The days of free parking on the Las Vegas Strip are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. I guess if we fly into Vegas, we won't notice the change -- but many of us from neighboring states like California make the drive instead, and we now have one more thing to gripe about along with the Resort Fees we have reluctantly been paying for the chance to give the Strip casinos a bigger share of our entertainment dollar. The information below is copied from the Associated Press release that came out this week with the "good" news. There's nothing I can add except to say that maybe it's time to check out the Cosmopolitan or South Pointe since I don't see either mentioned in the article.
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Drivers were given a long list of rules this past Thursday involving MGM Resorts International’s game-changing move to charge for parking on the Las Vegas Strip.
Sin City’s largest hotel-casino operator has said the changes will go into effect beginning on June 6 at some properties, with all of its facilities falling in line by June 13.
The per-day fee for self-parking will be $8 and valet parking will be $13 a day at Monte Carlo, Luxor and Excalibur. Circus Circus valet will also charge $13 a day while self-parking will remain free.
MGM’s higher-end properties, including the Bellagio, Aria, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Mirage and New York-New York, will charge $10 for self-parking and $18 for valet parking per day. The Vdara and Delano, which do not offer self-park, also will charge the higher rate for valet.
The fees being implemented shake up a long-held entitlement on the Strip. MGM said it’s using the money to make upgrades to its parking structures and build a 3,000-space parking garage that will open next year on the Excalibur property.
“It’s just going to become the new normal and there’s still going to be a lot of people upset about this but these are changes that reflect the current reality here,” MGM spokesman Gordon Absher said.
The first hour of self-parking will be free to accommodate brief errands such as ticket purchases or pick-ups. Those parking for less than four hours will get a discounted rate.
Drivers will have to stop at a pay kiosk with a long list of payment options.
“If you look at the whole of it, it does seem confusing because there are a lot of options,” Absher said. “But if you start to narrow it down…it’s much more manageable.”
Hotel guests can use their room key, with the charges billed to their room.
Nevadans will get a break through Dec. 29 with free-self parking for up to 24 hours. To get the benefit, drivers will have to scan their driver’s license at the gate.
Absher said the company only scans the driver’s license barcode to ensure it’s valid and does not access any personal information.
Absher said the kiosk system has been tested with MGM’s T-Mobile Arena event parking process since April.
There will be a call center available for anyone who has issues with the system or their hotel key card, reward card, driver’s license or parking ticket.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
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