But it doesn’t stop there. While this might work occasionally, it doesn’t always, even when some elements that should be included in a resort fee are closed, missing or broken. Please try again. Some travelers simply refuse to ever pay resort fees and will immediately cross off any property that charges them from their lists. First, because they are bundled, you may wind up paying extra for services and amenities you don’t use. Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire card, click here. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel. If you know you won’t be using any of the services bundled with the resort fee, ask the manager to remove the fee altogether.You might have more success if you have elite status or stay frequently at that hotel. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. AirBnB Sign Up: https://www.airbnb.com/c/jacobo84?currency=USDThis video is to help save you money on your Las Vegas vacation. Of course, if you have your heart set on a certain property that charges them, this method won’t work, but at least you’ll know the facts going into your stay and can prepare in advance to try to use another method to get the fee waived! Per program rules, Hilton and Hyatt consistently waive resort fees on award stays. This practice alone definitely scores Hilton and Hyatt bonus points in my book! There are mainly two ways to avoid paying resort fees: – to book a Vegas hotel which does not charge resort fees (a list is provided at the bottom, but beware of the drawbacks, as we’ll explain further on) Featured image by Katie Genter / The Points Guy. But these days, you’ll find hotels using resort fees to charge for Internet access, parking, fitness center access, kids’ club access, bottled water, boarding pass printing, newspapers, shuttles, bike storage, faxes, in-room coffee… you get the picture. The only way to avoid resort fees is to gamble a lot. As the resort fees and Las Vegas Resort Fees get worse, customers have to get craftier to avoid what I call these “because they can” charges. Before you or your travel agent make any hotel or accommodation booking, always call or email the property directly and ask up front weather or not a resort or destination style fee will be added on top of your room rate. Thanks for supporting this blog!***. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. For rates and fees of the Hilton Amex card, click here. Booking Holdings, owner of Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, and Kayak, recently went as far as to say it would start charging hotels commission on resort fees the way it charges it on room rates—although reports say the company has delayed those plans. Avoid Destinations Where Most Hotels Charge a Resort Fee In certain destinations, almost all the better hotels charge a resort fee. The resort fees are often not disclosed in the price you see on an advertisement. View our latest valuations here. You arrive at your hotel, full of excitement over your upcoming vacation, and go to the front desk to check in. She agreed to nix the fee for me under those circumstances, and you might have similar luck if you’re able to make the argument that a) you aren’t planning to use the benefits or b) you shouldn’t have to pay for benefits that should be included with your status. That said, focus on Hilton and Hyatt for the most reliable resort-fee-free award stays. There was an error submitting your subscription. Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Unfortunately, not a whole lot. A $34.99 resort fee is included in the below $66.49 taxes and fees amount. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For example, Great Wolf Lodge is notorious for not breaking out taxes and fees on the booking screen, making it easier to sneak in a resort fee. That fee almost doubles the room rate listed on the hotels.com website—$43 per night—making it even harder to swallow. At some Las Vegas hotels, for example, you can see the fee reach close to the room rate or higher. On a recent stay at the Gaylord Rockies Resort near Denver, I paid $23 even after using points for what I thought would be a free stay. Choice also has been known to waive resort fees on some award stays. Answer 1 of 99: So say I don't want to use any of the "free" stuff you get included in the resort fees such as "free" internet "free" newspapers and "free" local calls? Check out this guide for strategies! If you need to calculate this into your Disney vacation budget, grab our Disney planner to help you calculate out costs. Am I right that the resort fee is for access to the gym,newspaper,wifi etc. Resort fees, when charged, are almost always mandatory. You may not be able to exploit all of them, but you can probably use at least one. By a strict definition, they’re not raising room rates but adding a mandatory fee.” Last year, Mr. Hanson said, 42 percent of resort hotels charged resort fees, a figure he predicted would remain flat this year. If not, build it into the cost of the room. If you can’t find a hotel you want without a resort fee, consider Airbnb or other home rental services. The best way to avoid resort fees is to stay at fee-free hotels. Check out this guide for strategies to use! Some of them have nothing to do with what extras there are they are just another hotel tax in a way. And then, bam. This is the most obvious, of course. Neither chain’s hotels will charge you resort fees if you use points to cover your entire stay (rather than using a points-plus-cash option). My Marriott Gold status, for example, comes from my Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card, while my Hilton Diamond status comes from my Hilton Honors Aspire, also from American Express. NO Las Vegas Resort Fees. Read on! What are the Disney Resort Parking Fees at Walt Disney World? How do you know whether your hotel charges a resort fee? To beat a resort fee, you have to know how to spot one — and that can be tough, especially now that even non-resorts tack on destination fees. Here are tips to avoid paying resort fees: 1. Whether you’re on a paid stay or an award stay where you’re asked to pay a resort fee, having elite status can potentially help. You find out your stay is going to cost much more than you planned, thanks to resort fees. SUBSCRIBE TO GET 52C'S LATEST STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX. • If a hotel’s resort fee covers stuff that you didn’t need during your stay, such as the aforementioned faxes, point out that you didn’t need these services and therefore should not pay for them. The information for the Chase Freedom has been collected independently by The Points Guy. If you look closely at your next hotel bill, you might see an extra charge called a "resort fee." At the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, for one, you’ll pay a fee of $40.82 per night, according to hotels.com. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. But it also guarantees that you won’t have to pay a resort … Disney World has begun charging a parking fee of up to $25 per night at all of their Walt Disney World Resort hotels. While resort fees have long been popular in destinations such as Las Vegas, Hawaii and Florida, they’re now popping up in all sorts of geographies—and at properties you’d be hard-pressed to classify as “resorts.”. NO SPAM, PROMISE! I will always put these points toward generating content that I hope will be useful for you on your own points and miles journey. Whether you need inspiration, planning tips or a crash course in how to travel for free, you'll find it here. While battles are being waged against these now commonplace, mandatory fees — known by many names — here in 2019, travelers are far still from winning the war on resort fees. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. The hotel industry raked in a record $2.9 billion in resort fees and other fees and surcharges in 2018, with even more … Don’t use amenities; ask for fees to be removed or reduced. You can also pick up the World Of Hyatt Credit Card. The AGs don’t like that people are finding out about the resort fees after they book their rooms. On a trip last year to Park City, I managed to get out of a $20 resort fee at the Park City Marriott by talking things through with a manager. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. Second, because they’re tacked on later and often not made explicitly clear at the time of booking, they allow hotels to masquerade as cheaper than they actually are. In very recent history, online booking sites and even an attorney general have started fighting back in a variety of ways (up to and including a new suit filed against Marriott). Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Here are five methods for you. Can you refuse these services and not pay a resort fee?.. In 2018 consumers paid resort fees estimated to be about $2.93 billion, which is 8.5 percent more than the previous year, according to analysis from Bjorn Hanson, an industry consultant and adjunct professor at the New York University School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism. If you want the room there is a price but if you don't want the newspaper, internet access free calls etc why should you have to pay an extra fee on top? However, at a resort in Hawaii, a TPG staffer was able to get a resort fee waived when the pool was closed during the stay. Always check on the hotel's web site or call the hotel direct to find out if the property imposes a resort fee. They are expensive, sometimes poorly disclosed and often don’t actually add real value to the stay. Enter the TV Ad Special offered by TI which allows guests to avoid paying their typical $37 nightly resort fee. Here’s a link to Las Vegas hotels without resort fees, but fair warning, the options aren’t great. If you do that, they will waive your fees. Answer 1 of 92: Gday This has probably been asked before. The taxes and fees amount is not hyperlinked, and you cannot find what makes up this amount anywhere on the website. In other words, it never hurts to ask for resort fees to be waived, but don’t just assume you’ll be able to talk or protest your way out them. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Marriott does not waive resort fees on award stays. Resort fees are charges your hotel will apply on top of your room rate and taxes at check-in to cover a bundle of services. Hotels love these fees because they're not commissionable to travel agents, so while they may have to pay commissions of up to 15% on the room rate itself if you book your stay through sites like Expedia, the 'resort fee' is paid directly to the hotel by the guest with no commission, so even if the benefits they offer in return do cost them something, they still wind up ahead. However, note that even Airbnb hosts can charge a resort fee if they manage six or more listings, so book carefully there, too. UNSUBSCRIBE AT ANY TIME. I was asked the other day regarding the resort fee. But there are a few ways you can try to not have to pay them, though: Don’t stay at a hotel that charges a resort fee. Thankfully, when you redeem points at Hilton and Hyatt properties for free stays, the stays really are just that—free. Of course, if you have your heart set on a certain property that charges them, this method won’t work, but at least you’ll know the facts going into your stay and can prepare in advance to try to use another method to get the fee waived! It turned out they didn’t, and she removed the charges—just another reason it pays to know your stuff before you go into a potential resort-fee situation. Even among luxury hotels, it's possible to find those that do not impose mandatory resort fees. There are five ways around paying the new Disney resort parking fee so it might not ever affect you. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. While resort fees have been a thing for decades, their beginnings were much more humble than today’s realities. About 45 percent of hotels in resort locations, such as ski or beach destinations, charge resort fees, he says. Travelers aren’t the only ones who don’t like resort fees; because they’re not part of the published room rate, hotels don’t pay online travel agencies commission on them. For rates and fees of the Hilton Surpass card, click here. This can help you even if you’re not a big gambler. As told by Kill Resort Fees, at first, resort fees were much lower ($5–$10) and often were optional, reserved only for those who wanted to use the resort’s amenities beyond the base room and rate. Can I refuse to pay and get away with it? It’s a universal traveler truth — resort fees stink. I dodged it for each of the six nights on my trip since I booked them using Hilton Honors points, upping the total rewards I received during my stay by an additional $240. (In fact, if a hotel is going to charge you for access to a fax machine, the front desk should also give you keys to a time machine so that you can travel to an era when faxes were still a thing.) Never assume you know the real cost until you dig deeper and price the entire stay with the correct number of room occupants. According to research by Bjorn Hanson, divisional dean of the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management at New York University, the U.S. hotel industry collected approximately $1.55 billion in fees and surcharges in 2009. Caesars Rewards Diamond and Seven Stars members get the resort fee of (approximately $45 USD per night) waived with their status. CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners. A RED VENTURES COMPANY. And third, they’re spreading! Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Some hotel loyalty programs waive resort fees on award stays made purely with points (as opposed to cash and points that may have added fees). If you’re checking in for a points stay at a Hilton- or Hyatt-owned property, definitely keep in mind that those hotels generally don’t charge resort fees, as you might need to remind whomever is checking you in of that fact. For example, if a guest wanted access to the fitness center, there might be a $5 or $10 per day charge. To book, simply navigate to TI’s website and select your travel dates and room options. Also know that while most properties that charge resort (or destination) fees charge a flat fee per night, per room, others charge a percentage of the room rate or a per person resort fee. The Fisher Island Club and Resort in Miami reportedly charges more than $160 in resort fees per night. See, TPG’s Loyalty and Engagement Editor Richard Kerr recently addressed some of the crazy ways hotels charge these extra hidden fees, Wyndham Rewards is also known for waiving resort fees on award stays, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. While many brands are decent at prominently disclosing resort fees when pricing out rooms online, others are much sneakier. The Points Guy will not sell your email. For example, during a recent stay in Las Vegas, a TPG staffer attempted to avoid at least some of the $37/night resort fee when the safe he needed to use for his passport was broken (the safe was a listed resort fee amenity) and the Wi-Fi didn’t always work. If you’re looking for the upper end, you’ll have to go much, much higher. Not all of which were resort fees, but you can see how fees and extras add up. Check over the fine print carefully while making your booking, looking not just for the words “resort fee,” but for any other terms a hotel could be using. The best way to not get taken in by added resort fees is to do your homework. In places like Las Vegas, Hawaii, Orlando and similar, there’s not a long list of hotels without resort fees, but there are often a few if you look hard enough. Obviously if you go to a champagne brunch GoodBeer you would not ask to pay less. Check out this guide for strategies to use! But there are tricks to avoid paying it. The problem may get worse. I'm a part-time digital nomad and part-time Portland, OR resident with a passion for helping people develop points and miles strategies to get where they want to go. Below, I’m breaking down how to not pay resort fees so you can keep that extra money in your pocket. The most surefire way to make sure you don’t pay resort fees is not to stay in a hotel that charges them in the first place. I've been visiting at least 52 cities per year since 2011, and I'd love to help you do the same! If the room is $75+resort fee of $25 the room costs $100/ night. But, that doesn’t mean you have to spend $30, $50 or potentially more than $100 per night of your own hard-earned cash on these resort fees destination fees, facility fees and now even housekeeping fees. Finally, the dagger: Resort fees aren’t cheap. For example, within the World Of Hyatt program, those with Hyatt Globalist status do not pay resort fees, even on paid stays. Travelers without kids may find themselves paying kids’ club access charges, for instance, while those who show up without cars may find their fee includes parking. Jun 4, 2020 - Wondering how not to pay resort fees, which can often up the cost of your hotel room by $30 per night or more? Not only that, but the amount of the resort fees and information on which Great Wolf properties charge resort fees is nowhere to be found its site. One of the easiest methods to avoid a resort fee is to book a room using points. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered. He had to pay the full fee even though key elements he needed didn’t actually work. 2X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. The most surefire way to make sure you don’t pay resort fees is not to stay in a hotel that charges them in the first place. The main hotel loyalty programs have teamed up with credit card companies on co-branded credit cards, and many of these credit card offers include elite status as a park of carrying the card. A hotel credit card that comes with elite status, such as the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card, can be enough to status match your way into a high enough tier within the Caesars Rewards program to avoid resort fees. But don’t fear! How Can You Avoid Paying Resort Fees? How to Avoid Resort Fees . I have no doubt my Marriott Gold status helped me out in the Park City example I mentioned above—as well as countless other times I was in a position to receive compensation for something that had gone wrong during a stay. © 2021 THE POINTS GUY, LLC. Wyndham Rewards is also known for waiving resort fees on award stays, though I’ve heard more issues with spotty implementation with that program than the first two. *Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. Oct 1, 2019 - Wondering how not to pay resort fees, which can often up the cost of your hotel room by $30 per night or more? Dig deeper and price the entire stay with the correct number of room.. When in doubt, consult the website are from credit card helps you earn Hyatt Globalist status faster spending! So you how to not pay resort fees keep that extra money in your pocket room occupants, whichever greater. 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