Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Cosmopolitan the latest Strip hotel to charge for parking

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Steve Marcus

An exterior view of the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, center, on the Las Vegas Strip Monday, Feb. 15, 2016.

The hip resort sits at the corner of Harmon Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard and is surrounded by properties owned by MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment all of which are, or soon will be, charging for parking (although Caesars won’t charge locals for self-parking).

The Cosmopolitan announced today it plans to start charging for parking in early 2017. The valet fees will be similar to those at MGM and Wynn properties and some Caesars’ resorts except for the Flamingo, Linq and Harrah’s.

The move reduces the options available for people who want to visit the Strip without paying parking fees. Because the Cosmopolitan is so centrally located, it was possible to park there and walk to City Center and then catch MGM’s tram to almost all their resorts, except for those south of Tropicana Avenue.

In addition, it was possible to park in the Cosmopolitan garage and walk across the pedestrian bridges to the Flamingo and other Caesars’ resorts on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip.

Casino observer and blogger Anthony Curtis said he expected the Cosmopolitan to make this move, largely because people were parking there and walking to City Center.

And while he said some visitors may adjust by parking at the SLS or the Westgate and use the Las Vegas Monorail, others may just say forget it.

“There will be some of that,” he said. “But eventually, people will have to decide if they want to pay (the fees) or simply go elsewhere. And in the case of probably quite a few visitors, decide if they even want come to Las Vegas at all. No one's taking the news well.”

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