A fascinating article in the LA Times details how casinos in Las Vegas are eliminating free parking. For those in the know, that will also spell the end of free parking when traveling from Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport (LAS).
We’ve seen fundamental changes in Las Vegas over the years as it updates its business model to reflect evolving consumer preferences. The days where free drinks, free food, cheap rooms, and ample complimentary parking were used to draw in gamblers is waning. Younger generations don’t enjoy spending time in smoke-filled casinos spending money in a way in which “the house” invariably wins.
Las Vegas’s renaissance centers on fine dining and great shows: a new choice for a new generation. Shows have been available for decades, but were secondary to gambling. Not anymore. Thus, like most fine dining establishments or fancy theaters, hotel operators are wising up to another revenue opportunity: charging for parking.
I remember way back in 2002 driving to Las Vegas with my brother and John for the first time. We parked for free at the Luxor and I distinctly recall being puzzled that there were no tickets and parking was free. But that was the Vegas way. It worked for decades.
Starting today, though, MGM Resorts International will begin charging locals for parking and have already been charging visitors for a few months. Other hotels are following suit.
The End of “Free” Parking at Las Vegas Airport (LAS)
Residents are fuming that casinos are eliminating free parking because that means an end to what amounted to essentially free parking when they travelled.
With no parking enforcement inside casinos, residents would park their cars — often at MGM which was closest — and leave it, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks. The cost of cab ride is $12 from MGM to the airport and Uber is even less. That sure beats $10/day for economy parking or $16/day for long-term parking at the airport.
MGM claims the costs are necessary to pay for upgrades and end parking abuse:
[MGM Spokesman Gordon] Absher said that the parking wasn’t free for the hotel to provide, and that the cost of upgrading and maintaining the garages and structures made the move necessary. He also said that the parking structures had long-been “misused.”
“You wouldn’t believe the number of cars that had been parked for weeks,” he said. “People were storing vehicles there, taking taxis to the airport from there or parking and then walking to their job.”
MGM Resorts spends $30 million annually on parking structure maintenance for 37,000 spots. The upgrades at some of the properties have included the rows of red and green lights that let motorists know if an aisle has open spots. That cuts down on constant circling and congestion inside the lots.
I question the high cost of maintenance, but understand the hotel no longer wishes to subsidize locals who use its parking structures to skirt airport parking costs.
Where You Can Still Park for Free in Las Vegas
There are still a handful of hotels who will not charge you for parking. Those include:
- Circus Circus
- Venetian
- Palazzo
- Wynn
- Encore
- Treasure Island
There may be more — feel free to comment below if you have any recent experience with this.
CONCLUSION
Locals will hate this trend more than visitors. I’ve driven from LA to Las Vegas on several occasions over the years and even $10-15/night for parking makes me more likely to fly into Vegas now. Plus that AMEX lounge…
> Read More: Photo Tour of American Express Centurion Lounge in LAS
I guess the thing that I find odd is that there is no free parking for guests of the hotel. So now if you drive to Vegas or rent a car when there you now have to pay a resort fee and a parking fee. Seems a little ridiculous to me.
I hate MGM. they also introduced resort fees to the market and ended discretionary comps for all but invite only tier members of their dreadful mlife program. Caesars entertainment fought the resort fees for years at their resorts before finally giving in but at least waives them for diamond members and on comped stays neither of which dies MGM do. I am local and as far as I know Caesars Entertainment does not yet have plans to charge anyone for parking (my information may be outdated) this means free parking still at:
Caesars Palace
Planet Hollywood
The Cromwell
Flamingo
Bally’s
Paris
Rio
I am mlife platinum (highest tier besides the invite only tier) and it gets you basically nothing. Mlife is the worst program I have ever been part of by far.
Conversely Caesars entertainment had the best program by far I have ever been part of. Diamond members have priority lines for almost everything, free show tickets monthly, comped rooms almost always, lounge access even when not staying at any of their nearly 45 resorts all around the country, room upgrades including crazy nice suites (based on play, as well as other discretionary comps like food and shows)
I agree that it sucks, but the one thing you can get from the mlife program in all levels but the Sapphire level (Pearl, Gold, Platinum, & Noir) get you free parking at the MGM casinos. You’ll get Pearl with the MGM credit card and Pearl/Gold with Hyatt status matches – so… there’s that.
Oops should have said Caesars didn’t plan to charge *locals* for parking not *anyone*
I stopped going to Vegas after “resort” fees started proliferating like weeds. Just another reason to keep taking my tourist dollars elsewhere.
Wynn is going to charge for parking. http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/wynn-resorts-join-ranks-pay-parking
I just came back home from staying at MGM Grand…never again. 10/day they say but they don’t tell you there are no in and out privileges. For example on the first night I got there I wanted to go to Denny’s. The time I had parked… one day and 54 minutes so therefore I was charged $20…do you think this means I can come in and out for this second day? Nope if I wanted to leave again I would have to pay again and again and again. I’ve only liked Vegas because it’s nearby and I could drive there but I will be strictly staying at the Wynn and Encore now as they don’t charge for self-parking. When they follow suit I will find a new destination to enjoy myself at…without the clouds of cigarette smoke, & ridiculous fees.