Las Vegas always promises you the wildest escape with neon lights everywhere, jackpots around every corner, and a kind of luxury that feels larger than life. Every year, millions show up, ready to go all in, because that’s what Vegas is supposed to be about: more of everything. But for one guest at Caesars Palace, the dream started to look a lot more like a money pit. His video rant from his hotel room went viral online, and now people are arguing about what a trip to Nevada really costs.
In the video, the Nevada tourist who flew from New York is sitting there, frustrated, saying he has been at the hotel for less than a day and already dropped over $200 just to cover the basics, such as food and water. There are no free water bottles in the room, no complimentary coffee, just a minibar stocked with snacks and alcohol, all monitored by sensors that charge you for even touching anything.
“There are sensors in the room that tell them when you’ve touched a box,” he says in the clip. He is keeping a close eye on his bill now.
He also points out the daily resort fee, which exceeds $50 per day. From his perspective, it doesn’t get you much except for access to a 24-hour gym he never planned on using. Then there’s the ATM. He took out $40, but because of a $12 fee, it cost him $52. That set him off even more.
Hoping for a simple meal, he ordered egg fried rice from what he thought was the cheapest restaurant in the hotel. The rice cost $23, plus a $15 service charge. Even though he went down to pick it up himself, they still tacked on a $3 service fee. After waiting over an hour, what did he finally get? Just plain white rice with one egg mixed in.
As his frustration grew, the guest escalated his warnings. He said that if he checked out and found “a single extra fee” on his bill, he would “literally call” authorities. “I’m calling the FBI,” he says in the video.
The video quickly gained traction online, where some social media users echoed his complaints. Some called Las Vegas, Nevada, a tourist trap, frustrated by what they saw as sky-high prices and sneaky extra charges.
Internet Reacts as Nevada Stay Sparks Tourist Trap Debate
The rising costs sparked nostalgia from longtime visitors who say Nevada, Las Vegas, wasn’t always this expensive. “Las Vegas used to be an incredible deal for food and rooms. They would make up for it because they knew the people would gamble in their casinos,” one person wrote.
Others shared personal experiences with unexpected charges. “Same thing happened to us at MGM, picked up a bottle of water and put it back down not knowing about the sensors and got charged for it,” a user said.
Some commenters argued this isn’t new. “Vegas is a scam. It always has been,” one wrote. Another added, “Vegas runs on fees. If you touch it, move it, or look at it too long, you’re probably getting charged.”
Others warned that the pricing strategy could backfire. “This crap is inexcusable, but it won’t stop until tourism disappears from Vegas and some of these landmark resorts fail financially,” one user said. Another concluded, “When companies start nickel and diming you on everything, including the air you breathe (figuratively), it has entered the death spiral.”
Even with all that, Nevada still draws crowds from all over the country. Most people know they are in for high prices and roll with it. Still, whether this guest was just unlucky or tapping into something bigger, his message lands: always read the fine print before you book.
