are talking about going to see the new Wizard of Oz show. But dang. They are going to charge me extra to keep my medication safe?
Hello, Paris Las Vegas? Yes, I’m coming in to stay for 3 nights, I have a simple request. The mini-bar, it’s there for my convenience right? Well please remove it and all the contents and fridge from the room prior to my arrival. I don’t need the convenience, in fact it’s inconvenient to me. Thanks
Vegas is a pit. Once considered great for entertainment and a little gambling. I will never go back. Last time I was there, I was nickeled and dimed to death……want a towel at the pool….perhaps a chair, well, it will cost you even though you paid a resort fee, and then there is someone there trying to hawk everything they can in your face. Scamcity.
How about that resort fee when you don’t use parking and they close the pool at 5 pm on a 110 degree day to force you to the gaming floor. The pool doesn’t reopen until the next day at 10 am. Between this and the weed stink on the strip, I’ll head to Fremont Street and stay instead IF I ever go back.
Pretty amazing. In the 90s and even 2000s, deals were plentiful, and the themed resorts, adult Disney, were new, and really cool. There was nothing else in the world, for example, like Luxor or Treasure Island (w/ its free and amazing pirate ship battle/show). Also, back then, not many other US casino options.
Now, the new casino hotels are boring, nothing special, the gambling sucks, and everything else is overpriced. At the same time, it’s easy to find good gaming at indian casinos and elsewhere. I’d rather go to Cripple Creek, for example, in CO or even the indian casinos in Oregon have better gaming, good food, scenery, etc.
That said, I am interested in Reno, as well as Henderson/Boulder Strip.
Vegas went into the shitter after 1994 when the big corporations took over. Greed & profit is all they care for. I moved ther in 93 & you could get a meal very reasonably priced, free drinks when you played $20 or more at a machine, free parking & valet parking.
It’s just rediculous what they charge .
I’m glad we left when we did in 2018
To the person that told Paris to please remove the minibar. They’ll remove it (a service they offer for alcoholics)….at a charge of $40
I personally hate these stupid minibar things that charge you if anything is removed simply to look at the product. When they 1st came out I had no idea until I checked out of my free room and I was charged for everything, none of which were actually consumed. I argued with them and they told me they would look into it. I never got reimbursed so I’ve been looking for ways to defeat them ever since. The 1st time I checked out, settled my account then cancelled my card. I then told the desk I forgot something in the safe. I figured someone would accompany me to the room but they just handed me a key and said it would be deactivate in 15 minutes. Yes I did empty that minibar I paid for on my last trip that I never used. Did anyone know that you can consume all the liquids including the alcohol without physically removing the bottles from the fridge. This may seem childish especially when you refil them with tap water. If they weren’t so greedy such as charging $10+ for a can of soda or $20 for a bottle or Tito’s vodka that would cost $3 at a liquor store. I act figured this out on a dare after a night of drinking which I rarely do. The next thing will be expecting a tip on top of the stupid prices
No one reads and minibar or scan sign unless they plan to consume. They should inform you at check-in.
My work has a security policy that prohibits using public USB chargers for company devices–electrical outlets only. I’ve never had to go to Las Vegas for work but apparently if I did I would have to travel with a power strip and an extension cord because the hotels don’t understand what “amenity” means.
We visited Las Vegas (from Florida), at least two times per year for several years. We always traveled with one or two other couples. We usually stayed at the Wynn or Encore. Our last trip, two years ago, we got sick of the “pot smell” which was pervasive anytime you left the hotel. We also noticed a definite change in the clientele with a lot more classless and drunken behavior. Gambling limits were becoming difficult to manage (probably in an attempt to keep the more wealthy clientele). We have not returned as we don’t see Las Vegas as the fun place it was in the past.
I quit going to vegas years ago everyone there wants a tip and I wasn’t tipping. Have to take pictures of minibar before/after because they will try to charge you for a candy bar even if you never took or moved it.
Just because a hotel unilaterally posts a notice that it will charge you for opening a fridge or unplugging a tray does not mean that you have agreed to the charge. Simply notify your credit card company that you did not authorize the charge.
F the Paris Las Vegas, the train they rode in on and anyone defending this scumbag hotel…… and MGM’s Aria too! What a bunch of crap!!
While I know it’s a ridiculous charge, the story makes me laugh. She deserved it, the contents of the mini bar probably got warm for the next guest. Perhaps that’s why the hotel put up a SIGN. It is irresponsible to unplug something to use the outlet and not plug it back in again when you’re finished. How dumb do you have to be to not realize the consequences of unplugging a refrigeration unit? Start taking responsibility for your own actions, boys and girls!