February 2020 – In October & December I took two vacations in the US – one in California and one in Florida staying in 4 different hotels/resorts.
While both trips were wonderfully relaxing with warm weather, I couldn’t help but feel annoyed about the so-called ‘resort fees’.
Have you been paying attention to the uproar over this lately?
A resort fee is a mandatory add-on fee charged as a daily rate for things like access to beach chairs, pool/beach towels, access to the gym, and internet. Sometimes parking is included in the resort fee and other times not.
Hotels and resorts are getting quite creative with the list of items they claim to be charging for as part of the daily resort fee. In most cases, these are items that should be ASSUMED to be included with the room rate. For example, an extra room key or use of the in-room safe.
Seriously? My resort fee is paying for a 2nd key to my room and the right to lock away my valuables?
I am outraged over resort fees because in my case, I paid anywhere from $16 USD per day to $45 USD in resort fees over top of my daily guest room rate during my travels to California & Florida. ? I was fully aware of these charges when I booked, but it amazes me at how many people are getting blindsided by this when they check-in.During my travels I overheard several conversations between guests and hotel staff about the resort fees. Many people are simply not paying attention to it before booking.
In my case, my decision about which hotels to book during my travels was heavily influenced by the amount of the daily resort fee and what it included.
You’ve heard me talk about my dislike of hidden fees charged by event venues. I have blogged and vlogged about this a lot over the last few years.
Whether it is hidden charges at event venues or resort fees, I am a firm believer of ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS and READING THE FINE PRINT.
There is nothing worse than getting hit unexpectedly with extras that derail your vacay budget on Day 1 of what is supposed to be fun in the sun! And, when it comes to events, no one wants to deal with extras on the final bill. At that point, it is pretty much too late to negotiate.
Just for fun, I have started a list of all the crazy stuff that people are getting charged for as extras. If you have a wild one to share, please reach out. Until then, happy travels! ?
