Las Vegas Resort Fees 2026: What They Cost and How to Get Them Waived

If you last booked a Las Vegas hotel a few years ago, the resort fee arrived as a nasty surprise at check-out. That part has changed. What has not changed is the amount — and for a trade show stay of four or five nights, it is still the number that decides which hotel is actually cheapest.

Here is what resort fees cost in 2026, when they can be waived, and how exhibitors and groups can get them removed entirely.

What changed in 2026: the fees are visible, not gone

The FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees took effect in May 2025. It requires hotels, booking platforms and short-term rentals to display the total price including all mandatory fees, prominently and up front.

That is a real improvement for comparison shopping. But read the rule carefully: it governs disclosure, not price. Hotels can still charge whatever resort fee they choose — they simply have to show it before you commit. Several states, including California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Virginia and Connecticut (from July 1, 2026), have added broader all-in pricing requirements of their own.

The practical consequence for you: the fee no longer ambushes you at check-out, but it still lands on your invoice. Anyone telling you resort fees were abolished is a few years out of date.

What resort fees actually cost right now

Strip resort fees in 2026 run roughly $44 to $57 per night at casino-hotels, according to a Las Vegas Review-Journal survey. Nevada’s lodging tax of 13.38% applies on top, so a $57 fee costs about $65 per night in practice.

Put that on a trade show week. Five nights at those fees add roughly $250 to $325 including tax, before you have paid for a single night of the room itself. For a two-person exhibitor team in separate rooms, that is about $500 to $650 in fees alone — frequently more than the airfare difference you agonised over.

Parking is separate. Most Strip resorts now charge for self-parking and valet, so check the current rate on your hotel’s own site. For showgoers driving in each morning, the Las Vegas Convention Center’s own lots charge $15 a day (AHR Expo 2026 parking information).

Hotels near the LVCC with no resort fee, or a low one

This is where trade show attendees have a genuine advantage over leisure visitors: the convention corridor contains business hotels that never adopted resort fees, because they were never resorts.

• Courtyard by Marriott Las Vegas Convention Center — no resort fee, walking distance to the LVCC.
• Renaissance Las Vegas — non-gaming, business-oriented, directly across from the convention center.
• Hampton Inn / Residence Inn / SpringHill Suites Convention Center — the Paradise Road cluster, low or no mandatory fees and rates well below Strip-front resorts.
• Best Western Plus Casino Royale — on the Strip and widely reported as fee-free, a rarity in that location.

A $180 room with no resort fee beats a $150 room carrying a $55 fee. Once tax is applied the gap widens further. That arithmetic is the whole game, and it is why our LVCC hotel comparison ranks on all-in cost rather than headline rate.

The group waiver: the biggest lever exhibitors ignore

Individual attendees have limited options. Groups have real negotiating power — and most exhibitor teams never use it.

Once you are contracting roughly ten rooms or more, the resort fee becomes a negotiable line item rather than a fixed charge. Hotels competing for convention group business regularly waive it, because a waived fee is cheaper for them than discounting the room rate across the block.

What to ask for, explicitly, at contract stage:

• Resort fee waived for all rooms in the block — ask for it in writing in the contract, not in an email thread.
• Complimentary or discounted parking for the group.
• Comp room ratio (commonly one complimentary room per 40 to 50 room nights actualised).
• Waived early departure fees — exhibitor schedules change.
• Complimentary in-room internet upgrade if the fee is waived, since the fee nominally covered it.

The critical timing point: this is negotiable before you sign and effectively impossible afterwards. Attendees who book individually online, then discover the group next door had fees waived, cannot retroactively join that arrangement.

Some off-Strip properties have gone further and eliminated group meeting resort fees outright as a convention sales strategy. We track the current landscape in our guide to resort fees for trade show groups.

Loyalty status waivers

If you travel to shows regularly, elite status is the most reliable individual route to a waiver. Reported programs in 2026 include MGM Rewards at Gold tier and above (Bellagio, ARIA, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, Park MGM and others) and Caesars Rewards at Diamond and above (Caesars Palace, Paris, Flamingo, The LINQ, Harrah’s, Planet Hollywood, Rio and others).

Two caveats worth knowing before you rely on this. Lower tiers generally do not receive the waiver, and terms change without much notice — verify your current tier benefits with the property before you count on it for a five-night stay.

Promotional waivers, and why to read them closely

Properties periodically run fee-waiver promotions. Some are genuinely good for showgoers: Westgate, directly across from the LVCC, has promoted a package removing its resort fee and adding dining credit and valet — for a convention attendee that is a strong combination given the location.

Others are less clear-cut. Packages that waive a $50 fee while adding $100 per night in bundled amenities are not savings unless you would have bought those amenities anyway. Blackout dates routinely exclude major convention weeks, which is precisely when you need the room. Read the calendar before assuming a promotion applies to your show.

Compare all-in rates near the LVCC
Prices now display total cost including mandatory fees — compare like for like.
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What does not work

A few persistent myths, stated plainly:

• Booking through a third party does not avoid the fee. It is charged by the property regardless of channel.
• Declining the amenities does not remove it. The fee is mandatory whether or not you use the pool, gym or Wi-Fi.
• The official show hotel block does not automatically waive it. Block rates are typically quoted before resort fees, exactly like public rates — which is why our block vs independent booking comparison insists on all-in totals.
• Complaining at check-out rarely works now that the fee was disclosed up front. The disclosure requirement cuts both ways.

Frequently asked questions

Are Las Vegas resort fees still legal in 2026?

Yes. The FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, effective May 2025, requires hotels to display the total price including mandatory fees up front. It regulates how fees are disclosed, not whether they can be charged or how much they can be.

How much are resort fees in Las Vegas in 2026?

Strip resort fees run roughly $44 to $57 per night at casino-hotels (Las Vegas Review-Journal survey). Nevada’s 13.38% lodging tax applies on top, so a $57 fee costs about $65 per night in practice.

Which hotels near the Las Vegas Convention Center have no resort fee?

The Paradise Road business-hotel cluster is the reliable answer: Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center, Renaissance Las Vegas, Hampton Inn, Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites. Best Western Plus Casino Royale is a widely reported fee-free option on the Strip itself.

Can a group get resort fees waived?

Frequently, yes — above roughly ten rooms the fee becomes a negotiable contract term. Request it in writing before signing; it cannot realistically be obtained after the fact.

Does elite status waive resort fees?

At some properties. MGM Rewards Gold and above, and Caesars Rewards Diamond and above, have offered waivers at their respective properties. Lower tiers generally do not qualify, and terms change — confirm with the hotel before relying on it.

Do resort fees apply to the official show hotel block?

Usually yes. Block rates are quoted before resort fees in most cases. Groups contracting a block can negotiate a waiver; individuals booking within a block generally cannot.

Exhibiting rather than attending? Our guide to exhibitor logistics — freight, drayage and setup days covers the costs and timing that decide how many nights you actually need to book.

The short version

Resort fees did not disappear in 2026 — they became visible. For a five-night show stay they add roughly $250 to $325 per room including tax, which is enough to reverse most hotel comparisons made on headline rate alone.

If you are an individual attendee, the convention-corridor business hotels with no resort fee are your simplest answer. If you are booking for a team, ask for the waiver in writing before you sign — it is the single highest-value request most exhibitors never make.

Resort fee amounts and waiver programs change frequently. Figures here reflect reporting available in July 2026; verify current amounts with the property before booking.