So the local TV news stations seem to be doing the story that hotels/casinos* in Las Vegas along the Strip will be charging $10 for self park. Since I only go to Vegas every few years, and haven’t been in a while, I must wonder if I am going to have to change my normal pattern of visiting casinos.
Typically, I park at a casino and then walk to anything within a distance one or two casinos. Afterwards, I will drive to a different casino and repeat the procedure–possibly several times in an evening.
But I’m sure not going to do this if I have to pay $10 each place I visit…
Can anyone tell me if this new parking policy applies to all parking at the casino? Or is it something else, lkke only for the hotel part of the property?
*=In the story that I saw they used the terms interchangably, at least so far as I recall.
For out of towners. Locals get a few more months. As it stands, for MGM group guests it will be in most cases $10 self park, $18 for valet, per day with in/out privilege transferrable across other properties in the chain, according to vegas.com, I suppose that means you’ll need a parking passcard that will work at sister properties; non MGM guests will apparently get a varying charge for the first 4 hours depending on the property then the full fee, every time (except self-park at Circus Circus stays free). Upper level rewards-club members will still get free parking.
The Caesars/Wynn/Vegas Sands(Adelson) chains retain the free lots for now until they see how MGM works it out. If past history is any guide unless it’s an utter disaster it is almost certain to spread to become the standard, like the “resort fee”.
Oh, and MGM is going to outsource their valets. Because you can imagine that with an actual charge for valet parking the tips are going to suffer…
I realize that I may not be representative of the general majority, but it’s enough to make me just decide not to even bother to go.
Resort fees, paying for checked bags, etc., the constant fee creep just grinds my gears. Next thing you know they’re going to start encroaching on my lawn!
Park once, for $10. Then, when you’re ready to move elsewhere, buy an $8 transit pass. Good for 24 hours, and good anywhere on RTC. If Strip casinos are your destinations, then “The Deuce” buses run frequently on the Strip, 24 hours a day; and if downtown casinos are among your destinations, they go there too.
I’m going to be sorry to stop going (at the very least lessening) trips to LV but if I’m going to have to put another $100/week into the casinos, I want there to be a chance of a payback.
The linked articles talk about “improvements” to the parking lots. The lots are large expanses of asphalt so I don’t really buy it.
Every 12 or 15 years, the casinos try this and it always fails. This latest foray into paid parking was precipitated by the opening of our new arena but I think it’s doomed as were previous efforts.
I haven’t bothered to rent a car in Vegas since Uber came into being. You can also take the train to most places or even a regular cab. It’s not really necessary to take a car to Vegas unless you aren’t coming by plane. I like to have a few drinks whenever I go to Vegas, so not having a car is a plus.
Yes, this especially hits those who drive themselves to Las Vegas. Whenever I visit I only rent a car for those days when I feel like heading out long distance (e.g. last year up to Bryce UT a few days). When I’m staying in-town it’s transit/cab/(shuttles when applicable).
Parking spaces cost money. In garages, a LOT of money, like $20,000-$40,000 per space just to build, let alone to maintain. If there’s no fee to use them, then they’re being subsidized by those who walk or take taxis or public transit to get there.
And how does $10 plus a bit of planning compare to the amount of money you expect to drop on the gambling itself? You don’t expect to actually make money, right? It’s similar to how people have no qualms about dropping $8 on a double mocha latte that’ll be drunk within 15 minutes but hem and haw and grumble over paying $0.99 for a smartphone app that they’ll have forever.
My daughter, who lives in Vegas, said that the rental car companies are really pissed at this policy, since it effectively makes renting a car just for the Strip a lot more expensive. Traffic on the Strip is so bad anyway that when we used to go we’d always walk or take the monorail.
MGM is pushing to improve their bottom line, so if this works they’ll get a lot more revenue for little more expense.
It’s all about perceived value, which is totally subjective. Paying a not-insignificant amount for something that’s “always” been free is certainly a disincentive to many. It’s weird to me that you’re expected to pay for the privilege to lose even more $$, whether to gambling or overpriced shows or overpriced clubs or overpriced restaurants. Obviously Vegas is a special case since many visitors probably don’t track their expenses very closely…
Personally I go to Vegas maybe once or twice a year and I’m really not much of a gambler, so the extra expense is both noticeable and obnoxious.
I was going to respond to jjakucyk but amaguri summed it up for me. It’s always been free to park and I don’t have to like changes that cost me money.
But beyond that, parking spaces cost 20 to 40k? I’m sure that volcano cost more, but I’m not expected to pay to see it. If the casino wants me to come in and play, I am not inclined to patronize them for making it onerous for me to do so.
Case in point: Ever notice the moving sidewalks at Caesar’s? I get a free ride from the sidewalk right to the door. (Of course, to get back to the street I have to walk, but I see that as part of the game.).
And FTR I almost always have my own vehicle when I’m there either because it was a stop over between other stops or because I’m there long enough to have a rental.
Parking spaces in garages absolutely do cost that much to build. Underground is more than above ground because the structure is basically the same but it ads the cost of deep excavation and ventilation systems.
I think the point Lare was making (and if not, it can be one of my arguments for why paid parking in Las Vegas casino garages is stupid) is that paying someone more than a token fee (like $0.25) to be able to access their property in order to give them a wad of cash at the gambling tables is ridiculous. The casino is already expecting to take every cent you have with you. That’s why they make it easy to get to the casino and don’t care if it’s hard for you to leave. The more time you spend there the more money you are likely to hand over to them. Making it difficult and/or adding an expense to an already expensive habit loses you customers because people want to gamble or eat with their money not pay shitty fees for things that have always been free in the past at the casinos. That’s why previous efforts have all died on the vine and it’s why this one is doomed to fail: the MGM properties are many and comprise most of the Strip, but not enough of it to force this paid parking thing to work; be glad they don’t have a monopoly on the Strip, eh.
I don’t dispute that parking structures cost money, even if it’s just a paved lot. But I think it’s a cost of doing business. I subsidize it through my “business” (gambling in this case). Don’t charge me more to give you my money.
The thing is that this “cost of doing business” is something that preferences some people over others in ways that have adverse consequences. The “casino in Vegas” situation may be a bit of an unusual case, but all the other everyday businesses like grocery stores, clothing shops, banks, offices, whatever, have this hidden subsidy given to drivers when the parking is “free.” Yes, the cost of building and maintaining those parking spaces is built into the cost of the goods and services provided, but it’s perverse in that those who take other means to get there don’t get any discount for walking, taking the bus, a taxi, or bicycling there, and the people who do that are usually poorer to boot.
I just get irritated when I hear people whine about parking, especially a supposed lack thereof, which usually amounts to little more than laziness and entitlement. The need to price parking (or anything) comes from scarcity. Parking meters for instance aren’t about revenue generation, they’re about ensuring that people don’t park at scarce spaces in high demand locations longer than they have to, allowing for turnover that helps ensure there’s always some spots available for those who need them. The employee working at the shop for 10 hours shouldn’t be parking right out in front blocking dozens of customers for instance. There could be something similar going on in the casino garages too. When there’s no real price (a user fee) attached to a good or service, it gets abused and can cause problems that are difficult to predict or correct otherwise.