I've stayed in some excellent luxury-level boutique hotels that didn't go fee-crazy. Internet/breakfast/parking included in rate...sometimes even an extra like an afternoon reception with wine. (Granted, these places are often very much on the small inn or B&B end of the spectrum. The big-hotel amenities that sometimes generate fees simply are not there.)

I think the fee-nuttiness appears mostly in the chain hotels either (a) in resort areas where they have a captive audience or (b) cities where they know the hotel is full of business travelers who don't care about the costs.