Tag: MGM Mirage View All Tags
Tags: Resort Fees / MGM Mirage / Harrahs / Survival Strategies / → All Tags
Hotel Resort Fees: A Disturbing and Annoying Upward Trend in Las Vegas
We were pleased to see that the M Resort has finally done away with the $25 resort fee. However, it's a different story over at MGM Mirage properties which either introduced new fees at properties or bumped them up.
In fact, resort fees are now common on the Strip thanks to MGM's bold move. So much so that Harrahs properties (Caesars Palace, Rio's, Paris) are trying to distinguish themselves from the rest by calling out "No Resort Fees!" under their hotel listings on Expedia.
So we figured it was time to update our resort fee list from last Summer.
These resort fees listed are per night and do not include taxes. Yup, that's right. You gotta pay taxes on those fees.
Inherently, resort fees are rip-offs but the Vegas ones seem egregious like charging you for incoming faxes and local phone calls. Hello, when was the last time you needed to receive a fax in your hotel room? Also, you have a cell phone. You're not making local phone calls.
Some fees are tolerable, especially when they include internet and the use of the fitness center which a la carte would cost more than the resort fee. Yet while that's convenient for business travelers, folks coming to party on the weekends are still getting screwed.
Sigh. This is just another reminder that it's the casino's world and we're just living in it. If you're averse to paying resort fees, avoid these hotels below.
Our complete list of hotels with resort fee on The Strip in Las Vegas is after the jump.
Tags: Deals / Packages / Airline Deals / Southwest Airlines / MGM Mirage / → All Tags
Southwest and MGM Mirage Will Give You Up to $200 Off Your Vegas Vacay
$200 off the Bellagio? Get in
We flew Southwest to Vegas from LAX last week and, apart from the weird boarding order, we loved it (bearing in mind we come from Europe where lowcost means a Pamplona-style race for seats and flight attendants who seem to think that smiles are a chargeable frill).
So we would definitely be up for this offer that Southwest Vacations have just announced. Book a three night or more flight and hotel package staying at any MGM Mirage property and you can save up to $200.
Tags: MGM Mirage / Concierges / Technology / → All Tags
Another Reason To Always Carry Your Cellphone: MGM Grand Discounts
We’re all about services and amenities that make our life easier, especially if they help save us money. MGM Grand understands our needs and has launched its new Mobile Concierge program.
Here’s how it works: Book your reservation and a pre-arrival email will appear in the trusty inbox of your cell phone, iPhone or PDA. You’ll have the option to pick and choose what amenities and offers you receive information on, including discounts at MGM Grand’s restaurants, spa, Cristophe Salon, nightclubs, Tabú Ultra Lounge and Studio 54 and shows, KÀ and Crazy Horse Paris.
Redeeming the offers is simple – just present the text to an MGM Grand concierge or participating venue.
Tags: Gift Cards / MGM Mirage / Do Not Do / Christmas / → All Tags
What Is the Point of the MGM Giftcard?
Do not click purchase...
UPDATE: Apparently, you can use your gift card to pay for your room at check-out. See this comment below.
Paying upfront is something we only understand if there’s a discount involved. Those 20 percent off Vegas.com giftcards currently being flogged by Costco? We totally get that. Non-refundable room rates for better deals? We’re in.
But we’re stumped as to why anyone would buy an MGM Mirage giftcard (they have individually named cards for all the MGM properties, but you can use them all over the network).
First up, they’re not redeemable on accommodation or gambling – only extras like restaurants, shops and spas across the MGM properties.
Second, they’re not discounted. They work at cost value. ‘Nuff said.
Third, according to the FAQ on the website, they come with an expiry date, and "upon this date, your card will expire and you will lose all right to the card funds". However, when we called the hotline to ask how long the cards lasted, we were told that this isn’t true, and that when the card “expires” (she didn't say when this would be), they’ll transfer the balance onto another. Hmm.
Tags: Buffets / MGM Mirage / MGM Grand / Mandalay Bay / Excalibur / Luxor / → All Tags
More Than You Should Eat: MGM Mirage Hotels Offer All-Day Buffets
Loosen the belt buckles, people: there’s a new opportunity for buffet-lovers to get their money’s worth in Vegas. The latest: all-day meal passes from the buffets at a handful of MGM Mirage properties.
The new promotion, which targets visitors looking to save money on food, started earlier this month in the buffets at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, and Luxor. It continues indefinitely.
The deals differ at each property. Some of the specifics:
Tags: Resort Fees / The Mirage / MGM Mirage / → All Tags
The Mirage To Charge a $15 Resort Fee Starting October 1st
These pretty rooms at The Mirage now cost $15 more (plus tax) to enjoy.
Resort fees are akin to checked baggage fees in the travel world but in Las Vegas resort fees aren't that prevalent. Sure, the Excalibur, The Hard Rock, Planet Hollywood and The Signature at MGM Grand have charged resort fees for quite some time, we were still shocked when we heard that The Mirage would begin charging a $15 resort fee per night, starting October 1st.
But it might not be all that bad. The resort fee includes admission for two to the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, access to the Cardio Center, daily newspapers, two bottled waters delivered daily to your room, bathrobes in the room, complimentary printing of your boarding passes, unlimited local and toll-free calls and randomly, complimentary notary service at the Business Center. Also, the resort fee is taxed so expect it to be a touch higher than $15 each night.
Tags: Deals / Hotel Rooms / MGM Mirage / Treasure Island / → All Tags
Vegas Wants To Raise the Room Rates
Could the year of killer deals in Las Vegas be coming to an abrupt end? The hotel and casino owners sure hope so. According to the Las Vegas Sun:
MGM Mirage executives said demand for the company’s hotel rooms is high enough to warrant an increase in room rates, which have plummeted during the downturn.
This would mean an increase in room rates as we head into summer which is traditionally a slower time in Vegas and when hotel deals are at their lowest. But MGM Mirage says they have improved their average occupancy rates enough in the past two months to warrant some price hikes. Uh-oh. No more $36 rooms at the Excalibur then?
Tags: Players Cards / MGM Mirage / Treasure Island / Phil Ruffian / → All Tags
Treasure Island and The Sirens of TI Now Have a New Captain
Ahoy mateys, guard your wenches. The MGM Mirage company has recently sold off Treasure Island, the adult-oriented resort in the middle of the Strip best known for its nightly "pirates and wenches" show out front. The new owner of the casino is now Phil Ruffin, one of the 400 richest Americans (rank: 215) who was also once the owner of the New Frontier casino.
The transaction is expected to become official at the end of June, after the approval of Nevada gaming regulators but the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Ruffin will not make any changes.
"I love the theme, I love the pirate show and I love having 'Mystère,' " Ruffin said of the property's long-running Cirque du Soleil show. "We have a great management team and I don't plan on changing anything."
For fans of the revamped and sexy TI, this is obviously great news. But we have to wonder what happens to your MGM Players Club points? Can you no longer use them for stays or perks at Treasure Island?
