How do you feel about hotels that charge daily resort fees?

[jmbklj]

The FTC sent warning letters to 22 hotel operators warning them that their online reservations sites may violate the law.

FTC urges hotels to disclose resort fees up front

FTC Warns Hotel Operators that Price Quotes that Exclude ‘Resort Fees’ and Other Mandatory Surcharges May Be Deceptive

I wish hotels or resorts would just add the fee into their regular published rates, especially when they say it is not possible to avoid paying the fee. The absence of resort fees on Luxury Link packages (for the most part) is one of the reasons why I am such a LL fan.

Some hotels are notorious for charging daily fees in "resort areas" like Hawaii, Caribbean, Las Vegas, etc., and those fees can be $20 or more, per day. It's especially bad if the fee is not disclosed upfront when making the buying decision.

Some people say they're willing to book other hotels that don't charge resort fees. They're boycotting properties that charge daily resort fees. Do you book elsewhere? Are you successful in getting the fee waived? How do you feel about those daily resort fees?

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I don't do resorts that charge those ridiculous resort fees - they can add a couple of hundred dollars to the total! And if you do not even use all the resort amenities it is not worth it.

[omegaet]

The practice is absurd to sneak in these type of fees. We have only been 'caught' a couple of times, so now we just ask up front.

At least Luxury Link is very good about disclosure (a case in point is this mandatory 9% tax and $12.85 per night energy fee, payable to the inn directly) Juniper Hill Inn in Windsor, Vermont - Hotel Travel Deals | Luxury Link. This is a favorite property we have enjoyed in the past, but we are unlikely to use again as long as these extra are involved.

[danielboldea]

I think that it all depends on what the initial cost per night is and what is included in the resort fee. If it covers valet parking, internet, workout facilities and a spa area that you would normally pay for individually, you might be getting a "deal" for having it all bundled into a resort fee.

Places that already have a high rate should just forget about the extra fee. It makes their approach seem tacky and greedy.

I have an issue with the St.George Residence:
"Price does not include taxes. Mandatory 18% Value Added Taxes (VAT) and 4% tourist tax based on retail value are payable to the property directly."

"A value added tax (VAT) is a form of consumption tax . From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price."

While 18% VAT is still smaller than what I pay in Romania (an astounding 24%!), I don't see why it should be calculated on the retail value and not on the purchase price.

It has made me turn away and frown upon this property, even though it has great reviews.

[kyshel]

I think that it all depends on what the initial cost per night is and what is included in the resort fee. If it covers valet parking, internet, workout facilities and a spa area that you would normally pay for individually, you might be getting a "deal" for having it all bundled into a resort fee.

Places that already have a high rate should just forget about the extra fee. It makes their approach seem tacky and greedy.

I have an issue with the St.George Residence:
"Price does not include taxes. Mandatory 18% Value Added Taxes (VAT) and 4% tourist tax based on retail value are payable to the property directly."

"A value added tax (VAT) is a form of consumption tax . From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price."

While 18% VAT is still smaller than what I pay in Romania (an astounding 24%!), I don't see why it should be calculated on the retail value and not on the purchase price.

It has made me turn away and frown upon this property, even though it has great reviews.

I was told that hotels in Budapest can do it either way. For the price we paid for the St George, the tax was acceptable to us in Nov 2009. The auction price was under $500 and the retail was about $900, I recall. We paid 3% tourism tax. However, we paid 20% VAT on the auction price, not retail. I have been seeing extra tourism tax charges all over Europe--either flat amount or %. I had to dig up my old receipt from the auction.
It is an exquisite property--great location in Buda. Wonderful grocery and wine store very close by with bus service almost at your door. The gold suites range in size--ours was probably 1200ft2. I would question LL about the hotel's policy for retail tax.

[danielboldea]

I was told that hotels in Budapest can do it either way. For the price we paid for the St George, the tax was acceptable to us in Nov 2009. The auction price was under $500 and the retail was about $900, I recall. We paid 3% tourism tax. However, we paid 20% VAT on the auction price, not retail. I have been seeing extra tourism tax charges all over Europe--either flat amount or %. I had to dig up my old receipt from the auction.
It is an exquisite property--great location in Buda. Wonderful grocery and wine store very close by with bus service almost at your door. The gold suites range in size--ours was probably 1200ft2. I would question LL about the hotel's policy for retail tax.

Kyshel,
Thanks for sharing that information with us. That makes a big difference (for the diamond package the difference in VAT alone, from auction to retail, is roughly $145). I don't mind paying what is due by local fiscal policy in place, I just didn't understand why they would charge the tax on the retail amount (per wording on auction page). It just didn't sit right with me!

I will write in and see, if the tax is still the lesser of the two, I would love to go ahead and book! We are only an 8 hour drive away!

[kyshel]

Daniel--you are quite welcome. I would spend the $ on a Gold suite. I have to say the limousine we were supposed to have was a taxi--if you book, make sure you have the details secured, of course.

One of the really neat things you can do in the immediate neighborhood is the labyrinth tour (not ME!!!) tunnels down into the rock, under the city--UGH--but apparently VERY popular and only a few blocks from ST George Res. And the baths are extraordinary...

All that said, it is quite a great city to explore if you've never been there. Don't forget the Terror Museum

[thepiranha]

Hotels and resorts should just include the fee in their rates instead of trying to b.s. people. I'm sure studies have been done and people incorrectly think that they're getting charged less for their room if the charges are broken down into smaller amounts. Savvy travelers know otherwise!

[bonniejoy03]

I hate the additional fees. The Inn at Perry Cabin says there is a 10% resort fee on regular price! That is huge. (though when you call, it sounds like the fee is only on your package price?) We would have that fee plus $100 pet fee. I am very disappointed. I asked what the fee included and they said daily activities. I asked about the activities and they said such programs as going on a kayak. Wow....that would be very cold in January!

[jmbklj]

bj, you've been to the Inn at Perry Cabin before. Have they always had the additional resort fee? Or is this new?