Las Vegas Resort Fees

A Mandatory Charge, Not a Tax

A resort fee — sometimes called a destination, amenity, or hotel services fee — is a usually mandatory charge added per room, per night. It may appear as its own line on the bill, but it belongs in the advertised mandatory total, and using or skipping the amenities generally does not change it.

It is not a tax: the room tax is a government charge, while the resort fee is revenue the property keeps. Neither has one universal Las Vegas rate, because both depend on the specific property. Wynn and The Venetian each publish $55 plus tax per night, El Cortez lists a $30 plus tax daily amenities fee, and the Plaza calls its $39 plus tax fee “a mandatory charge for hotel guests.”

What the Resort Fee Typically Covers

Inclusions are a bundle, not a menu, and they differ by property:

• In-room Wi-Fi, sometimes capped by speed or device count.
• Fitness-center access, often for two people per day.
• Local, toll-free, and sometimes long-distance calls.
• Small extras such as bottled water, boarding-pass printing, or a digital newsstand.
• Covered self-parking at some properties, including Wynn and the Plaza.

A “resort fee” does not mean “everything included.” Caesars covers fitness access, internet for two devices, and local calls, and notes spa access is separate. Parking is not always bundled, and Wynn adds that the fitness center, parking, and pool are “subject to availability and guest demand.”

You Usually Pay Even on Comped Nights

A complimentary room night does not automatically waive the resort fee. Caesars states the fee “is incurred by all guests visiting our property whether the amenities are used or not,” and that a guest in a comped room “will still be required to pay the resort fee.” Wynn’s policy adds its daily resort fee to the room account “for each complimentary (if applicable) and purchased room night.”

Assume the fee applies every night unless your rate, package, or loyalty tier carries an explicit waiver; skipping the pool does not reduce it, either.

Comparing Prices Under the FTC Rule

Since May 12, 2025, the FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (16 C.F.R. Part 464) has required short-term lodging advertisers to show the total price — including mandatory resort, destination, and cleaning fees — up front and more prominently than any lower base rate. The FTC’s own example is a $199 nightly rate plus a $39 mandatory resort fee that must be advertised as a total including the $39.

The rule does not ban or cap resort fees; it requires the mandatory total to be clear.

The mistake to avoid: adding the fee twice

Do not take a displayed total and add the resort fee again — mandatory fees belong inside that figure. Open the price details to confirm what the total contains before comparing properties.

Taxes can still be excluded

Advertised totals may exclude government charges such as taxes, shipping, and optional add-ons you choose. Any excluded amount must still be disclosed with its nature and amount before you pay, and the final amount due shown before checkout.

A Three-Night Cost Example (Fictional Numbers)

Suppose a fictional hotel quotes $120 a night plus a mandatory $45 nightly resort fee, with an assumed 13% room tax on both (real rates vary). For three nights:

• Room: 3 × $120 = $360
• Mandatory resort fee: 3 × $45 = $135
• Subtotal shown up front: $495, about $165 per night before tax
• Assumed 13% tax on $495: about $64.35
• Estimated total before extras: about $559.35

Add only what you choose: parking at $20 per 24 hours for three days adds $60, for roughly $619.35. An incidental hold is a temporary authorization, not a charge. Run the same arithmetic on each property, because a lower base rate with a larger fee can still cost more.

Parking and the Incidental Hold

When it is not included, parking is a separate charge you can usually avoid by arriving without a car. MGM Resorts lists $20 per 24 hours for registered hotel guests at its Las Vegas properties, higher during special events, with complimentary self-parking from Pearl tier upward. Downtown Grand includes free self-parking for guests. Four Queens charges guests $5 per day, waived if you show an ALL ACCESS Players Club card at the front desk.

The check-in deposit is a pre-authorization, not a fee. El Cortez requires a card hold on every stay and releases the unused balance after checkout pending room inspection — often three to ten business days before it clears your bank. Four Queens authorizes the amount due plus a $100 security deposit and warns your bank may hold the funds longer.

Where You Can Legitimately Skip the Fee

Two honest routes: stay where no fee applies, or qualify for a waiver. Verify before you book; these terms change.

• Four Queens and Hotel Apache at Binion’s. Four Queens states it “never charges a Resort Fee,” and Hotel Apache advertises “No Resort Fee.” Both charge for parking unless you qualify for the players-card waiver.
• Caesars Rewards Diamond and Seven Stars. Published Caesars benefits list “no resort fees” for Diamond and describe them as complimentary for Seven Stars; confirm the waiver on your reservation.
• MGM Rewards Gold and above. The Daily Resort Fee Waiver covers up to two room reservations per trip when the eligible member books direct with MGM Resorts, in their own name, with the account number attached, and holds status at the time of the stay. All-inclusive packages and most convention, group, and trade-show bookings are excluded.
• Treasure Island’s TV Ad Special. The fee is optional only on that offer, with the required membership and a two-night minimum; the fine print limits it to that offer and qualified Treasury Players Club casino reservations.
• Nevada locals at Downtown Grand. The property says locals are not charged a resort fee, and its Locals Staycation rate is booked directly with local ID.

Booking direct is often a condition of a waiver, never the waiver by itself.

A Quick Booking Checklist

• Read the price breakdown on the final payment screen, not the search result.
• Confirm the total includes the mandatory fee, and expect taxes to be added or disclosed.
• Note the fee amount and exactly what it covers.
• Ask whether your rate, package, or tier carries a waiver, and get it on the reservation.
• Price parking separately, including players-card or validation discounts.
• Confirm the incidental hold amount and that your card can absorb it.
• Save the confirmation email and ask for an itemized folio at checkout.

If the Charge Doesn’t Match What You Were Shown

Compare the folio with what you were quoted before you leave the desk. Ask politely, with your confirmation in hand, and request an itemized statement so both sides can see each line. A front desk can often correct a posting on the spot, but nothing guarantees a refund. If a mandatory fee appears that your booking never disclosed, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Policies, fee amounts, and inclusions change with little notice, so recheck the property’s own terms for your dates rather than trusting any guide, including this one.