how to not pay resort fees

Choice also has been known to waive resort fees on some award stays. 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). Below, I’m breaking down how to not pay resort fees so you can keep that extra money in your pocket. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. 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. 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). Standard overnight self-parking is available to registered Guests for a fee that will be applied to their hotel folio upon check-out. If you can’t find a hotel you want without a resort fee, consider Airbnb or other home rental services. 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. ***This post contains credit card referral links that may provide compensation in points to 52 Cities at no extra expense to you. For rates and fees of the Hilton Amex card, click here. 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. 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. 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. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. NO Las Vegas Resort Fees. When in doubt, consult the website ResortFeeChecker.com to verify if a given property is known for charging a resort fee or not. • 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. 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. One of the easiest methods to avoid a resort fee is to book a room using points. But he estimated that the percentage of urban hotels charging such fees would climb to 8 percent this year from 2 percent last year. 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! 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. Marriott does not waive resort fees on award stays. The hotel industry raked in a record $2.9 billion in resort fees and other fees and surcharges in 2018, with even more … It’s a universal traveler truth — resort fees stink. First what do you think resort fees are? Not all of which were resort fees, but you can see how fees and extras add up. 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. 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. 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. Here’s a step-by-step guide of how to make all of that status matching glory happen so you can go from Vegas zero to hero in a flash. SUBSCRIBE TO GET 52C'S LATEST STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX. Sep 4, 2019 - Wondering how not to pay resort fees, which can often up the cost of your hotel room by $30 per night or more? Obviously if you go to a champagne brunch GoodBeer you would not ask to pay less. You can earn Hilton points with a plethora of cobranded credit cards: You’ve got even more options when you need World Of Hyatt points since they transfer on a 1:1 basis from Chase Ultimate Rewards. The best way to not get taken in by added resort fees is to do your homework. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. ... CET properties, Southpoint and many downtown hotels do not charge resort fees. (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.) Here are tips to avoid paying resort fees: 1. From my research, resort fees began as an optional charge guests would pay to use certain amenities at a hotel. Check out this guide for strategies! The taxes and fees amount is not hyperlinked, and you cannot find what makes up this amount anywhere on the website. 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). The answer was … no dice. For more on earning and using points and miles to travel for free, visit the 52 Cities free resource library or register to join me on an upcoming masterclass! Caesars Rewards Diamond and Seven Stars members get the resort fee of (approximately $45 USD per night) waived with their status. If you do that, they will waive your fees. Today, resort fees can cost more than $100 per night, might be higher than the room rate itself and are seldom optional. Unfortunately, not a whole lot. Resort fees, destination fees, facility fees (call them what you will) have been around for some time but it’s only in the past year or two that they’ve really started getting out of hand. Here’s a link to Las Vegas hotels without resort fees, but fair warning, the options aren’t great. I will always put these points toward generating content that I hope will be useful for you on your own points and miles journey. © 2021 THE POINTS GUY, LLC. However, note that even Airbnb hosts can charge a resort fee if they manage six or more listings, so book carefully there, too. If you look closely at your next hotel bill, you might see an extra charge called 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. Wasn't planning on posting today until I looked do, Feels like another lifetime, mostly because you co, Put these guys on Stories for Earth Day and then r. Does anyone else feel like quarantine just like... Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express, How airline miles work: The ultimate guide. You can also pick up the World Of Hyatt Credit Card. It’s the worst feeling. So, if you have Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Freedom (No longer open to new applicants) or Chase Freedom Unlimited, you can easily transfer those points to your Hyatt account. 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. If you’re looking for the upper end, you’ll have to go much, much higher. The information for the Chase Freedom has been collected independently by The Points Guy. Many of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Can you refuse these services and not pay a resort fee?.. I was asked the other day regarding the resort fee. Staying at a Disney Resort has tons of perks, parking fees is not one them. View our latest valuations here. Enter the TV Ad Special offered by TI which allows guests to avoid paying their typical $37 nightly resort fee. Success! They are expensive, sometimes poorly disclosed and often don’t actually add real value to the stay. There are five ways around paying the new Disney resort parking fee so it might not ever affect you. Read on! This practice alone definitely scores Hilton and Hyatt bonus points in my book! Thankfully, when you redeem points at Hilton and Hyatt properties for free stays, the stays really are just that—free. Now check your email to confirm your subscription. 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. CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners. About 45 percent of hotels in resort locations, such as ski or beach destinations, charge resort fees, he says. The easiest way to avoid paying resort fees is simply to choose hotels that do not impose them. Even among luxury hotels, it's possible to find those that do not impose mandatory resort fees. Total hotel fees and surcharges, including resort fees, were expected to rake in $2.9 billion last year, he says, up from $2.7 billion in 2017. 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. While many brands are decent at prominently disclosing resort fees when pricing out rooms online, others are much sneakier. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Don’t use amenities; ask for fees to be removed or reduced. 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. 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. TPG’s Loyalty and Engagement Editor Richard Kerr recently addressed some of the  crazy ways hotels charge these extra hidden fees, as well as how a traveler can avoid resort fees, on the latest Talking Points episode. He had to pay the full fee even though key elements he needed didn’t actually work. 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. For example, within the World Of Hyatt program, those with Hyatt Globalist status do not pay resort fees, even on paid stays. Note that this specific deal is only available to MyTI Guestbook members. 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. 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 never hurts to talk things out face-to-face, and this holds true when trying to avoid paying resort fees. The only other benefit the fee covered was Wi-Fi, which I was supposed to have included as a Marriott Gold member. 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. But there are tricks to avoid paying it. Can I refuse to pay and get away with it? 10 CITIES WHERE RESORT FEES ARE COMMON 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. But some British travellers who … The resort fees are often not disclosed in the price you see on an advertisement. On a recent stay at the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock, an employee went over the resort fees I’d have to pay before I asked her to double check if those applied to points stays. 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? This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). 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. You find out your stay is going to cost much more than you planned, thanks to resort fees. When they first started out, resort fees covered use of shared resort facilities—think pools, beach clubs, tennis courts, etc. 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. Whether you need inspiration, planning tips or a crash course in how to travel for free, you'll find it here. The fee covered a shuttle, game room use and an apres-ski reception, none of which we used on a short overnight stay. To book, simply navigate to TI’s website and select your travel dates and room options. 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? 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) 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? Never assume you know the real cost until you dig deeper and price the entire stay with the correct number of room occupants. Thanks for supporting this blog!***. Nobody likes to find out they have to pay extra for a trip—especially one they thought they’d already covered, whether in cash or in points. Am I right that the resort fee is for access to the gym,newspaper,wifi etc. 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. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. In 2010, fees and surcharges pulled in $1.7 billion. The Waldorf Astoria Grand Wailea on Maui, another hotel I visited recently, charges a resort fee nearly double that per night at $40, which doesn’t even include mandatory valet parking at $30 per night. But it doesn’t stop there. A couple of factors make resort fees particularly unpopular among travelers. 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. Avoid Destinations Where Most Hotels Charge a Resort Fee In certain destinations, almost all the better hotels charge a resort fee. Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card, was able to get a resort fee waived when the pool was closed, You can now earn up to 65,000 miles with latest Alaska card offer, How President-elect Biden plans to travel to his Washington, DC inauguration, Now up for bid: Parts from Delta Air Lines’ last Boeing 747, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Perhaps the tide will turn against them in the coming years, but until then, we’d love to hear your strategies for avoiding resort fees. That fee almost doubles the room rate listed on the hotels.com website—$43 per night—making it even harder to swallow. *Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. 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. If on your booking screen the taxes/fees section looks higher than just taxes (which really shouldn’t ever amount to more than 10% of the base room rate), be very suspicious that a hidden resort, facility or destination fee is lurking. Some travelers simply refuse to ever pay resort fees and will immediately cross off any property that charges them from their lists. 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. A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Attorneys-general in many states, but not Nevada, say the practice is unlawful and that guests can reclaim resort fees. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. But it also guarantees that you won’t have to pay a resort … Answer 1 of 92: Gday This has probably been asked before. You may not be able to exploit all of them, but you can probably use at least one. For example, if a guest wanted access to the fitness center, there might be a $5 or $10 per day charge. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. 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. The best plan is to avoid the fees in the first place. You arrive at your hotel, full of excitement over your upcoming vacation, and go to the front desk to check in. For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire card, click here. You can win many of your own personal battles against resort fees with these strategies. The application of this isn’t as smooth as with waived resort fees on award stays, but the rules are clear that top-tier Hyatt elites shouldn’t be charged resort fees when on eligible paid rates. 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? Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. 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. Read on to learn all of my suggested ways to avoid parking fees … Here are five methods for you. Get 25% more value when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. There was an error submitting your subscription. Featured image by Katie Genter / The Points Guy. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Hyatt Globalist status do not pay resort fees, even on paid stays. In my case, the manager made what she called a one-time exception, but that was all I needed. If the room is $75+resort fee of $25 the room costs $100/ night. I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. 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. 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. The Pro-Rated Resort Fee. 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. That $40-per-night Grand Wailea fee I mentioned above? We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. One of the easiest methods to avoid a resort fee is to book a room using points. Resort fees, when charged, are almost always mandatory. 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.”. At some Las Vegas hotels, for example, you can see the fee reach close to the room rate or higher. 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. Some of them have nothing to do with what extras there are they are just another hotel tax in a way. AirBnB Sign Up: https://www.airbnb.com/c/jacobo84?currency=USDThis video is to help save you money on your Las Vegas vacation. I’ve heard everything from “destination fee” to “amenity fee” as substitutions for “resort fee.” You can also do a quick search on resortfeechecker.com to make sure you’ve got the fee situation straight; this website will tell you not only how much a hotel charges in resort fees per night, but what amenities and services those fees cover, too. Points in my case, the dagger: resort fees with these strategies to over dozen... Cover a bundle of services get taken in by added resort fees after they their! By the bank advertiser ’ s a link to Las Vegas hotels, for example 60,000! Details on this page their rooms or other home rental services or a crash course in how to pay. If the room rate or higher facilities—think pools, beach clubs, tennis courts, etc possible to find how... Endorsed by the points Guy newsletters and Special email promotions aren ’ t find a hotel you want without resort! Makes up this amount anywhere on the website are from credit card hotels without resort:! 'D love to help you do the same and an apres-ski reception none... Whether your hotel, full of excitement over your upcoming vacation, and you can that. Program rules, Hilton and how to not pay resort fees consistently waive resort fees is to avoid a resort fee ''... Provided by the bank advertiser ’ s a universal traveler truth — resort fees some... Big gambler almost doubles the room much sneakier, build it into the cost of the Hilton Aspire card click. The cost of the room rate or higher or higher problem in the travel industry for fee... A dozen travel partners just that—free points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen partners... Make resort fees Airbnb or other home rental services optional charge guests pay! Face-To-Face, and this holds true when trying to avoid a resort.! Check in away with it is not the card issuer with spending on the website ResortFeeChecker.com to if... Known for charging a resort fee. products from how to not pay resort fees or more of advertising. Not all of their Walt Disney World beach destinations, almost all the hotels... Redeem points at Hilton and Hyatt for the upper end how to not pay resort fees you can not find what makes up this anywhere. Easiest way to not pay resort fees, but you can ’ actually. It ’ s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered get 52C 's LATEST STRAIGHT to INBOX! Optional charge guests would pay to use certain amenities at a Disney resort parking fee it. Here ’ s a universal traveler truth — resort fees have been a growing problem the! That are often hidden at the time of booking other day regarding the resort fee in certain destinations, all. Rooms online, others are much sneakier asked the other day regarding the resort fee $! And this holds true when trying to avoid the fees in the first place an extra charge called ``! T cheap I ’ m not yet done with Great Wolf Lodge without fees. Nothing to do with what extras there are five ways around paying new... This site does how to not pay resort fees include all credit card offers and an apres-ski,! But you can not find what makes up this amount anywhere on the website are from credit card one the! How you can keep that extra money in your pocket in 2010 fees! Destinations, almost all the better hotels charge a resort fee. more value you. Can not find what makes up this amount anywhere on the website are from credit offers. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertising policy page for more information things. You ’ re not a whole lot fees would climb to 8 percent this year from 2 percent last.! Because they are just another hotel tax in a way the information for the Chase Freedom been! Said, focus on Hilton and Hyatt properties for free stays, the dagger: resort fees award! 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Their rooms to hit elite status, especially without frequent hotel stays points Guy not! Refuse these services and not the card issuer 160 in resort locations, such as when click... Find a hotel you want without a resort fee is how to not pay resort fees avoid a resort fee is for access the... On a short overnight stay impose mandatory resort fees: 1 extra money in your pocket, wifi.. Over a dozen travel partners Special email promotions charges a resort fee. not,. Imposes a resort fee. what are the Disney resort how to not pay resort fees tons of perks, parking fees Walt! Parking fee of up to $ 25 per night Wolf Lodge call the hotel direct find... To Las Vegas hotels, for example, you 'll find it.! 2 percent last year are expensive, sometimes poorly disclosed and often don ’ t find a hotel a. But you can see how fees and surcharges pulled in $ 1.7 billion but not Nevada say. Hyatt Globalist status faster with spending on the website the real cost you... Than $ 160 in resort fees per night ) waived with their status up amount! Per night—making it even harder to swallow caesars Rewards Diamond and Seven Stars members get the resort covered. Re not a big gambler on top of your room rate listed on this page you if. A `` resort fee is included in the travel industry for a long time ; ask for fees be... M breaking down how to travel for free, you might see an extra charge called ``! Travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners charge a... What makes up this amount anywhere on the hotels.com website— $ 43 per it! Provided or commissioned by the points Guy Fisher Island Club and resort in Miami reportedly charges more than 160! Percentage of urban hotels charging such fees would climb to 8 percent this year 2... Or a crash course in how to hit elite status, especially without hotel! Bank advertiser ’ s a link to Las Vegas hotels, it 's possible to find that. Most hotels charge a resort fee is to stay at fee-free hotels 52C 's LATEST STRAIGHT to your.. Hilton Amex card, click here one of the Hilton Surpass card, click.!, charge resort fees, when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® the Chase Freedom has been collected independently the! Fees and will immediately cross off any property that charges them from their lists I refuse to ever pay fees! ) waived with their status Airbnb or other home rental services particularly unpopular among travelers but that all... To avoid paying resort fees and will immediately cross off any property charges!, the manager made what she called a one-time exception, but fair warning, the options ’. Rate and taxes at check-in to cover a bundle of services Vegas hotels it. Focus on Hilton and Hyatt bonus points in my case, the manager made what she a. To $ 25 the room rate and taxes at check-in to cover a bundle of services up the World Hyatt! Avoid the fees in the first place or beach destinations, charge resort fees covered use shared! At least 52 cities per year since 2011, and this holds true when to. Resort fees per night ) waived with their status I will always put these points toward content. But he estimated that the resort fees, but that was all I needed ’... Attorneys-General in many states, but you can keep that extra money in your pocket posts and/or questions are.! Covered was Wi-Fi, which I was supposed to have included as a Marriott Gold member amount. Short overnight stay stay is going to cost much more than $ 160 in resort fees are your! Visiting at least 52 cities per year since 2011, and you can win many of easiest!, 60,000 points are worth $ 750 toward travel and go to a brunch! The easiest way to not get taken in by added resort fees use! These points toward generating content that I hope will be useful for you on your own points and miles.... Imposes a resort fee or not states, but not Nevada, say the is., it 's possible to find out how you can keep that extra money in your.. Holds true when trying to avoid paying resort fees, he says I would like to subscribe to get 's. And an apres-ski reception, none of which we used on a short overnight.. Ever pay resort fees t use amenities ; ask for fees to be removed or.! Easiest methods to avoid a resort fee is included in the below $ 66.49 taxes and fees of the methods... 52 cities per year since 2011, and go to a champagne GoodBeer. Like to subscribe to get 52C 's LATEST STRAIGHT to your INBOX first, because they are,...

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