CASINO AND RESORT FEES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAS TO "STOP."

THE KUHNS REPORT

LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?

MGM Hotel/Casino  just announced that they are raising their resort fees AGAIN, on top of what they are already charging the guest at their Las Vegas hotels. WOW!

These hotels/casinos have been charging these hidden fees for years. According to reports, MGM is now charging $45.00 to $65.00 a night on top of the nightly room rate. When is this gouging  going to stop?

Recently the casino industry did their own study on resort fees  and the affects it had on the customer. To no one's surprise, the casinos own study results claim that charging resort fees to customers  did not  damage business in way. But it is an entirely different story reported by customers from across the nation and the world. The  consumer, customers basically said they are very unhappy with these hidden resort fees being tagged on the cost of a hotel room.

Folks, the customer thinks they are paying  a set price for the room , but when they check out they find that the room cost them an additional $30 to $65 a night for their stay. There have been numerous op-ed pieces of people from all over the country complaining abut these added, hidden fees and the visitor saying they will not return to Las Vegas because of the added fees. Plus, in addition the added resort fees per night the visitor is charged for PARKING at the hotels. Parking fees have ranged from at least $9.00 to $25.00 per day. What a rip off.

Hilton Hotel in Nebraska and other states is being sued by their Attorney General. The AG's office calls  these hidden fees TRICKERY on the hotel/casino visitor. Rightly so. Anyone who ever had these hidden added fees tagged on to their checkout bill agrees.

These hotels and casinos across the nation have been hiding the "true cost" of a room from the public and it about time  it stops. The hotels and casinos across the country should be sued in every state by the Attorney General of  that state. Folks,it is nothing but GREED. These hotels and casinos have taken a page out of the airlines playbook and decided to charge for each and every little item they can add on to the bill.

Remember in the past when hotels would offer amenities just o get the visitor to stay at their hotel/casino. A visitor PAID one price for the night and enjoyed any and all of the amenities that the hotel offered. That is why the visitor stayed at a particular hotel. It was the draw of which amenities the hotel offered that brought the guest to the hotel. Better food, drinks, pools, phone service, cable, spas and gyms, etc.

The visitor would visit the hotel that offered the most for the  money. But now the hotel/casino industry threw that hospitality out of the window and decided to charge for those amenities, (whether the visitor wants to  take advantage of them, or not,)

My position is: The prices in the hotels and casinos across the country are already over priced. Paying $4.00 to $6.00 dollars for a lousy  bottle of water, or paying $30 to $40.00  for a tuna or chicken sandwich with coffee or tea is outrageous. Then,  being hit with a $9.00 to $25.00 fee to park at the hotel is unwarranted.

Further, I believe any guest renting a room for the night, a few days, a week at any hotel/casino should have the right to use ALL of the amenities that are available. People, that is really how hotels and casinos used to operate. They offered numerous amenities to  attract the guests and the guests came. The hotels/casinos that offered the most amenities usually got the bulk of business.
It was called competition. Each hotel/casino offered different amenities and the guest made their choice as to which hotel to patronize.

I would suggest that the government get involved and have the hotel/hospitality industry STOP these ridiculous and  uncalled for RESORT  FEES.  Attorney Generals of each and every state--file a lawsuit against the  industry. STOP THIS GOUGING. I say, ONE PRICE FOR THE ROOM and let the guest partake of any and all amenities at the establishment, like it used to be. - And, that's  my opinion. Make your own decision. You decide.

BRADLEY W. KUHNS, Ph.D., O.M.D.
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by email at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com