It's
almost like a time-honored tradition, albeit a tradition that few can rally
around, except the direct beneficiaries.
A
significant event comes to town, and everybody from mom-and-pop bodegas to
restaurants and hotels raises their prices. Some might even call it
price-gouging.
A
perfect example is the 2003 blackout on the East Coast. As people were stranded
for days, some in New York City were selling water bottles that usually would
cost a dollar for $4 and $5 per bottle.
Now,
as the Super Bowl comes to Las
Vegas on February 11, it's happening again.
Some
hotels
and casinos are raising the price of their resort fees
for the duration of the Super Bowl. The fees, such as using the Wi-Fi or the
workout facilities in the hotel, are added to your bill, whether you utilize
them or not.
Hotels
and other properties on the Las Vegas Strip and near Allegiant Stadium are
giving out fewer perks than they used to give out to gamblers and raising fees.
For
instance, if you are not an elite member of the Caesars Entertainment or MGM
Resorts International Elite loyalty program, you can expect to pay for such
things as parking, which used to be gratis at most hotels.
Caesars
even charges a fee to load money into a slot machine from your room account, so
you don’t have to go to an ATM. As of August last year, Caesars' properties
introduced an ATM fee of almost $10 per transaction. That fee is expected to
balloon to nearly $12 for the Super Bowl.
MGM
Resorts International charges $8 and $9 for ATM transactions, while the
Wynn and its sister property, the Encore, charge $6.99. Fees are less expensive
at some properties, but most people do not want to stay at a lower-end hotel to
save on resort fees.
It
is one reason why guests join a hotel’s loyalty program because if they gain
enough status, they can have their fees waived. Some hotels like Caesars and
MGM are willing to waive resort and daily parking fees but not ATM
transactions.
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