Fodor's point out that federal law requires such "hidden" fees to be disclosed "clearly and conspicuously."
If extra fees aren't clearly stated in the reservation conditions when you book online or over the phone, you should inform the hotel they are violating the law and politely but firmly ask for the charges to be removed. Obviously you now need to read the fine print conditions when you book online, and should ask if any extra fees are billed when you book over the phone.
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"10 Annoying Hidden Hotel Fees"
(Photo: pixeljones)
@timmus:
LOL, thanks for a good morning laugh, especially the Free WiFi Surcharge.
]]>Speaking of hotels: go to youtube and search "hotel glasses". Be prepared to be sick!
]]>Yay, Les Miz!!
Everybody bless the landlord!
Everybody bless his spouse!
Everybody raise a glass
Raise it up the master's arse.
Everybody raise a glass to the master of the house!
That's where they make the money.
]]>Actually, the biggest rip off in the Bahamas is the electricity surcharge. It's steep- came to $68 for me -ONE PERSON- back in December for a week. Until that swindle is done away with,I will not be going back to Freeport. Electricity is a cost of doing business. It should be included in the quoted rate. Period.
]]>Residents are more than welcome
Bridal suite is occupied
Reasonable charges
Plus some little extras on the side!
Charge 'em for the lice
Extra for the mice
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice
Here a little slice
There a little cut
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks he knows
How it all increases
All those bits and pieces
Jesus! It's amazing how it grows!
In my experience more of the upscale chain hotels charge all the bullshit fees. I stay at Best Westerns for the most part and apart from state and local taxes they don't tack any of that stuff on the bill.
]]>Hotels know that it's a reimbursable charge for most business travelers, and that's why they continue to charge for it rather than give it away for free, because why not?.
I can understand that the bottom of the barrel places want to be no-frills (which is why, say, Red Roof Inn sells their access via T-Mobile). But it blows my mind that a $150/night or more place tacks it on for ten or fifteen bucks a day.
]]>What exactly ARE you paying for in a hotel room basic fee? When they charge a "resort fee" (wtf is that?), a water fee, an ~energy~ fee, cost for extra towels, etc.
Seriously, what is the base $150/night going towards if they're just charging you for every little thing in the room (and out) anyway?
1. "Random Adult Movie" Billing Error Insurance $4.85
2. Guest Visitation Fee $5.25
3. Bathroom Sewage Disposal Fee @0.80/log $3.20
4. Bathroom Sewage Pipe Analysis Staffing Fund $3.25
5. Remote Control Energy Usage $0.14
6. Shower Enclosure Urine Damage Fee $24.50
7. Free WiFi Surcharge $8.95
8. Luggage Trolley Collision & Damage Waiver $19.95
9. Sleeping Charge $4.50
10. Electronic Access Key Technology Convenience Fee $9.95
Another fee to watch for is a fee that is disguised as a tax. Watch for "tourism promotion assessment" or similarly named fees. They are often very small, like 50 cents per day, so few people question these fees. They are fees that are forwarded to the local tourism promotion organization and they are not legally mandated taxes at all. If you ask about them, the hotel will remove these fees, but few people ask.
]]>Stay at hotels that charge a fair rate for a room and facilities, rather than a bogus low rate which they then jacked up with an assortment of dubious additional fees.
I would still try to get the front desk to remove the fee, especially if any of its "resort" facilities (pool, gym, office area) are closed during the hours of your stay. Although they may refuse, if will fulfill your obligation to deal directly with hotel management before you contact their corporate offices to escalate the matter.
]]>I am going to the Bahamas this week and staying at Atlantis. I've heard of flat resorts fees, but they charge a resort fee of $15 per PERSON per DAY. Plus, a flat service fee PER PERSON per STAY for tips and gratuity. Plus the traditional 12-18% tax. Ridiculous, a $500 a night stay becomes over $625 just like that. They better have darn good waterslides.
]]>I will be staying in a hotel for one night for a layover next month. We will arrive sometime around 7:00 pm and leave around 7:00 am the following morning. We will be charged a resort fee of 10% of the room rate. When I made the reservation I questioned this fee as we will not be using any of the resort features but I was told it is mandatory and cannot be removed. Even though it goes against everything I believe in, I went ahead with the reservation as this hotel was the best deal closest to the airport.
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Can't say I wouldn't do the same under the same circumstances but this really explains why the hotel gets away with such things.
If you, I or anyone else voted with our wallets, told the hotel to take a flying leap and why you are not staying with them, they have no reason to change.
These kind of hotels know that people are just going to suck it up and take it up the rear, that is why they continue to do these type of things.
Best Buy is a perfect example. They make it clear the customer sucks and they will rip you off no matter what, yet people keep on on going.
I don't... I refuse to buy from Best Buy and have converted many people from not doing so... but that is just one small battle victory. The war is probably lost.
]]>The hidden fee that catches a lot of people visiting San Francisco is parking...the major hotels downtown charge $45.00+ for overnight parking...in fact for some hotels just eating dinner onsite while parking your car will incur the overnight parking fee....We had guests join us for dinner at the Tonga Room and added the valet parking charge to our bill...the hotel added $31.00 for the convenience of inviting our friends to dinner. A relative bargain compared to other hotels......but still peeving.
In San Antonio, there's a convention/tourism tax of 13%. That can get steep quickly if you're there for 4 or 5 days.
]]>the fee that i hate the most, (though i understand the purpose) is the extra adult fees. it just ticks me off for some reason. i think at some point, it is unfair to the consumer to nickel and dime for every extra service. it would just seem smarter to charge everybody for all or the majority of services/fees in the price of the room. if they didn't use all of them, you just made out pretty good. and it doesn't make you look like a douche of a company. it makes you look like you actually offer free services. (though we know NOTHING is free, it's all about the illusion.)
]]>I will be staying in a hotel for one night for a layover next month. We will arrive sometime around 7:00 pm and leave around 7:00 am the following morning. We will be charged a resort fee of 10% of the room rate. When I made the reservation I questioned this fee as we will not be using any of the resort features but I was told it is mandatory and cannot be removed. Even though it goes against everything I believe in, I went ahead with the reservation as this hotel was the best deal closest to the airport. I imagine they have a captive audience at this particular hotel becuase of the location and people just suck up this fee, but is a resort fee really mandatory or should they remove it if I complain at the front desk?
]]>What next, will we pay for a room and then get billed for using the bed?
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