Eliminating Valet Parking since Value Is Not Received
Since the Cosmopolitan opened in late 2010, Resorts World has promised free self and valet parking as a standard benefit for the first-ever casino resort. However, only five months after greeting its inaugural visitors with great fanfare, the north Strip complex is eliminating a perk that had been available to all Las Vegas casino customers for decades: gratis valet parking.
According to a media warning from the casino, “due to growing business and service needs, Resorts World Las Vegas will start to charge an amount for valet parking… beginning Wednesday, November 24. Hotel valet customers will be charged a specific amount per vehicle for a 24-hour period.”
All attendees will be able to self-park for free. Resorts World’s removal of complimentary valet is a strong hint that things aren’t going well at the new resort, according to Scott Roeben, who maintains the famous Vital Vegas website and social media platforms.
Despite robust gaming revenues in Nevada during the outbreak of the pandemic, many casino executives and industry analysts attribute it to tremendous pent-up demand. Roeben is afraid that Las Vegas casinos that have opened are losing a large portion of their general customers and are becoming VIP-only destinations.
Prior to 2016, guests from all walks of life in Las Vegas were greeted like high rollers when they arrived at their preferred Strip casino resort, with a pleasant greeting from a valet service person. However, MGM Resorts, which owns the majority of Strip properties, eliminated that customary advantage when it opted to charge for both valet and self-parking this year.
