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MGM Paid Parking: The Rules And The Prices

As VT noted yesterday, the institution that is free parking on the Las Vegas Strip is imminently (and permanently) being dismantled by MGM Resorts International.

There has been a lot of conjecture about who pays what, how much and where. We've got answers.

MGM Paid Parking Rules

For everybody, the first hour of self-parking is complimentary. Feel free to pop in, blow chunks and bone out.

If you are a hotel guest you must to pay to self or valet park your car. Parking fees are an additional fee on top of the daily resort fee.

If you are a hotel guest, parking access will be handled via the magnetic stripe/RFID chip on your hotel room key. Your key will stop working at the end of the day you check out of the hotel.

If you are a hotel guest, your daily parking fee gives you access to all MGM property parking garages, with some restrictions.

- If you paid for valet at Aria, you get access to valet parking at all properties.

- If you paid for self-parking at Excalibur, you get access to self-parking at all properties.

- You can't mix and match self and valet parking options.

If you are an M Life member at Pearl, Gold, Platinum or Noir status, self-parking is complimentary.

If you are an M Life member at Gold, Platinum or Noir status, valet parking is complimentary.

If you are a Nevada resident (with a valid NDL), the first 24 hours of self-parking is complimentary. The locals friendly "grace period" will end in late December.

MGM Parking Rates by Property Tier

Circus Circus*, Excalibur, Luxor and Monte Carlo:

- one hour free

- under 4 hours: $5 self | $8 valet

- under 24 hours: $8 self | $13 valet

- over 24 hours (flat rate per day): $8 self | $13 valet

* Circus Circus self parking is always free, only valet prices apply.

Aria (and Vdara), Bellagio, Mandalay Bay (and Delano), MGM Grand, Mirage and New York-New York:

- one hour free

- under 4 hours: $7 self | $13 valet

- under 24 hours: $10 self | $18 valet

- over 24 hours (flat rate per day): $10 self | $18 valet



Warning: All bets are off during special events!

Expect to see surge pricing, lack of availability or being refused entry - even if you've already paid. In the case of returning to your home hotel to find the valet is full, you'll have to park at a nearby valet or double pay to self park.

How It Works

I'm guessing that guests will pull in, get their tickets, park their car and head to registration. When they arrive at the front desk, reception will ask the guest about parking and take your ticket. The front desk agent will then offer to add parking fees for the length of your stay to your folio along with resort fees. The parking ticket ID will be attached to hotel room key for quick in-and-out access.

A three day trip will now contain approximately $120 in fees - 3 x $30/night resort fees + 3 x $10/day parking fees. It is imperative for guests to tell reception what their M Life status is upon check in and inquire about waiving parking fees.

What Does It Mean

MGM's carefully crafted parking policy manages to thread the needle of malcontents by offering just enough outs to enough of their conscious constituency. MGM is well aware that the institution of paid parking and the rest of the Profit Growth Plan's anti-guest, cost-cutting policies aren't popular with in-the-know tourists or locals. Based on MGM's history with resort fees and the like, we guarantee that this implementation of paid parking is the best case scenario we'll ever see. The noobs won't notice, so fuck 'em.

I always thought that MGM would use the threat of parking fees as a marketing lead generator, at least temporarily. Sacrificing $10-30 in vaporous revenue realized from a non-asset is nothing if it drives M Life sign ups and eventually spend. Giving their rolodex an infusion of new blood offers MGM endless opportunities to surf the deep dark abyss of total consumer awareness, multi-channel marketing and big money data mining. They should give Sapphire members and new sign ups a day or two grace period. Then again, maybe they don't want new sign ups from cost conscious, entry level customers.

Like boiling frogs, MGM will slowly raise the heat from this point forward. Inevitably, they'll whip out the ol' "we looked at our policies and decided to make some adjustments to better serve our guests" routine. The bottom M Life tiers will eventually have complimentary parking privileges be dropped or squeezed. Then they'll raise rates across the board and/or tighten up the policies. The locals grace period olive branch is evidence of this strategy.

Cue MGM PR's announcement of the parking rules in 5... 4... 3...

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