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Those resort fees are the absolute worst for corporate travel. E.g., the budget for a hotel might be $300/night so you get one for $290/night. Then they tack on

Those resort fees are the absolute worst for corporate travel. E.g., the budget for a hotel might be $300/night so you get one for $290/night. Then they tack on a $45/night "resort fee" and suddenly you're getting yelled at by accounting for going over your budget. That is, if you even remember to expense it since they charge it to your incidental card ...

lotsofpulp 4y ago
I have never been surprised by a resort fee. If I search on Hilton/Marriott/etc websites, the total price shown when making the reservation is always what I am asked to pay. I believe the resort fee is listed separately so that the hotel owner can reduce the amount of royalties paid to the hotel brand, since they get a 10% to 15% cut of revenue for accommodation charges, but presumably not for things like resort fees and whatnot.
- ketralnis 4y ago
  Congrats. I have. Anecdote fight!
  - lotsofpulp 4y ago
    The point is, presumably, the websites of major hotel brands work the same for everyone. I would be interested in seeing an example of a “hidden” fee at a hotel. Same with airline prices. Google flight search has always shown me the total price, as have the airline websites themselves.
    - jplona 4y ago
      My experience is the same as yours. However I think these fees are still hidden in the sense that they're not part of the rate that's advertised everywhere, shown in the thumbnail on the hotel website, etc. It would be better if we could just trust that the advertised price would be the actual price.
      - lotsofpulp 4y ago
        I agree, the total average per night cost should be displayed in the same price on the initial search results.
    - astura 4y ago
      >I would be interested in seeing an example of a “hidden” fee at a hotel. Every single hotel room on the Vegas strip has a resort fee, for example. Try it yourself - when searching websites will list, say $50/night but when you actually go book it you'll see an additional significant "resort fee" on top of that. It makes it hard to compare prices - you will have to go to the checkout page to see what you'd actually pay. Airlines have been required to list all mandatory fees in their prices since Jan. 26, 2012, by federal law.
      - lotsofpulp 4y ago
        I would not call that hidden, but rather obfuscated prices. Although, legislation to make pricing clearer and easier to compare is always welcome.
    - ineedasername 4y ago
      I'm browsing the Marriot site right now and the hotels that are classified as a "resort" [1] all have a resort fee attached, in addition to the sticker price, after I select my room. That's the default behavior, but a point in Marriot's favor is that you can at least select a checkbox to include taxes & fees in the quoted price. However it then bundles them together and I still can't see how much is required taxes and how much is the hotel's resort fee. I can only see that breakdown once I actually select my room. [1] https://www.marriott.com/travel-experience/resort-hotels/ https://www.marriott.com/travel-experience/resort-hotels/
nexus7556 4y ago
At Marriott they don’t charge resort fees for corporate rates.

lotsofpulp 4y ago

I have never been surprised by a resort fee. If I search on Hilton/Marriott/etc websites, the total price shown when making the reservation is always what I am asked to pay. I believe the resort fee is listed separately so that the hotel owner can reduce the amount of royalties paid to the hotel brand, since they get a 10% to 15% cut of revenue for accommodation charges, but presumably not for things like resort fees and whatnot.

ketralnis 4y ago
Congrats. I have. Anecdote fight!
- lotsofpulp 4y ago
  The point is, presumably, the websites of major hotel brands work the same for everyone. I would be interested in seeing an example of a “hidden” fee at a hotel. Same with airline prices. Google flight search has always shown me the total price, as have the airline websites themselves.
  - jplona 4y ago
    My experience is the same as yours. However I think these fees are still hidden in the sense that they're not part of the rate that's advertised everywhere, shown in the thumbnail on the hotel website, etc. It would be better if we could just trust that the advertised price would be the actual price.
    - lotsofpulp 4y ago
      I agree, the total average per night cost should be displayed in the same price on the initial search results.
  - astura 4y ago
    >I would be interested in seeing an example of a “hidden” fee at a hotel. Every single hotel room on the Vegas strip has a resort fee, for example. Try it yourself - when searching websites will list, say $50/night but when you actually go book it you'll see an additional significant "resort fee" on top of that. It makes it hard to compare prices - you will have to go to the checkout page to see what you'd actually pay. Airlines have been required to list all mandatory fees in their prices since Jan. 26, 2012, by federal law.
    - lotsofpulp 4y ago
      I would not call that hidden, but rather obfuscated prices. Although, legislation to make pricing clearer and easier to compare is always welcome.
  - ineedasername 4y ago
    I'm browsing the Marriot site right now and the hotels that are classified as a "resort" [1] all have a resort fee attached, in addition to the sticker price, after I select my room. That's the default behavior, but a point in Marriot's favor is that you can at least select a checkbox to include taxes & fees in the quoted price. However it then bundles them together and I still can't see how much is required taxes and how much is the hotel's resort fee. I can only see that breakdown once I actually select my room. [1] https://www.marriott.com/travel-experience/resort-hotels/ https://www.marriott.com/travel-experience/resort-hotels/

nexus7556 4y ago

At Marriott they don’t charge resort fees for corporate rates.