The Truth About Paying Resort Fees in Las Vegas
Las Vegas is not a cheap city to visit, even if you occasionally see some very affordable-looking offers when searching for hotel rooms. In fact, advertised room rates are often surprisingly low, which theoretically should leave you with more money for gaming, restaurants, and shows, and help tempt you away from the online baccarat tables. However, you will often find that by the time the booking is complete, the final price is far higher than the first number you saw.
One of the main reasons for this is the resort fee. These obligatory daily charges have become a normal part of staying at many Las Vegas hotels, particularly on the Strip. They are also one of the biggest sources of frustration for visitors, especially when the fee covers things they may not use, such as gym access, Wi-Fi, and local phone calls.
Because of this, a popular resort fees Vegas myth has begun to develop. Some people believe that resort fees are illegal and that you can refuse to pay them when you arrive. Unfortunately, that is not how it works.
Why Resort Fees Annoy Visitors
The frustration around resort fees is easy to understand. People do not like seeing one price at the start of a booking and a different one at the end. For many years, this was people’s biggest complaint. Hotels could advertise a low nightly rate, then add a mandatory fee later in the process.
There was a time when resort fees were only a few dollars a night at a small number of hotels, but they eventually became standard across most major Las Vegas Strip resorts. A NerdWallet analysis found that, in January 2023, resort fees at more than 100 US hotels averaged $42.41 per night.
This is why advice started appearing online telling people to challenge the charges. One consumer advocacy site even advised visitors to say: “Tell the manager you already paid the published rate for the room and all necessary taxes.”
The problem is that this advice can cause more trouble than it solves. If a resort fee was properly disclosed during booking, refusing to pay it at check-in is unlikely to succeed. In fact, it could lead to the hotel canceling the reservation or refusing to allow you to check in.
Are Resort Fees Illegal?
Disappointingly for most people, resort fees are not illegal. However, there have been some changes made to how they have to be shown to customers.
The rule on unfair or deceptive fees by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took effect on May 12, 2025. It requires hotels, vacation rentals, and live-event ticket sellers to display mandatory fees more clearly and show the total price before asking for payment. However, the FTC has also made clear that the rule does not ban any particular type or amount of fee.
This means that hidden resort fees are legally problematic, but clearly disclosed resort fees are very much allowed.
In other words, a hotel cannot advertise one price and then hide charges until late in the process. However, if the booking page shows the full cost, including the resort fee, then the hotel is entirely within its rights to charge it.
What Visitors Can Actually Do
If you are booking a hotel in Las Vegas, the most sensible thing to do is look at the final price rather than the advertised room rate. A room that looks cheap at first may not be such a good deal once the resort fee and taxes are included.
It is also worth comparing hotels carefully. Some properties have lower fees than others, and a small number may not charge them at all. The exact list of which hotel charges what changes all the time, so it is best to check hotel booking pages carefully before making a decision.
If a resort fee was not properly disclosed to you, then you may have grounds to complain. First, you can raise the issue with the hotel. If you are really determined, you could dispute the charge with your credit card company or make a complaint to a consumer protection authority, but you should never assume that you can refuse to pay a disclosed fee at the front desk.
In some situations, it may be possible to have the resort fee waived, especially if you are a rewards member or if something promised as part of the fee was not available during your stay. But even then, not paying the fee is still only something you can ask for and not demand. The reality is that anyone planning a trip needs to treat Las Vegas resort fees as part of the cost and budget accordingly.
