Las Vegas has its arrogance back.
During the Covid pandemic, Sin City gained a little humility. It had to close for a period and then had to win customers back.
First, it had to prove things were safe, and that was kind of a moving bar, depending on who was asking. It also had to show that Las Vegas could be Las Vegas and bring all the fun that it used to.
Related: Major Las Vegas Strip casino pays huge fines for illegal gambling
Part of getting people to come back was lowering prices. In the days of social distancing and mask wearing, free rooms were very easy to come by, and people who normally got free rooms got some very good upgrades.
Restaurants offered specials, and many shows were sold at discount prices.
That did its job, because by the time the Super Bowl and other major events came to the city, prices were higher than ever. Now Las Vegas has seen some slowdowns as consumers pull back their spending.
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That makes it risky for Las Vegas to be selling $11 lattes and $25 cocktails. There may be an audience for that, but some people will see it as price gouging and turn away from the gambling mecca.
The Las Vegas strip has a lot of pricing leeway, especially at the nicer hotels, but one very popular resort may be pushing things too far.
Image source: Shutterstock
Las Vegas resort hits a new low
Everyone expects inflated prices at hotel stores and even higher prices at minibars in their hotel room.Â
One Aria customer provided evidence of paying $26 for a bottle of water taken from the minibar in their room at MGM Resorts International’s (MGM)  Aria. A bottle of water at that hotel’s Starbucks, they noted, was “only” $7.45.
“You are better off actually buying water at inflated airport prices when you land and bringing them to the hotel. This is the perfect example of the kind of out of sample cost that make people feel cheated on a Las Vegas trip, leaving customers with a bad taste in their mouth. And that is dangerous heading into a Las Vegas downturn,” Gary Leff wrote at View From the Wing.
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In reality, pretty much every Las Vegas hotel, at least on this trip it’s pretty close to a CVS or Walgreens. You won’t pay four dollars for 24 bottles of water, but you also won’t pay $6 dollars a bottle.
In most cases, a short walk, albeit sometimes in very hot sun, can generally bring you most supplies you need. And, if you actually need real groceries, an Uber to a supermarket, which can usually be found at just off the strip, should not be that expensive.
Many Las Vegas visitors have had enough
Many of the commenters had clearly had enough with Las Vegas price gouging.
“That property and that town is dead to me. They killed a good thing, way too greedy,” wrote Walter S. Goff.
Duke echoed that statement.
“Vote with your feet, go somewhere else. Las Vegas is a rip-off.”
Pat offered an even cheaper option.
“Stay downtown. Golden Nugget gives you 4 and resupplies as needed,” he said.
Related: Las Vegas Strip casinos can’t escape an alarming trend
Bob offered good advice as well.
“You can drink from the tap for free. This isn’t Mexico – tap water is probably safer than bottled water,” he wrote. “You can go to the lobby or hotel gym and refill your water bottle for free if you demand filtered water. You can get bottled water delivered to your door with Doordash or Walmart or Amazon delivery.
(The last part is generally not true, as most Strip hotels make you meet delivery people in the lobby).
