New and notes from around the interweb:
- American is spending $90 million to puts its name on the plaza outside the L.A. Rams and Chargers stadium, half what it would cost to actually outfit their entire domestic fleet with seat back video screens. Instead of spending money to convince people they have a product worth buying they could.. offer a product worth buying.
- Sleepbox on the A concourse at Washington Dulles is now part of Priority Pass.
- 50% off some Thai Airways awards in all classes of service Thai is a Citi transfer partner.
- During the company’s earnings call the CEO of Caesars said it may not be possible to raise resort fees any higher.
“Over time, at some point there’s going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” Rodio said. “I don’t think we’re there yet, but I want us to be very judicious and cautious about taking those rates any further. It’s certainly a revenue stream that’s hard to walk away from and it’s been accepted at this point, but we’re getting pretty high.”
- If you happen to be going to the U.S. Open, reserve your spot for the Chase lounge there.
He says the scam “resort fee” has “been accepted at this point”, and shame on all of you who pay it without complaining. Boycott them.
AA can’t get a contract with their maintenance employees, they can’t run a reliable on-time airline, they are always trying to squeeze out more money and yet they are wasting $90M on naming rights? That is money you’ll never make back. Allegiant is doing it with the Raiders stadium. That is a poor use of advertising money. Do CEOs do this stuff because they get perks like free tickets and can rub shoulders with the famous players?
Resort fees: Uh yeah. The linked article indicates that a few hotels are charging $45/night in fees alone. WTF, I’ve spent less than that on entire rooms.
Note to Arne Sorensen: Resort fees are like fuel surcharges, not baggage fees, as neither one is optional. And airlines are required to show all non optional fees upfront.
We will not doing any more trips to Vegas. If the room is free, and there are the equivalent of $39 plus taxes/room fees, then it isn’t free. 4 or 5 nights amounts to $200+. Not happening any more. Maybe the casinos should have thought out these fees a little more. Vegas is in a death spiral of high costs that are driving tourists away. Vegas used to be an inexpensive vacation that was cost dependent on how much one gambled. I cannot see how the casinos can be making a profit because spending in Vegas is down. One would think they would be smart to realize this…..
Saw a Groupon for Hooters in vegas – $16 room /$37 resort fee. So the fee is more then double the room rate.
We are not far from the $1 room and $60 resort fee…..
Resort fees – LOL. I laugh as loud about them as US sales tax. And tips. There’s almost nothing you buy in the USA where the ticketed price is the price you pay. Hotel prices online – add on local tax, city council tax, resort fees. Food in restaurants… add a tip. I don’t think I’ve visited any other country where the advertised pricing is just so misleading.
@JohnB – actually Las Vegas is seeing a rise in number of visitors. People that use excuse of resort fees to not go are the same ones that lament the cheap (aka crappy) buffets of the past are history. If you can afford world class food and entertainment (plus a reasonable amount of gambling) then resort fees shouldn’t bug you. Other option (at least at Caesars) is to get to at least Diamond status so they are waived. I’ve been Diamond for years and make sure I qualify since I make 8-10 trips at year to Las Vegas and Atlantic City (plus 10-15 to other casino locations) and that, plus the fact my rooms are either comped or highly discounted (on weekends) more than covers any gambling losses I may have running $25,000 or so through a slot machine to guarantee Diamond (easiest way to do it since if done in one day would get 5000 Tier Credits plus 10,000 bonus and that gets you minimal Diamond status (but still not free access to lounges until you hit 25,000 points a year). I hit 40,000-50,000 points a year really without trying. Well worth it!
I know you WANT to believe that resort fees are bad for the Vegas casino business, but Cesears’ CEO is not talking like a guy who’s losing money from charging these fees. Indeed, he’s suggesting the fees might go higher! Look, nobody detests resort fees more than I do, but I don’t let this belief color my judgment as to whether such fees are a good business idea. You have this bias that all things that are unpleasant for consumers is bad business. That bias is just wrong.
Resort fees are not some secret. They are detailed in the rate details page when booking a hotel. Just add the resort fee to the room rate and taxes which in the same way are added onto the room rate as well. What difference does it make with resort fees being added on or higher room rates that reflect the resort fee. You’ll still be paying the same thing at the end.
Resort fees are good for the bottom line but they are abhorrent to customers. They will disappear once the stupid millennials wise up and run out of free cash.
Is a resort fee charged if a reservation is not cancelled before the deadline and, obviously, the room never occupied?
If there is a two or three night minimum reservation, and you check out after one night because the slot machines took all your money, is the resort fee also assessed for the remaining nights?
Must I leave a daily tip for housekeeping if a resort fee greater than the expected tip?
Does Disneyworld charge a resort fee?
AA’s senior leadership is just dumb.
grrr, Chase lounge spots for the US Open are all full…
This is when I love Caesar Diamond. No resort fee for a recent Atlantic City stay. Also they had a $10 daily food credit for skipping housekeeping. And free parking. So it was $200 all-in for five nights at Harrahs and the $40 food bonus covered the dinner buffet one evening.