Las Vegas Room Rates Skyrocket

Above, the Excalibur Resort Tower where a room tonight costs $504. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

More than once, I've said that Las Vegas was more reasonable and fun when the mob was running it.

Today, corporate America is running the casinos and hotels. Whenever big events are held in the city, the hotel room rates skyrocket. Such is the case this weekend.

From the Las Vegas Review-Journal: 

Southern Nevada’s resorts are expecting plenty of guests this weekend as the region welcomes a stacked calendar of special events happening on and near the Strip.

Last-minute travelers, on average, should expect to pay more than $600 per night at properties on and near the Strip.

Hotels and motels are preparing for a surge of tourists for the When We Were Young festival — a three-day music jubilee on Saturday, Sunday and Oct. 29 — at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. A spokesperson for When We Were Young estimated that 60,000 attendees will be at the inaugural punk and emo festival, bringing bands from the early 2000s.

A survey of room rates listed on hotels.com conducted Thursday afternoon showed the average rate among 28 hotel-resort properties around the Las Vegas Strip was $646.14 a night, for a two-night stay starting Friday.

Rates can fluctuate up to Friday.

Some of the highest rates were seen at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, $740 a night; Caesars Palace, $749; Delano Las Vegas, $929; Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, $1,034 each; and $1,099 for a room at Four Seasons.

No hotel-resort properties listed on hotels.com were offering two-night stays for less than $350 per night, according to the search. The lowest rate offered was $374 at The Venetian.

Tonight, Excalibur Hotel is charging $504 for a Resort Tower King Room. Ouch! Nothing like gouging the public. Still, it's cheaper than what the article posted.

To read more, go here.

TheTravel: Finding The Best Las Vegas Vacation Package Deals

Above, yours truly, Max Bettman and Mitch Geriminsky in Las Vegas in November 2018.

A friend and I were talking about the old days of Las Vegas, Nevada the other day.

The days were were discussing were when it wasn't a crowded mess it is now and when hotels, shows, restaurants and even casinos (with perks of free drinks and cigarettes) were a lot more reasonable. Those were the days when things weren't run by greedy corporations, but by the mob. Oddly, Las Vegas seemed like it was more fun and less expensive under the mob. Even the airport was easier to navigate in back in the old days.

But, bargains can still be had and TheTravel has posted an article on how the find the best Las Vegas vacation package deals.

They begin with:

Going to Vegas? Vegas is a destination that can swallow all the money one has, but it is also possible to do it on a budget. One of the best ways to experience Vegas on a budget is the plan ahead and look for cheap deals (and at the last minute for deals on shows). The good news is that accommodation and attractions in Vegas are competitive and can be booked on a budget.

To read more, go here. 

The Dreaded Las Vegas Resort Fee, Part 2

Above, the entrance to Excalibur's Resort Tower. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in September 2017, I blogged about "The Dreaded Las Vegas Resort Fee" that's being charged to guests at Las Vegas hotels. 

Last weekend, I stayed two nights at the Excalibur Hotel Casino while in town for a friend's wedding.

I got a good package deal through Travelocity for my flights and hotel room for around $300. Unfortunately, the amount did not include the hotel's "resort fee". When I bought the package, I was told that I would have to pay the hotel $79.36, which is the $35.00/day resort fee and the resort fee tax.

Resort fee tax?!

Obviously, the corporate casino money-grubbing bean counters will squeeze every cent out of visitors. 

Excalibur's resort fee is actually two dollars cheaper than some other hotels. 

According to The Points Guy (as of March 2020):

Flamingo Las Vegas: $37

Planet Hollywood Las Vegas: $37

Paris Las Vegas: $37

Harrah’s Las Vegas: $37

In the future, if I am to stay in Las Vegas, I will stay at a RV park where no resort fees are charged. It's much cheaper. (The last time I checked (in 2017), Circus Circus RV Park charges resort fees.)