Resort fees are getting out of hand and are too expensive.
What Are Resort Fees?
If you are not familiar with them, resort fees are a mandatory fee that guests must pay to the hotel in addition to the nightly room rate. In most cases they are on a per night basis and guests cannot opt out. They often include some perks and freebies such as usage of the hotel facilities, a complimentary newspaper, free telephone calls and internet. They are sometimes referred to as a “daily membership fees”, “service charge” or “convenience fee”.
Since when do hotels charge to use their facilities? Resort fees started off pretty low. Just a few years ago, they ranged from $5 to $15 per night and they were limited to resort properties. Resorts typically provide more than just basic lodging such as multiple swimming pool with lounger chairs, beach umbrellas, towels and other resort-like amenities. Getting charged a few extra dollars per night was tolerable and most travelers put up with it.
Today, however, resort fees are getting out of hand. They are charged by properties that are clearly not resorts and offer nothing more than what travelers would expect at a typical hotel. Worse, hotels keep upping the rates. According to ResortFeeChecker.com, resorts fees are averaging over $20 in Las Vegas with many property charing over $30 per night. The 10 cities where resort fees are most common are:
- Orlando Florida: Average fee of $11 per night
- Miami, Florida: Average fee of $20 per night
- Las Vegas, Nevada: Average fee of $20 per night
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Average fee of $8 per night
- Oahu Island, Hawaii: Average fee of $20 per night
- Steamboat Springs, Colorado: Average fee of $4 per night
- Puerto Rico: Average fee of $34 per night (highest)
- Phoenix (mostly Scottsdale), Arizona: Average fee of $21 per night
- San Diego, California: Average fee of $17 per night
- Florida Keys, Florida: Average fee of $19 per night
Why Do Hotels Charge Resort Fees?
Personally, I think that mandatory fees should be included in the price of the hotel when you book it. Otherwise it is too confusing for the end consumer. Resort fees make a hotel seem cheaper than it actually is. Those that charge a resort fee have an unfair advantage over other hotels because of the illusion of cheaper rates when travelers are comparing hotels. As a result, you see the current phenomenon of more and more hotels charging fees.
Avoiding Resort Fees
Most resort fees are mandatory. Gone are the days when you could plead ignorance and convince the front desk clerk to waive the fee. This probably still happens for loyalty members with elite statuses, but it is rare.
As a consumer, you simply need to be aware of resort fees when booking hotels. Some online booking engines do a better job of disclosing mandatory fees than others. Expedia is a great example that keeps their fees fairly well hidden, while Hotwire (whose parent company is Expedia) does a great job of disclosing their fee. Alternatively, travelers should use ResortFeeChecker to check the rates of resort fees before they book.
Booking Cheaper Hotels: A great way to book a hotel is to use opaque booking sites like Hotwire and Priceline. By far, Priceline is generally cheaper because it allows you to bid for your hotel. Savvy travelers know that you can bid low and work your way up through a series of rebids on Priceline.
Hotwire is great about disclosing resort fees before you book. The fee is displayed at each page of the booking process and in the confirmation email after you book.