Last Updated on April 13, 2026 by Elizabeth

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No wonder resort fees are among the most loathed of all hotel fees in travel. Until recently, they were typically not revealed until check-out. Hotels are now forced by law to be more transparent, but make no mistake. These fees can add hundreds of dollars to your final bill, whether you use the included services or not. 

It all adds up. A recent NerdWallet analysis found that, among hotels that charge mandatory fees, the average comes in at $33 per night. Relative to the room rate, that averaged to 4% of the overall cost to stay at the hotel. 

Then there are the resort fees that masquerade by other names. Here are some of the more creative names we’ve seen recently for mandatory resort fees.


Other Names for Resort Fees

Curation fee: At the MADE Hotel in New York City’s midtown Manhattan, there’s a $30 so-called “curation fee.” It covers such amenities as coffee or tea in the morning, a glass of wine during the evening “wine hour,” access to the hotel gym, wi-fi access, and seasonal bike rentals.

Destination fee: The Shay Hotel in Culver City, California, has introduced a $30 mandatory “destination fee” that covers w-fi access, EV charging, yoga classes and rideshare passes. 

Experience fee: Stay at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler in British Columbia and you’ll be hit with an “experience fee” to the tune of $35CAD per night—about $26US. That includes amenities like lobby coffee and tea, boardgame or book loans, fitness classes, shoeshines, and access to EV charging stations. 

Urban fee: This mandatory fee has become commonplace at many city hotels, but it’s essentially just a resort fee in disguise. At the Arlo in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, the $29 “urban fee” covers in-room bottled water, wi-fi access, bike rentals and a 10% discount at hotel eateries. 

Hotel Brands With Resort Fees

Luxury hotels are more likely to charge hidden fees. A NerdWallet study found that high-end brands in the Marriott and Hyatt families tended to charge the highest resort fees. Hilton and InterContinental Hotel Group are close behind. Budget brands like Wyndham tended to charge lower fees, if at all. And the study’s authors could not find a single Choice Hotel that charged such a fee.

How To Find Out If Your Hotel Charges A Resort Fee

Thanks to new federal regulations that went into effect in 2025, hotels are now required to show the all-in price upfront, rather than tacking on surprise charges at checkout. For hotels in the U.S., you should now be able to see resort fees included in the total cost that displays in search results. That’s a huge step in the right direction for consumers, but it might not be the same if you’re traveling abroad.

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