4 ms·

You could be right, but I think you're missing the point. The complaint is not that the fee is problematic in and of itself, it's that the fee isn't revealed u

You could be right, but I think you're missing the point. The complaint is not that the fee is problematic in and of itself, it's that the fee isn't revealed until after your booking is made, usually not until check-in.

lotsofpulp 3y ago
The post I responded was complaining about resort fees in general.
- i_am_jl 3y ago
  No, that comment called resort fees a scam. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't want to put words in that user's mouth, but my interpretation was that they'd called resort fees are a scam because they only show up after you've booked your stay. That's the scammy/fraudy/dishonest part of the transaction; without it I'm not sure there's anything to complain about.
  - tehwebguy 3y ago
    I'm sure some hotels only show you the resort fee after you've booked but I'm not only talking about that: I consider them a scam in concept because it is a fee that hotels allege covers specific things (parking, wifi, pool access & other amenities) but the fee is not optional, it cannot be avoided even if you won't be parking or using the pool. But I also consider them a scam in practice because hotels & OTAs go to such lengths to hide them during the search process. By advertising a rate that doesn't include these fees they are advertising a rate that simply doesn't exist. It is (sadly) the default practice in the states to advertise the price of basically everything pre-tax, so at a minimum consumers here expect for tax to be added (though folks new to booking a hotel probably don't know about occupancy taxes). But for a hotel or OTA to advertise 2 different hotels, one with a $30 / night resort fee, as both being $199 / night is also a scam. Hotels do this for banquet & convention services as well. Everything is "plus plus", meaning plus tax plus a service fee %, usually 20% in my experience. Your $10k banquet hall rental is really $13k if the tax on it is 10%.

lotsofpulp 3y ago

The post I responded was complaining about resort fees in general.

i_am_jl 3y ago
No, that comment called resort fees a scam. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't want to put words in that user's mouth, but my interpretation was that they'd called resort fees are a scam because they only show up after you've booked your stay. That's the scammy/fraudy/dishonest part of the transaction; without it I'm not sure there's anything to complain about.
- tehwebguy 3y ago
  I'm sure some hotels only show you the resort fee after you've booked but I'm not only talking about that: I consider them a scam in concept because it is a fee that hotels allege covers specific things (parking, wifi, pool access & other amenities) but the fee is not optional, it cannot be avoided even if you won't be parking or using the pool. But I also consider them a scam in practice because hotels & OTAs go to such lengths to hide them during the search process. By advertising a rate that doesn't include these fees they are advertising a rate that simply doesn't exist. It is (sadly) the default practice in the states to advertise the price of basically everything pre-tax, so at a minimum consumers here expect for tax to be added (though folks new to booking a hotel probably don't know about occupancy taxes). But for a hotel or OTA to advertise 2 different hotels, one with a $30 / night resort fee, as both being $199 / night is also a scam. Hotels do this for banquet & convention services as well. Everything is "plus plus", meaning plus tax plus a service fee %, usually 20% in my experience. Your $10k banquet hall rental is really $13k if the tax on it is 10%.