A disturbing trend is emerging at Las Vegas hotels and it's called a resort fee.

Until now, most hotels in the area charged a room rate and tax, then tacked on any additional charges on an a la carte basis. Want to use the gym? That'll be an additional $20, please. Need to make some phone calls? That'll be $1 a minute. Need a place to park? Well, that's usually free.

Not anymore.

Several major hotels have tacked a so-called resort or facilities fee on top of the regular room rate. What this fee covers, and in fact how much it is, varies based upon what hotel you're staying at, but generally speaking it includes things that most people will never use or that they got for free before.

For instance, the new Red Rock Resort and its sister hotel, Green Valley Ranch, each charge a daily $19.95 resort fee on top of the regular room rate. At Red Rock this includes nightly turn-down service; a daily newspaper; access to the fitness center, spa, and pool; a daily shoeshine; access to the 24-hour concierge service; and transporation to and from the airport or the Fashion Show Mall on the Strip. At Green Valley, the list is virtually identical except it includes in-room coffee service.

Remember, this is a daily fee and there is no way to opt out of it. So if they quote you a $199 room rate, automatically tack on an additional $20.

Why do this instead of raising the room rates by $20? No one I spoke to was willing to comment on the practice on the record, except to say uninteresting things such as "added value," but what it really boils down to is a perception. It's easier to quote a room rate of $199 and then sock you with an additional $20-a-night charge than to quote $219, inclusive.

At least at Red Rock and Green Valley they are offering you something for that $20. I know most people will never use the gym or Jacuzzi, but other hotels charge anywhere from $20 to $35 a day to use their facilities, so that alone is worth it if you plan on doing so.

But other hotels are adding these fees for virtually no additional recognizable benefit. The Hard Rock Hotel charges a $5 a night "amenities fee" that covers the 42-inch plasma television in your room and upgraded Bose stereo system. Never mind that you'll find these in every single room and there is no way to get a room without one -- that'll be an extra $5 a night, please.

The Stratosphere is also charging a $5 a night resort fee that includes access to the pool and fitness center, plus free tower access (normally a $9 charge), but only between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. You also get 2-for-1 show tickets and a coupon book for other discounts but remember, these are things most hotels used to give away for free.

Other hotels that I found currently charging extra fees include the Station properties such as Sunset, Texas, and Santa Fe, each charging a $5 a night tariff for parking, free local and toll-free calls, workout room access and discounts at the hotel gift shop.

The new Signature condo-hotel at MGM Grand charges an additional $15 a day, but that includes free wired or wireless Internet service, two bottles of water a day (which in Vegas can run you $6 a bottle), fitness center access, coffee service and a newspaper.

The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas also charges a fee, but it seeems to provide the most bang for the buck, presuming you're interested in the things that are included. The $20-per-night resort fee includes daily morning coffee in the lobby, a shuttle around Lake Las Vegas, a $20 gift certificate to use at the spa boutique, gym and spa access, exercise classes, discounts on golf rates, and all of the sports equipment, such as croquet sets and mountain bikes.

Currently, those were the hotels that I could find that charge the extra fee. As of this writing, Bally's, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Four Seasons, Harrah's, the JW Marriott, the Las Vegas Hilton, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Mirage, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Orleans, Palms, Paris Las Vegas, The Rio, Silverton, South Coast, Suncoast, THEhotel, Treasure Island, The Venetian, and Wynn Las Vegas do not charge any type of additional resort or facilities fee.

But I guarantee you the bean counters at all of these places are all watching this new trend with interest. If it does not negatively affect business, you can expect to see more of the popping up at hotels around town.

So what can be done to stop it? Probably nothing. But if you're serious about wanting to try you can do two things: Be sure to ask when booking a hotel if there are any additional fees. If they have one, tell the reservation agent that you intend to book a room at a hotel that doesn't have one.

There is some anecdotal evidence that some places will waive the fee if they know you are serious about taking your business elsewhere, but this is not a guarantee.

Second, if you stay at a hotel that does have one, complain about it. Again, there have been stories of people getting these fees taken off their bills either through comp points or just by desk clerks who don't want to deal with the angry voices anymore.

My personal opinion is that this kind of thing is obscene, especially when room rates are skyrocketing already. Tack on the fact that some of these fees are covering things you used to get for free (parking, for instance) and it really adds insult to your hotel bill injury.

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