Venetian/Palazzo FRT DES Charge: Resort Fees, Holds, and Disputes

A charge labeled “Venetian/Palazzo FRT DES” on your credit or debit card statement comes from The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, which operates both The Venetian and The Palazzo towers. It almost always represents one of three things: the mandatory nightly resort fee, an incidental deposit hold placed at check-in, or a post-checkout charge for something billed to the room. Which one it is determines how to make it go away if it shouldn’t be there.

What the Charge Usually Is

The merchant descriptor is truncated, so the statement line doesn’t tell you which type of charge you’re looking at. A quick way to narrow it down: check the amount and the timing. A charge posted at or near check-in that matches roughly $55 per night plus tax is the resort fee. A larger round-number charge posted at check-in that later disappears is an incidental hold. A charge that shows up days or weeks after you left is a post-checkout item — a minibar charge, a damage fee, or a smoking fee.

The Resort Fee

As of 2026, The Venetian Resort charges a resort fee of $55 plus tax per night, payable at check-in, and it applies to stays in both towers.¹ It bundles amenities such as Wi-Fi and fitness center access. Over a multi-night stay it adds up to hundreds of dollars, which is why it often startles guests when it lands on a statement under an unfamiliar descriptor.

Incidental Deposit Holds

At check-in, the resort places an authorization hold on your card to cover potential incidentals — food, room service, damages. The amount depends on the room:

Non-Signature Suites: $150 per night.
Signature Penthouse Suites: a minimum of $500 per stay.
Signature Presidential Suites: a minimum of $2,500 per stay.²

These are authorizations, not final charges. On a credit card the hold typically releases within a few business days after checkout. On a debit card the funds can stay tied up for as long as two weeks, depending on the issuing bank. If a “Venetian/Palazzo FRT DES” line appears and then drops off, this is almost certainly what it was.

Post-Checkout Charges

The Venetian’s terms and conditions let the resort bill your card after you leave for goods and services used during the stay, property damage, excessive debris, unauthorized movement of furniture, and smoking detected by in-suite sensors.²

Smoking Fees

The smoking fee is a minimum of $500 per day when in-suite sensors detect smoking.² Guests have reported charges around $567 with tax, and hotel management has told disputing guests the sensors are “100% accurate,” pointing to specific trigger times. Consumer advocates have said environmental factors like steam from irons or hair dryers can trigger false positives. In one reported case, a guest’s bank reversed a smoking charge after the guest produced lab-verified nicotine and drug test results; in another, contacting the hotel directly was enough.³

Minibar and Refreshment Center

The in-suite refreshment center uses weight sensors. When an item is off its pad longer than a set window, the charge posts automatically to your folio. The resort’s policy says no charge applies if you pick up an item only briefly to read the label and put it back. Using the refreshment center refrigerator to store your own items triggers a separate $150 charge.⁴ Because these are sensor-driven, they occasionally show up for items a guest only handled.

How to Dispute the Charge

Start with the resort. The Venetian’s front desk can pull your folio, walk you through each line item, and remove charges in some cases — especially minibar sensor misreads or contested smoking fees when you have evidence. Save your confirmation emails, receipts, and any photos from checkout; they strengthen your position.

If the resort won’t resolve it and you paid by credit card, file a billing dispute under the Fair Credit Billing Act. Send a written dispute letter to the billing-inquiries address on your card issuer’s statement within 60 days of the statement date. Include your name, account number, a description of the disputed charge, and copies of supporting documents. The issuer must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days. While the investigation is open, you can withhold payment on the disputed amount, and the issuer can’t report it as delinquent or send it to collections.⁵

One boundary worth knowing. Disputes based on the quality of a service, rather than a billing error, require that the purchase exceeded $50 and occurred either in your home state or within 100 miles of your billing address, unless the seller is also your card issuer.⁵ For most out-of-state Las Vegas visitors, this statutory route won’t cover a quality complaint, though many card issuers extend chargeback protections beyond that minimum on their own.

You can also file a complaint with Nevada Consumer Affairs, which investigates deceptive trade practices under NRS Chapter 598. The agency requires that you first try to resolve the issue with the business and document that effort. Complaints go through the agency’s online portal and should include receipts, correspondence, and bank statements.⁶

Federal Rules on Hidden Hotel Fees

The FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, finalized December 17, 2024, took effect May 12, 2025.⁷ It doesn’t ban resort fees or cap them. It requires hotels to display the total price, including all mandatory fees, more prominently than any other pricing whenever a rate is shown.⁸ Vague labels like “service fees” or “processing fees” are out; the amount and purpose of each charge must be clearly disclosed.⁹

The FTC can impose penalties of up to $50,000 per violation and can order refunds and website changes. If you booked and the mandatory fees weren’t shown up front, report it at ReportFraud.FTC.gov.⁹

1
The Venetian Las Vegas. Resort Fee
2
The Venetian Las Vegas. Hotel Terms and Conditions
3
KOMO News. Why Hotels’ In-Room Smoking Sensors Falsely Charge Some Guests Hundreds in Fees
4
The Venetian Las Vegas. Refreshment Center Menu
5
Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
6
Nevada Consumer Affairs. File a Complaint
7
Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission Announces Bipartisan Rule Banning Junk Ticket, Hotel Fees
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Federal Register. Trade Regulation Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees
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Frommer’s. New Federal Junk Fee Rules Are in Effect