The Best Las Vegas Hotels Without Resort Fees

Any trip to Las Vegas comes with some built-in risks: Your number may never hit at the roulette table. The show you booked might flop. The yard-long margarita? Maybe not your best life choice.

But nothing kills the vibe faster than opening your hotel folio and finding a line item you didn’t plan for: the dreaded resort fee.

In Vegas, those fees average around $40 a night (plus tax), and for what? “Perks” like Wi-Fi and gym access — things that are free in nearly every hotel in America. In other words, you’re paying for things that should’ve been included anyway.

Here’s the good news: a handful of Vegas hotels skip them altogether. You won’t find endless options, but if you want to avoid shelling out for phantom perks, here’s where to stay instead.

Resort fees are nightly charges tacked onto your hotel bill after the fact. They go by different names — “destination charge,” “amenity fee,” “urban experience charge” — but they all do the same thing: make your cheap Vegas hotel room suddenly less cheap.

Hotels argue they cover access to the pool, gym, and local calls. Critics argue it’s a sneaky way to advertise a lower rate online and charge more later. Both can be true, but either way, it’s money you won’t get back.

Yes, they exist — but barely. Most major Strip operators like MGM and Caesars tack fees onto every booking. Still, there are a couple of loopholes.

Best Western Plus Casino Royale-Center Strip

If being on the Strip is a must-have on your no-resort fee hotel wish list, meet the Casino Royale, which is a member of the Best Western Rewards program. Let’s be clear about something: You’re getting a hotel room and a great location — but not much else.

But the location is unbeatable, and the lack of resort fee is the cherry on top. If all you need is a crash pad after wandering the Strip, this is your play.

How to book the Best Western Plus Casino Royale-Center Strip

Best Western doesn’t have a set award chart, and prices for award nights can vary greatly. When searching for nights in the summer and fall, we found them as low as 16,000 points for weeknights and as high as 28,000 points on weekends. Cash prices fluctuate similarly. We found rooms as cheap as $80 per night, all the way up to nearly $300 per night.

One of the best ways to score enough points to book a stay here is via the Best Western Rewards® Premium Visa Signature® Card. It has an $89 annual fee. That card is currently offering the following sign-up bonus: Bonus points offer of 20,000 to 80,000 points with qualifying spend. You’ll see your bonus points offer before you apply.

If annual fees aren't your thing, there's also the $0 annual fee Best Western Rewards® Visa Signature® Card . That card's current sign-up bonus is: Bonus points offer of 10,000 to 40,000 points with qualifying spend. You’ll see your bonus points offer before you apply.

Marriott's Grand Chateau

For a nice hotel near the Strip without resort fees, your best choice is Marriott's Grand Chateau.

The Grand Chateau is technically off the Strip — just across Harmon Avenue from Planet Hollywood and the Miracle Mile Shops — but it feels close enough so we're fitting it in here. This Marriott Vacation Club property trades slot machines for space: villas with kitchens, dining rooms, and multiple bedrooms are common.

No resort fees, free Wi-Fi, and two pools make this feel less like a Vegas casino and more like a timeshare resort. It’s especially good if you’re traveling with kids or a group of friends who don’t want to share one giant double bed.

How to book Marriott's Grand Chateau

Standard rooms at Marriott's Grand Chateau can usually be booked for between $200 and $300 per night. Marriott's Grand Chateau is part of the Marriott Bonvoy program, and award nights range from 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points to 53,000 points per night. You can quickly earn those points by meeting the sign-up bonus requirements on one of the Marriott-branded credit cards, which include:

If you’re heading to Allegiant Stadium for a Raiders game, a concert, or just want a no-nonsense place to stay near the Strip, the Courtyard Stadium Area is hard to beat. It’s a 10-minute drive from the airport, 6 minutes from Mandalay Bay, and yes, you can walk to the stadium.

Rooms here are huge — bigger than many Strip suites — and there are no resort fees. Parking is $20 a night, but during stadium events non-guests pay $75 for the same lot, so you’re winning by default. The pool has palm trees, there’s a fire pit and jacuzzi, and the whole place is smoke-free (which feels revolutionary in Vegas).

Pets are welcome ($100 per stay, not per night), and the on-site laundry and fitness center make it easy for longer trips. Points nerds will also appreciate that rates often land in the 20,000–30,000 Bonvoy range, perfect for burning a 35K free night certificate.

If your heart is set on a property that usually tacks on the dreaded fees, here are a few hacks to avoid resort fees in Vegas:

Hold hotel elite status

Certain hotel loyalty programs waive resort fees for members with certain levels of elite status. Some standout programs in Vegas include:

Caesars Rewards: With Diamond status or higher in the Caesars Rewards programs, resort fees are waived. The best Caesars hotels in Vegas include Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and The Cromwell. One of the best ways to reach Caesars Rewards Diamond status is via the Wyndham/Caesars status match option. You’ll need Diamond Wyndham status to match to Diamond in the Caesars program, which qualifies you for waived resort fees on any stay.

» Learn more: Caesars vs. MGM Rewards: Which rewards program is better?

World of Hyatt: Hyatt doesn’t charge resort fees to members with Globalist status, which is the highest elite status level in the World of Hyatt program. Hyatt owns the Rio Hotel & Casino, which is located one block off the famed Las Vegas Strip on Flamingo Road. Thus, holding Globalist status is your ticket to avoiding the Rio's $40 daily resort fee.

Book award nights

Certain hotel loyalty programs waive resort fees for nights booked using points or other free night certificates. Given how high resort fees are in Vegas relative to most other cities, Las Vegas resorts can make for an especially-great redemption when using points. Some standout programs in Vegas include:

Hilton Honors: The Hilton Honors waives resort fees for stays booked on points. Hilton also waives resort fees for stays booked using a Hilton free night certificate.

Hilton operates dozens of hotels on or near the Las Vegas Strip, including Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas, Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World, Crockfords Las Vegas, Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World and Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Curio Collection by Hilton.

Not only do those properties charge resort fees, but they can often command rates at or near $500 per night on peak nights, such as weekends. Given that, they can make for an excellent way to redeem Hilton free night certificates — as you'll pay neither a resort fee nor the actual room rate when you redeem them for a stay. You typically earn Hilton free night certificates through holding certain Hilton-branded credit cards.

For example, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, which has an annual fee of $550, offers one Free Night Reward with your card and every year after renewal. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has a lower annual fee of $150. It offers a free night certificate after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year.

Terms apply.

World of Hyatt: Hyatt doesn’t charge resort fees for rooms booked on points or with Hyatt free night awards. There are a few ways to earn a free night reward, but among the most common is by holding the World of Hyatt Credit Card. In exchange for its annual fee of $95, among the card's top perks is a certificate for a free night at a Category 1-4 hotel each calendar year.

Since the Hyatt-owned Rio is a Category 3 hotel, that can make for a smart redemption (especially on weekends when cash rates are high) given the Rio's $40 daily resort fee.

Use travel card statement credits

Some travel cards offer statement credits that cover a broad definition of travel. Charge a covered expense to the card, which typically includes hotel resort fees, and you can get a reimbursement.

Sometimes, it’s worth doing the math. If a Strip resort costs $75 a night plus a $40 fee, and your no-resort-fee option costs $160, you may still come out ahead staying on the Strip. Especially if you’ll spend your whole day at that resort’s pools, clubs, or shows — things you’d otherwise pay extra for.

Resort fees are the most Vegas trick of all: a hidden charge that always feels like the house won. But they aren’t inevitable. When planning a trip to Vegas, comparison shop hotels and keep your eye out for resort fees, which are usually displayed before you input credit card information near the end of booking. There’s no shame in paying a resort fee as long as you factor it into your budget.

But if you're dead set on avoiding these fees? From the middle-of-the-Strip Best Western Casino Royale to the spacious Marriott Grand Chateau and the stadium-adjacent Courtyard by Marriott, you’ve got options.

If you’re allergic to resort fees (and who isn’t?), plan ahead, comparison shop, and don’t let those sneaky line items follow you home on your credit card bill.