Wynn Adds $20 Resort Fee

Okay lets start off by saying i hate resort fees which is a daily charge added to your hotel bill on top of your room charge. Some hotels first started this a couple of years ago with fuel surcharges which were added to your room daily rate for a few dollars when we had high energy prices. The fuel surcharges went away when the energy prices went down but now most resorts have added a resort fee. The big exception for resort fees is Harrah's which has made a point of advertising they don't have resort fees. The resort fee usually runs from about $5 to $20 a day but now most are in the $10 to $20 range and the fee is according to hotels is mean't to cover amenities on the property which you can use. The stuff they list in the resort fees usually includes things such as free local calls (most people have cell phones so minimal use) or free entry to the spa (which you may or may not use). The rub is you get charged this fee if you use these services or not its basically a add on charge to generate money such as the airlines have got so good at. The difference here unlike the airlines is you cannot avoid the fee and, get charged either way. On a airline if you don't check a bag you don't have to pay a $25 bag fee but with resort fees you get charged either way. You may see a room offer for $59 for example but then in the small print as you are about to book the room it may say that $10 to $20 per day daily resort fee will be charged. Resort fees are bad in my opinion but the current time are probably here to stay. If you want to avoid resort fees Harrah's properties or one of the few properties that don't charge them may be a better option. I'm kind of surprised that Wynn added resort fees at both the Wynn and Encore because as a top end property you are paying a premium price and an extra $20 per day seems something that could just upset their customers. As far as resort fees go the Wynn one isn't a bad deal as most because it does include free internet which can run $13 to $16 a day at most properties.

Harrah's Buffet Of Buffets

Paris Hotel & CasinoHarrah's owners of many of the Strip properties recently came out with an all you can eat buffet deal for seven of its properties; The properties are as follows Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah's, Imperial Palace, Paris, Planet Hollywood and the off strip property Rio. The deal was for $29.99 for a twenty four hour all access pass which is a great deal especially if you can fit four meals in that twenty four hour period. After the deal was announced there was much speculation about how long it would be before Harrah's either raised the price or removed the deal all together. Well about sixteen days later Harrah's raised the price citing long lines and wanting to improve the experience for its customers. Other than weekends at certain locations my opinion is they raised the prices to make more money but either way the new pricing isn't bad just not as generous as before. The new price for a twenty four hour period at all seven locations is $34.99 plus tax if you are a Total Rewards member or $39.99 plus tax for non members. My suggestion is if you aren't a Total Rewards member which is their slot club you sign up for free so you save the five dollars.

Planet Hollywood Now Part Of Harrah's

As of yesterday Planet Hollywood is now part of Harrah's after the company bought up Planet Hollywood's debt and, was given the okay for a take over by the Gaming Commission. This move ends the 5 1/2 year ownership of restaurateur Robert Earl of Planet Hollywood and, also snaps up one of the few independent strip properties. When they remodeled and re branded the former Aladdin casino as Planet Hollywood i was not expecting much but i was pleasantly surprised with the outcome and over the years Planet Hollywood has grown in to a solid property which has a fun vibe and, nice place to gamble. Planet Hollywood has used the social networks such as Twitter and Facebook better than most and has had clever marketing programs. So now what does the future hold for Planet Hollywood my guess for the customers in the short term with the economy as it is no major changes. One thing likely is pay tables on slots and gaming rules will be less customer friendly and be similar to other Harrah's properties but most casual visitors may not notice anyways. One big plus for existing Harrah's customers is they will add the property to the companies popular Total Rewards slot club for comp or discounted rooms. Whatever you have to say about Harrah's there Total Rewards slot club is a cut above the rest and adding this property will be a plus. There is also likely to be a small number of layoffs as Harrah's moves back room functions such as payroll etc in to the larger company. Whatever happens i hope Harrah's doesn't mess with Planet Hollywood's hip vibe or too much with the casino i guess time will tell.

Update on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 5:44AM by Las Vegas Insider

During my recent stay at the Rio i received the usual page of discount coupons for various Harrah's properties; Also included was separate Planet Hollywood coupons for $20 off "Peepshow" and $5 off the "Spice Market Buffet" at Planet Hollywood so it hasn't taken Harrah's long to start promoting Planet Hollywood.