Quick Rundown
- Resort fees, sometimes dubbed destination or urban fees, cover extra amenities charges.
- Doing your homework on the hotel beforehand and tapping into fee-tracking websites can save you from unexpected bills.
- Booking with loyalty points or snagging elite member perks at select hotels often means skipping resort fees altogether.
Once upon a time, booking a hotel was a no-brainer: pick your spot, check the all-in nightly rate, and pay. These days, resorts add a sneaky extra charge—the resort fee—that arrives separately, complicating what used to be a simple transaction.
Upping your travel expenses unexpectedly, resort fees are just one headache among many in the modern traveler’s fee jungle. But fear not—we’re diving deep into what these charges mean and how you can steer clear of them.
What Exactly Are Resort Fees?
Typically clocking in between $25 and $60 a night, resort fees are slapped on by hotels for access to “extras” like pools, tennis courts, gyms, and Wi-Fi. Sneaky resorts sometimes label these as “destination” or “urban” fees to mask their true nature.
Often these charges show up alongside taxes during booking, but not always upfront. Some hotels boldly call out resort fees during room selection, giving you a heads-up. Others play coy, slipping fees into your bill only after check-out or deeper into the booking process.
Vegas and the Resort Fee Phenomenon
Sin City is infamous for these charges. Las Vegas hotels often offer shockingly cheap room rates—or free rooms—but tack on resort fees ranging from $30 to $60 to compensate. Here are a few notorious offenders:
- Caesar’s Palace
- Delano
- Encore
- Excalibur
- Mandalay Bay
Occasionally, those fees cover some perks. For example, Wynn Las Vegas bundles complimentary valet parking into its resort fee for certain bookings—roughly matching standalone valet costs. If you valet, that’s almost a wash.
But mostly, resort fees are a raw deal, adding little value. Guests often gripe because these charges cover “amenities” that should already be part of the baseline room rate—like gym access or free Wi-Fi, which have long been standard.
Resort Fees in the Headlines
During the 2023 State of the Union, President Joe Biden slammed “junk” fees—hidden or needless charges plaguing consumers—which include resort fees. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse have followed up with legislation pushing for greater fee transparency, if outright bans aren’t possible.
Despite the political noise, resort fees remain stubbornly entrenched. Thankfully, plenty of strategies exist to sidestep them.
How to Dodge Resort Fees
Sometimes it’s as easy as making a quick call, other times it demands a bit of legwork. Whatever approach you choose, it’s worth it—those $25-$60 nightly fees can balloon over the course of a trip. Imagine funneling that cash into a fancy dinner or spa session instead.
1. Pick Properties Without Resort Fees
The easiest route? Book hotels that skip resort fees entirely. Easier said than done, right? Luckily, a handful of websites simplify this hunt:
- Visit the fee-tracking site.
- Type in your hotel’s name.
- See all extra charges like deposits, breakfast, parking, and extra beds laid out.
Searching by city can produce a handy cheat sheet of hotels alongside their daily resort fees—a quick way to weed out overpriced options.
2. Leverage Credit Cards That Waive Fees
Prefer a hotel that charges these fees? No worries—you might not have to surrender your budget. Certain credit cards grant complimentary elite statuses that waive resort fees on award bookings. For example:
- Some cards award Silver Status, which bypasses resort fees on reward stays.
- Others waive both resort and destination fees when redeeming Free Night Awards.
- Achieving top-tier elite status—like Globalist—by clocking 60 nights or earning 100,000 base points yearly often results in resort fees waived on qualifying bookings and awards.
3. Use Loyalty Points to Book
Hotels like Hilton, Hyatt, and Wyndham typically scrap resort fees on eligible award bookings (though resort fees occasionally still apply and cannot be paid with points). Booking with points not only scores free nights but can slash $40 to $60 per night in fees—a double win for budget-conscious holidaymakers.
However, don’t just dive into points booking blindly. Compare paid rates including resort fees against points redemption value to make sure you extract maximum worth from your points haul.
Quick Stats on Point Values
Hotel points typically get valued around 0.7 cents each. Maximizing your haul means considering perks like free breakfasts, room upgrades, bonus points, and yes, waived resort fees. Hyatt Globalist members, for instance, enjoy resort fee waivers on qualifying reservations and award stays.
4. Ask Nicely for a Waiver
When all else fails, pick up the phone and plead your case. “It never hurts to ask” applies perfectly here.
If amenities like the pool or gym are out of commission, pointing this out could convince hotels to ditch the fee. Short stays or not using facilities might also score you a waiver.
Leveraging competitor hotels that don’t charge resort fees—as verified with fee-checking websites—sometimes sweetens the deal and nudges properties to waive their fees.
Pro Tip: Speak directly with a manager rather than front-desk agents; managers usually hold more sway to grant exceptions.
The Bottom Line on Resort Fees
Always expect resort fees to pop up at checkout during online bookings. Accepting those charges means you’ve agreed to pay unless you cancel. Managers might be willing to wave fees occasionally, but these charges make up a significant revenue stream hotels aren’t eager to lose.
Whether warranted or not, resort fees have become an annoying staple in travel expenses. The good news? With a little savvy, they don’t have to ruin your getaway. You can either budget for them or skillfully avoid them through the tips outlined above.
*Note: Details regarding the World of Hyatt Credit Card were independently gathered and have not been vetted or endorsed by the issuing bank.