Resort Fees, Parking, and the Costs Hiding in Your Bill

The mandatory fee, and the rule around it

A resort fee is a usually mandatory per-room, per-night charge added whether or not you use the amenities. Since May 12, 2025 the FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees has required advertised lodging prices to include mandatory fees in the total price and to show that total more prominently than any lower base rate. That is good news for comparison: many totals now already contain the fee, and treating the total as another base rate plus fee is the classic double-count. The rule does not cap or ban the fees.

Amounts vary by property rather than by any citywide rate: Wynn and The Venetian each list $55 plus tax per night, and Wynn states it can apply to complimentary nights too.

The tax, which lands on the fee as well

Room tax is separate from the fee and, where a fee is charged, the tax generally applies to it as well. The rate is not one universal number: Clark County sets lodging tax by area, and its official guidance notes a stadium-district addition inside the Primary Gaming Corridor, so properties inside and outside that corridor can differ by roughly a fraction of a percent. Use the property’s own quoted total rather than assuming a single Strip rate, and remember that advertised totals under the FTC rule may still exclude taxes as long as the excluded amount and its nature are disclosed before you pay.

Parking, only if you bring a car

Parking is avoidable, which makes it the easiest line to delete. Where it is charged, some Strip operators bill a per-day rate: MGM Resorts, for example, lists $20 per 24 hours for registered guests at its Las Vegas hotels, with higher prices on event days, and $20–$25 for non-guests depending on the day. Other operators bundle self-parking into the resort fee or leave it free. Downtown is not guaranteed free either, and validation often requires a minimum dining spend. Confirm the exact rate on the property’s own page.

The hold, which is not a charge

An incidental hold is a temporary authorization on your card for possible room charges, released after checkout. It reduces your available credit without being money you spent; debit cards can take longer to reflect the release. As an example, SAHARA states it authorizes room charges, taxes, resort fees, and a $50 per-day incidental deposit. Check the amount on your hotel’s own terms, because a hold that feels like a double charge is usually just an authorization plus the real bill.

What to check before you book

• The all-in total on the same dates and room type, and whether that total already includes the fee.
• Whether parking is included, discounted, or separate.
• What the fee actually bundles — internet, fitness access, and sometimes parking.
• Whether a comped night still owes the fee.
• The incidental hold and how it is released.

Did you know? The FTC’s fee rule requires mandatory fees to appear inside the advertised total, so adding a listed resort fee back onto a total you were already shown can double-count the same charge.