Hotwire Hotel: No resort fee option? Is this new?

[drizz1129]

Looking for some rooms for this weekend in Las Vegas I noticed that now under the listed ammenities it says "No Resort Fee" for some properties. Is this new? This is WONDERFUL! How long has that been up?

[thereuare]

I noticed it for the first time last nite. In the details page HOTWIRE has been indicating if the hotel has a resort fee, but this simply makes it more prominent when a hotel does not have a resort fee.

We've moved this thread to the Las Vegas section of the board... please continue this thread for any help that you may need and/or to report your purchase.

Please remember to use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[Commish of TX]

Maybe I am different than most, but I would prefer to pay a $15-19 PER NIGHT resort fee than pay a la carte fees PER PERSON for certain amenities. Most high end Vegas resorts, for example, charge $20-$35 per person, per day, to use the fitness center. The resort fee is a bargain if two guests work out every day. At the Trump, it is well worth it:

A nightly resort fee will be applied per room, per night and covers free high speed internet, $25 credit towards a qualifying spa service at The Spa at Trump, shuttle service to Las Vegas Boulevard and the Caesars Palace Forum Shops, 10% discount on retail purchases at The Trump Store and The Spa at Trump, two bottle of water per day in your room, use of fitness center, local and toll free phone calls, incoming faxes, printing an airline boarding pass, daily newspaper delivery, coffee in room and shoe shine service.

[drizz1129]

I understand resort fees benefit to some and I can see how they are a nice deal sometimes, but there is one problem that makes me just hate them. Say you book a room for $100 on priceline/hotwire. You get to the property, and there is a $75 resort fee! I know most of them are not that high, but who's to say that it can't happen?

[BeritOlam]

I understand resort fees benefit to some and I can see how they are a nice deal sometimes, but there is one problem that makes me just hate them. Say you book a room for $100 on priceline/hotwire. You get to the property, and there is a $75 resort fee! I know most of them are not that high, but who's to say that it can't happen?

Well, it's not going to happen anytime soon! :) :)

Fees are Fees....if you don't like 'em then make sure you stay in a Harrah's hotel like Planet Holleywood or Paris. Harrah's still hasn't adopted the mandatory resort fee option.

[dahammer]

Maybe I am different than most, but I would prefer to pay a $15-19 PER NIGHT resort fee than pay a la carte fees PER PERSON for certain amenities.

You are absolutely in the minority when it comes to this issue. If I am comparing conventional rates among several properties, I would factor in the resort fee into the final "walk out" price. Until now, you could not compare the final cost among HOTWIRE properties without disclosing the resort fees. For example, the Red Rock Resort charges a manditory $25 resort fee that could allow them to undercut a comparable hotel that does not have a resort fee.

Resort fees allow hotels to increase their ADR per room without increasing actual room rates. Its a rotten practice that has allowed 2* hotels in Orlando to charge such a fee because gullible guests remember the top line room rate rather than the bottom line final cost of an accomodation.

[Commish of TX]

I agree dahammer. It makes comparing hotel rates more difficult through opaque sites like Priceline and Hotwire. But not impossible. Since websites enable savvy shoppers to know (with a very high confidence level) what properties they are going to get when they buy blind, it just takes one more step to factor in the resort fee to your final cost BEFORE you bid. If I am using Priceline, I know the 5* offering for Las Vegas Strip South is very likely the TheHotel at Mandalay Bay. Same for 5* Las Vegas Strip North Vacinity will be the Trump. Both of their resort fees are known so I can adjust my bidding to fit my budget.

[Peter Piper]

Resort fees allow hotels to increase their ADR per room without increasing actual room rates. Its a rotten practice that has allowed 2* hotels in Orlando to charge such a fee because gullible guests remember the top line room rate rather than the bottom line final cost of an accomodation.

This is the same trick that Amazon has used for years when selling books. You get a lower price on the book but most people do not factor in the $3.99 shipping and handling fee.

So, you buy a book for $8 and are happy to get it for $2 less than your local bookstore. But you forget all about the $4 postage charge (which is usually a lot more than it actually costs to ship a book) and think that you got a great deal on the book. You often end up paying more for the book than you would at your local store. Meanwhile your local independent bookstore goes out of business, and believe me this is happening all over the country. Independent bookstores are going out of business right and left, unable to compete with Amazon' s supposedly low prices.

So, basically the same dishonest tactic that the hotels are using with mandatory resort fees.

[dahammer]

The Amazon shipping fee is disclosed before you buy the book so you know your "all in" price, prior to purchase. Up until now, this was not the case with PRICELINE.

BTW, the "shipping and handling" charge is one of the most profitable line items for online retailers and its not limited to Amazon, everyone does it. They get big discounts from FedEx, USPS or UPS which help them to fund the costs of operating large order fulfulment centers so you get your books in a few days. The Kindle and iPad are also helping to fuel the demise of brick and mortar independants. Also, how many miles can one operate a vehicle on $4 not counting the time saved by ordering a book online?

But, if you want it now, you will go to a bricks and mortar store because instant gratification more often than not trumps low price.