MGM casino's to start charging for parking in June

[dougp26364]

Read an article on Yahoo that MGM resort/casino's will begin charging from $8 upwards of $18 for self parking and valet parking. Seems like that's going to change the dynamic's in Vegas some if it catches on at all the resort/casino's.

For instance, the number of cars rented will likely go down (maybe strip traffic will as well), the bus could be more crowded (city might have to add buses), the monorail might actually get used like they plan, taxi lines will likely be longer, the crowded sidewalks could become more crowded, MGM restaurants/shops could see a decline in foot traffic/business if people stay away from MGM casino's, valet's won't get tips like they use to (who's tipping if it costs $18 to have the car parked), it could help Freemont Street resort/casino's if all the strip casino's become to expensive for the average person......

We typically rent a car when we're in Vegas. My wife's feet don't allow her to walk as much as we use to when we were younger. Typically when we're in town we'll shop at two or three resorts and eat meals at a variety of restaurants in different casino's. We've used the valets extensively when in town. I'm not paying $18 just to have the car parked so I can go into a casino for breakfast/lunch/dinner. I'll also be less inclined to rent a car if it's going to cost me an additional $8+ everytime we want to change from one casino to another.

Maybe they'll validate parking? I guess that would solve some of the problem but I'm not all that thrilled about needing to remember to have my parking validated anytime I'm at a restaurant, bar or store.

Of all the changes the bottom-line managers have done to Vegas, this has to be one of the dumbest and one of the worst.

 

[Karen G]

Seems like that's going to change the dynamic's in Vegas some if it catches on at all the resort/casino's.

Here's more info from the MGM website. Notice that it's not just at the MGM Grand--it's at ALL their properties in Las Vegas which includes Aria, Bellagio,Vdara, MCM Grand, Skylofts @ MGM, Signature @ MGM, Mandalay Bay, Delano, Mirage, Monte Carlo, Circus Circus, Luxor, New York New York, Excaliber.

Nevada residents get a break until the end of the year. I'm guessing that most of the other properties will start charging, too, sooner or later.

I don't like it either, but it seems that most big hotels in urban areas charge hefty fees to park if they have a parking garage.

 

[Passepartout]

This is a sticky situation. Obviously those parking garages cost the casino's a bundle, but if all those associated MGM joints charge, I can see a business opportunity for other casino's to realize that if they continue with free self and low cost valet parking, it gives guests more money for gaming, shows, restaurants, and shopping.

I know it would have an influence on where I do business.

Jim

 

[am1]

My guess is there will a way to get free parking as a perk. Very easy for the casino to do and gives value to something that was free.

If too many people start parking in the other casinos and walking to a mgm property the other casinos will have to adopt a fee as well.

The MGM can pull this off as they own enough casino where this can become the norm.

 

[Luanne]

I thought I had read somewhere that a possible reason for this change could be that the free parking was being taken advantage of. People were leaving their cars in the casino parking lots while traveling, and just catching a shuttle, or cab, to the airport.

 

[Karen G]

My guess is there will a way to get free parking as a perk. Very easy for the casino to do and gives value to something that was free.

According to the parking info on the link I posted above, there are some players club levels that qualify for free valet and free self-parking.

Parking Benefits for M life Rewards Members!
Complimentary* Self Parking for Pearl, Gold, Platinum and NOIR Members
M life PearlM life GoldM life PlatinumM life NOIR
Complimentary* Valet Parking for Gold, Platinum and NOIR Members

*Subject to availability. Fees subject to change. (Maybe that won't last long???)

 

[dougp26364]

According to the parking info on the link I posted above, there are some players club levels that qualify for free valet and free self-parking.

Parking Benefits for M life Rewards Members!
Complimentary* Self Parking for Pearl, Gold, Platinum and NOIR Members
M life PearlM life GoldM life PlatinumM life NOIR
Complimentary* Valet Parking for Gold, Platinum and NOIR Members

*Subject to availability. Fees subject to change. (Maybe that won't last long???)

It takes 25,000 points to earn Pearl status.

For every dollar spent on room, restaurant or shop you earn 25 points. Slots earn 10 points for every base point earned playing slots (I didn't find out how many $ spent gambling earn a base point). Points earned playing table games are based on level of average bet, time spent playing and the game played.

So if you spend $1,000 on the room, shops and dining you'll at least get free self parking. Yippee. :annoyed:

This probably isn't going to affect their regular players a great deal as it sounds like Pearl level is relatively easy to obtain. If we spent more time in Vegas it probably wouldn't affect us as I'm sure over the course of a year we'd spend $1,000 at MGM resort/casino's.

Because our gambling has become non-existent over the last several years, we've allowed all our players accounts to go inactive. I guess now we'll need to stop by the players desk and re-activate and link our accounts. I don't think we'll reach Pearl level and get free self parking but, one never knows. Between restaurants, shows and the occasional souvenirs we might be spending more than I realize.

 

[Dori]

Jim, I agree. There are lots of casinos to choose from, and I, for one, would opt for one that does not charge for parking. Free parking would be a very wise advertising ploy for those casinos that choose not to jump on this greed-fuelled bandwagon. Just as Southwest takes pride in and is famous for its no-baggage fee, other casinos could possibly create or maintain a loyal clientele.

Dori

 

[dougp26364]

As I think more about this, I'm wondering what sort of pressure this is going to put on Casino's in close proximity to MGM casino's? Right now our favorite timeshare has become HGVC Elera. But, if everyone starts parking in the Planet Hollywood parking garage to avoid paying parking fee's at Monte Carlo, MGM, NYNY et...It might become an issue for those actually staying at Planet Hollywood or shopping in their mall to find a decent parking space. It's going to tick me off if I'm trying to park where I'm staying but can't find a spot because people are parking there for free rather than at MGM controlled resorts.

So this could put some pressure on the other resort groups to either adopt the same policy or, put something in place to control the freeloaders using their free parking spaces without dropping money into their resort/casino's.

Las Vegas has reinvented itself so many times and managed to find success it's hard to argue with them. I thought I'd never like the TITO machines but, I've grown accustomed to them and now appreciate not feeling the pressure to tip someone who brings me my money (as if I ever hit what use to be a hand pay jackpot).

Oh yea, I'm waaayyyy overthinking this.

 

[Karen G]

As I think more about this, I'm wondering what sort of pressure this is going to put on Casino's in close proximity to MGM casino's? Right now our favorite timeshare has become HGVC Elera. But, if everyone starts parking in the Planet Hollywood parking garage to avoid paying parking fee's . . .

I was thinking the same thing! We went to a show at Planet Hollywood a week ago Saturday night and we couldn't believe how many people were there. We had intended to valet but valet was full so we had to use self-parking. It seemed like wall-to-wall people once we got inside the casino and later walking through the mall to get back to the parking garage. And the parking charges haven't even started yet!

 

[VegasBella]

Locals won't have to pay: http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/mgm-resorts-won-t-charge-nevadans-park-now

 

[Karen G]

Locals won't have to pay

Company spokesman Gordon Absher said Nevada residents can self-park for free at any MGM resort except during special events at least through Dec. 29, when the company plans to evaluate the system.

 

[dougp26364]

Company spokesman Gordon Absher said Nevada residents can self-park for free at any MGM resort except during special events at least through Dec. 29, when the company plans to evaluate the system.

Hopefully the other resort/casino's hold out until they reevaluate this new policy and they decided it's a failure. Mostly I'd like to see it affecting the bottom line of restaurants, shops and hotel reservations (hard to believe they plan to charge the very guests who stay with them).

If I were the competition, my adds would suddenly be something like, "Come stay and play with a resort that doesn't find ways to nickel and dime you to death. Our guests enjoy FREE parking when they stay and play with us."

I've signed up for Mlife but it will be easy enough for us to shop, dine and play at resorts/casino's not controlled by MGM. We'll see what happens come December 29th. Perhaps the wife and I need to look for someplace else to celebrate our anniversary each year.

 

[Passepartout]

I suppose that if I was the decision maker in the 'charge- don't charge' debate, I would lean toward having drivers show a valid, and active 'Players Club' card for comp parking. They could validate at the card issuing window. This would ensure that at least some gaming is being done in the house. Locals would collect a bunch of those cards, and out of town visitors would be encouraged to 'stay and play'.

We only come to Vegas once a year or two, so will be minimally effected, but it will be interesting to see how Vegas reinvents itself, once again.

Jim

 

[am1]

I would allow hotel guests to park for free at any of the lots and locals (including military) park free during the week. Everyone else can pay a parking fee or show they spent a certain amount of money at the hotel that day.

How will this affect drunk driving. If there is no charge people will leave their car overnight and get it the next morning. If they are paying some will want to get their car out as soon as possible.

Charging for parking is going to hurt the timeshares in the area. People will want to stay on the strip.

 

[VegasBella]

I got an M Life card when this news first came out many months ago so I could save on parking, although I rarely go to The Strip.

But I'm actually in favor of charging for parking.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/business/economy/15view.html?_r=0

Charging for parking increases incentives to use mass transit and carpool.

It also actually increases he amount of time people spend in one place, not the other way around (as implied by am1's worry about drunk drivers).

Also, downtown Las Vegas already charges for parking. Many casinos have validation programs but street parking is metered. FYI, electric vehicles can get a $10 pass and park free downtown or other city managed lots.

Another FYI, Town Square has metered spaces too but they don't tow or ticket if you don't feed the meter. It's just a suggestion. There were news articles about it - it's a locals "secret"

 

[am1]

It also actually increases he amount of time people spend in one place, not the other way around (as implied by am1's worry about drunk drivers).

I am not implying how long people spend in one place. I am saying people would be less likely to leave their car in an MGM lot if they are paying by the hour. More likely to want to get that car "home" for the night and not pick it up the next morning.

 

[dougp26364]

The parking fees aren't by the hour but blocks of time. Under 1 hour there's no charge, from 1-4 hours it's a smaller fee and over 4 hours it's a daily rate. I have no idea if that daily rate is on s 24 clock or if it starts over at midnight. Since hotel guest parking starts over at midnight, I'm guessing if you stay past midnight you'll ensure an additional charge.

 

[tompalm]

We just got back and saw everything in place. I read it will cost $10 and should have started a couple months ago but they didn't have everything ready and are still working on it. We parked in Mandalay Bay, NY-NY, Bellagio and a couple others and the signs are up that say "did you pay for parking". They are posted as you are driving out. You must pay before you exit because it is all automated. I assume there will be validations available if you gamble or see shows, but everyone should expect to start paying soon.

It looks like everything is in place with lights over each stall showing a green light if the stall is empty and red if the stall has a car there. Also, there are signs stating the number of open stalls on each level or parking area, and exits that have automatic booths setup for paying when you leave. If anyone has to pay, please provide an update. It doesn't look good for free parking any longer. I agree with the OP that it will cause a lot of problems.

Also, agree that I have never seen so many people in Vegas during the off season during the middle of the week. Someone said that people stop going to Europe on vacation and are staying in America. Maybe that has something to do with it.

 

[dougp26364]

We just got back and saw everything in place. I read it will cost $10 and should have started a couple months ago but they didn't have everything ready and are still working on it. We parked in Mandalay Bay, NY-NY, Bellagio and a couple others and the signs are up that say "did you pay for parking". They are posted as you are driving out. You must pay before you exit because it is all automated. I assume there will be validations available if you gamble or see shows, but everyone should expect to start paying soon.

It looks like everything is in place with lights over each stall showing a green light if the stall is empty and red if the stall has a car there. Also, there are signs stating the number of open stalls on each level or parking area, and exits that have automatic booths setup for paying when you leave. If anyone has to pay, please provide an update. It doesn't look good for free parking any longer. I agree with the OP that it will cause a lot of problems.

Also, agree that I have never seen so many people in Vegas during the off season during the middle of the week. Someone said that people stop going to Europe on vacation and are staying in America. Maybe that has something to do with it.

I think assuming there will be validations might be one of those incorrect assumptions. It appears the only validation is to have Pearl or higher status with MGM's Mlife program. Pearl level requires 25,000 Mlife points and with Mlife giving 25 points per dollar spent on rooms, dining and shoppig, one would need to spend $1,000 at MGM resorts/casino's to get free parking. Mlife earns 10 points/base point when playing slots. I can't tell you how much you must gamble to earn a base point but, if memory serves me correctly, it's not dollar for dollar.

Another thing I haven't found is how long Mlife points remain active on your account. I signed up the other day and the initial expiration date for Mlife points on my account (if there were points) would be 4 months. If that holds for all Mlife points, then you'd need to drop $1,000 at MGM resorts/casino's every 4 months just to get free parking.

They do allow the first hour of parking free to allow people to pick up show tickets without a parking charge. This seems really odd to me as it would be an incentive to actually pick up the tickets and LEAVE the casino rather than stay and gamble a little while.

At any rate, they'll revisit it on December 29th an decide how it's working and/or if they need to tweek it a bit. We're in town in October. Right now I'm thinking it could be appropriate to boycott MGM casino's, shows, restaurants and shops. If enough people stay away and it hurts the bottom line more than collecting parking fee's helps, maybe they'll abandon the practice. However, I think it's more likely the rest of the resorts/casino's follow MGM's example.

 

[Karen G]

If enough people stay away and it hurts the bottom line more than collecting parking fee's helps, maybe they'll abandon the practice. However, I think it's more likely the rest of the resorts/casino's follow MGM's example.

I found this report interesting from the Las Vegas Convention & Visitor Authority. At first I was thinking that most visitors arrived here by plane (based on the passenger traffic counts) and perhaps wouldn't be using the parking garages, but the percentage of people who come here come by car is a bit higher than by plane. Page 7 has those counts.

While I don't much want to pay for parking, I do think most other resorts/hotels will follow MGM's lead just as most hotels now charge a "resort fee" of some kind on hotel rooms. One would think that the exorbitant price of shows would keep people from attending them, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The nightclubs seem to be packed even with the ridiculous prices for bottle service and drinks.

I must say that the feature of having a green light to indicate an open parking spot and a board showing how many open spots are on a particular floor is really useful. The parking garage for the Cosmopolitan/City Center has that feature.

 

[dougp26364]

I found this report interesting from the Las Vegas Convention & Visitor Authority. At first I was thinking that most visitors arrived here by plane (based on the passenger traffic counts) and perhaps wouldn't be using the parking garages, but the percentage of people who come here come by car is a bit higher than by plane. Page 7 has those counts.

While I don't much want to pay for parking, I do think most other resorts/hotels will follow MGM's lead just as most hotels now charge a "resort fee" of some kind on hotel rooms. One would think that the exorbitant price of shows would keep people from attending them, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The nightclubs seem to be packed even with the ridiculous prices for bottle service and drinks.

I must say that the feature of having a green light to indicate an open parking spot and a board showing how many open spots are on a particular floor is really useful. The parking garage for the Cosmopolitan/City Center has that feature.

Lot's of interesting information in that study

29% of visitors came from CA, which was actually down from previous years where it was 33%. 53% came from the west (assuming this includes CA) and 16% where from foreign countries.

We'll just need to revist our vacation preferences once again. In the past we use to spend a week in Vegas over my wife's birthday and then again over our anniversary plus one or two additional weeks. Then we reduced it to birthday and anniversary and eventually to just a long weekend close to our anniversary.

Vegas has been great. We still may continue to go for the long weekend. Perhaps we'll stop renting a car if it's costing us an additional $40 or $50 just to self park at our resort (We've been staying at HGVC Elera, which uses PH's parking garage). Perhaps we'll begin staying at our home resort, which doesn't charge to self park. Or maybe it's time to look at other destinations where we might be just as happy. Since so many timeshares have gone to nightly reservations, it's easier than it's ever been to go somewhere without having to spend the entire week.

 

[VegasBella]

FYI - handicapped parking is almost always free, almost everywhere. I'm certain the casinos won't charge for it. Offensive comment removed

I am not implying how long people spend in one place. I am saying people would be less likely to leave their car in an MGM lot if they are paying by the hour. More likely to want to get that car "home" for the night and not pick it up the next morning.

a) That assumes rational actors
reality: drunk people are rarely rational

b) That assumes they value the saved parking fees over whatever other activities they might do while their car is parked
(in other words, you're saying they're pretty cheap)

c) The stated fees max out after 4 hours so they probably wouldn't actually save any money by getting their car out earlier than if they waited to sober up

d) Parking is currently free for locals and there are options to get free parking so many of the drunk drivers you're talking about can't possibly be motivated by wanting to save on parking

e) There are already rules against sleeping in cars in casino parking lots so there's already an "incentive" to drive drunk as you might phrase it

f) It seems like you'd rather blame parking fees rather than drink drivers

 

[VegasBella]

Here's a good blog post with key details about the parking policy


https://blog.vegas.com/las-vegas-hotels/heres-the-411-on-mgm-resorts-parking-fees-in-vegas-65540/

 

[am1]

FYI - handicapped parking is almost always free, almost everywhere. I'm certain the casinos won't charge for it. Offensive comment removed




a) That assumes rational actors
reality: drunk people are rarely rational

b) That assumes they value the saved parking fees over whatever other activities they might do while their car is parked
(in other words, you're saying they're pretty cheap)

c) The stated fees max out after 4 hours so they probably wouldn't actually save any money by getting their car out earlier than if they waited to sober up

d) Parking is currently free for locals and there are options to get free parking so many of the drunk drivers you're talking about can't possibly be motivated by wanting to save on parking

e) There are already rules against sleeping in cars in casino parking lots so there's already an "incentive" to drive drunk as you might phrase it

f) It seems like you'd rather blame parking fees rather than drink drivers

I am not blaming parking fees. Just stating the affect of charging for parking over night. I have not mentioned people sleeping in their car in casino parking lots. But if that were to mean they do not drive drunk I would be for it. I was talking about leaving their car in the lot overnight and going to get it the next morning.

I have no sympathy for people whose drive drunk. But I do have sympathy for the people they will endanger on the road.

I believe stricter penalties are needed. It may not stop someone from driving after drinking but when they have to take the bus for the rest of their life their friends may think twice.