Last Updated on April 22, 2024 by Elizabeth
No wonder resort fees are among the most loathed of all hidden hotel fees in travel. Seldom revealed in advance of a visit, these daily charges tend to be discovered only at check-out. Worse yet, they 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 $39 per night. Relative to the room rate, that averaged to 4% of the overall cost to stay at the hotel.
The only thing sneakier, in our opinion, is when resort fees masquerade by other names. But don’t be fooled. Resort fees by any other name would smell as foul. 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, a $30 so-called “curation fee” 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—which 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 the dreaded 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.
These mandatory charges are unknown to us at HotelSlash, too. That’s why it can pay to do a little research on your own before you book. Traveling to a popular U.S. destination like Las Vegas or Orlando? You can look up hotel resort fees at ResortFeeChecker.com. This website provides resort fee and property information for approximately 2,000 hotels.
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