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Someone started a petition against resort fees

Someone started a petition against resort fees

Old Mar 27, 2019, 8:06 pm
  #31  
 
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It really should be illegal for all hotels as it can really change the total price. Airlines, hotels, rental cars, should just have ALL fees/costs/taxes in the quote. Would be much simpler and easy for unsophisticated people traveling. The current system is really a joke.
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Old Mar 27, 2019, 8:36 pm
  #32  
 
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I boycott all hotels that charge a resort fee. Even if they stopped charging me as an elite but were still charging other gust I would still not stay there.

There are many great hotels around the world I can stay at without being treated like I am a complete idiot.
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Old Mar 27, 2019, 8:44 pm
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Jaunts
Does anyone know if the Trump hotels charge resort fees?
I recently stayed at the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver BC and can confirm that there was no resort fee. With that said, I doubt this would have been considered a resort hotel by anyone.

As for Marriott's resort fees, I agree they're ridiculous. At the JW Marriott Grande Lakes I was given a 'discount' on the resort fee, $30 instead of $35. Sweet...

I believe the resort fee should be an optional charge for those who plan to use such services. I almost never use any of them. At the very least they could waive parking or something. At this point I've sort of made up my mind that I won't stay at resort hotels. In the event that I do, I will always book through Amex FHR to at the very least guarantee 4pm checkout, free breakfast, and some kind of property amenity.
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Old Mar 27, 2019, 8:51 pm
  #34  
 
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So, we should appeal to the government to enforce a requirement that fees be included in the base price, so we can also pay the government more in taxes. Trying to figure out the winner here.
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Old Mar 27, 2019, 8:53 pm
  #35  
 
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Originally Posted by pinniped
I'll sign it just because, but this isn't the answer. The real answer is that these fees need to be outlawed with legislation. Hotels have proven time and time and time again that they cannot be trusted to behave ethically or regulate themselves. This is a vital consumer protection issue.

To suggest that it's acceptable for hotels to defraud Gold, Silver, and no-status members is not right.
i support full disclosure. I do not support business regulation when the previous item is met.
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Old Mar 27, 2019, 10:35 pm
  #36  
 
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Originally Posted by xooz
So, we should appeal to the government to enforce a requirement that fees be included in the base price, so we can also pay the government more in taxes. Trying to figure out the winner here.
The theory, at least, is that if they were forced into upfront disclosure the total room-rate-plus-fee would be less than the artificially suppressed room rate plus the fee.

I'm trying to recall if the fees count for points earning and/or spend. I don't recall either way.

I do think, however, that if a hotel is charging a resort fee and "included" in that fee is nominally coverage for things that one gets as part of status (free internet, breakfast, etc.) then something else needs to be thrown in as compensation or the fee should at least be cut/prorated. To be fair, I think it should also be optional in general and/or disclosed up-front [1]...95% of the time I'm fishing for a hotel to plop my head on a pillow at and the presence of a pool, gym, etc. are at most incidental to my presence and very often aren't even that much.

[1] Allowing us to either add in these fees on an internal Marriott search or filter out hotels charging such fees would be nice...playing games in the Orlando area is particularly obnoxious since even if I remember which ones charge fees, I'm having to mentally adjust prices. I'm kind-of surprised that non-resort-fee hotels in a given area aren't crying foul, tbh...being able to bury $15-25/night in a fee is bound to give the other hotels a leg up. But then again, I'd also like the ability to add in parking on a search (since that's the other fee I am occasionally stuck dealing with [even if I get a bit of satisfaction when telling the desk that no, I won't be parking]).
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Old Mar 27, 2019, 11:45 pm
  #37  
 
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So far I have stayed at 3 hotels that have a resort fee. In 2 of them I asked the manager and both hotels waived the fee and have waived the fee for me on every stay. The 3rd property didn't waive it for me when I asked the front office mgr, but had a little service issue and ended up speaking to the GM. After resolving the issue I mentioned to the GM that in 2 previous hotels the mgmt waived the resort fee for me and he immediately said he would waive it for me as well from now on. Haven't been back yet but hey, the motto of "it doesn't hurt to ask" rings true it seems with not paying the fee.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 1:56 am
  #38  
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Send it me. Id sign in a heartbeat. Im surprised that the same establishments dont charge a fee for the TV set (entertainment fee) or indeed the lavatory (sanitation fee (comfort tax?).

I coukd goin , but fear Id put ideas in their silly heads.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 2:09 am
  #39  
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IMHO, most items specified being included in the "resort fee" is included in the price elsewhere. I'm sometimes having a broad smile at city center hotels, not even having pool or gym facilities, charge "resort fees" for the access to a coffee-maker and a miniature fridge. It's really a scam.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 6:40 am
  #40  
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Originally Posted by GrayAnderson
I do think, however, that if a hotel is charging a resort fee and "included" in that fee is nominally coverage for things that one gets as part of status (free internet, breakfast, etc.) then something else needs to be thrown in as compensation or the fee should at least be cut/prorated.
Originally Posted by mikebor
So far I have stayed at 3 hotels that have a resort fee. In 2 of them I asked the manager and both hotels waived the fee and have waived the fee for me on every stay. The 3rd property didn't waive it for me when I asked the front office mgr, but had a little service issue and ended up speaking to the GM. After resolving the issue I mentioned to the GM that in 2 previous hotels the mgmt waived the resort fee for me and he immediately said he would waive it for me as well from now on. Haven't been back yet but hey, the motto of "it doesn't hurt to ask" rings true it seems with not paying the fee.
Originally Posted by cmd320
At the JW Marriott Grande Lakes I was given a 'discount' on the resort fee, $30 instead of $35.
Most people don't seem to realize Marriott Bonvoy's terms and conditions require a property charging a fee that includes wireless internet access, which you are supposed to receive for free, to provide an alternative amenity. Some properties provide an actual alternative amenity. Others discount the fee. Obviously, most people don't know about this.

Here's the FlyerTalk thread: Replacement Benefit when Wi-Fi is included in resort fee

Here's the applicable provision of the terms and conditions:
Participating Properties that have mandatory resort charges, which include Internet access, will provide a replacement benefit, to be determined at each Participating Property’s discretion.

https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/terms/default.mi
Originally Posted by PUCCI GALORE
I’m surprised that the same establishments don’t charge a fee for the TV set (entertainment fee) or indeed the lavatory (sanitation fee (comfort tax?).
The Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel charged me a daily housekeeping fee when I stayed there. I've made a point of not staying there again, despite getting an amazing suite upgrade.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 7:28 am
  #41  
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The Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel charged me a daily housekeeping fee when I stayed there. I've made a point of not staying there again, despite getting an amazing suite upgrade
I'd have been sorely tempted to go and buy a mop and pail and do it myself. I cannot cap that except that I was once charged in Florida (I think that it was a Sheraton, but I would not swear to that) a "communication" charge. I queried this as I had not communicated with anyone. I was told that it was for having the telephone in the room. I told her that I had used the lavatory and shower and wondered if there might be a hygiene charge that she might have overlooked. She told me that she loved British accents and humour.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 8:00 am
  #42  
 
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According to Skift, hotel occupancy has had 10 consecutive years of growth and is at a 30 year high. As long as this continues there will be higher prices and more fees. I guess you have to hope for a big recession and then the hotel companies will be back to being competitive. But is that really something to hope for?
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 8:14 am
  #43  
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Originally Posted by MaggieKay
But is that really something to hope for?
Depends on what line of work you're in I suppose.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 8:21 am
  #44  
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Originally Posted by Collierkr
i support full disclosure. I do not support business regulation when the previous item is met.
The problem is that the entire purpose of a resort fee is to trick and defraud guests. The very reason for its existence to begin with is to conceal - not disclose - the actual room rate. (If there is also a tax evasion "benefit" for the hotel, I'm guessing that's a very secondary benefit - unless this tax evasion works in Las Vegas where most of the total room rate is hidden in the resort fee.)

Therefore, for an honest hotelier, it's not a costly regulation. It's a simple law that says "don't do this", and they keep on doing business as usual.

The only "cost" for this regulation is borne by the would-be fraudsters.

It's not much different than an airline fuel surcharge, given that all jet aircraft consume fuel and passengers cannot optionally decide whether or not they'd like fuel added for their journey. The main difference there is that many governments have stepped up and done the right thing, requiring airlines to disclose all costs on regular revenue tickets, leaving the degree of fraud that airlines can perpetrate to a narrower audience - award travel users, travel agents, and corporate discount buyers. (Some countries have even gone farther to protect these constituencies - Brazil being one, I think.)
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 1:16 pm
  #45  
 
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Yes, but at least with airlines, when you go to book an award you get shown what you'll be paying and you can make a choice then. For example, I had a choice of airlines for a flight to the UK in a few weeks. I'm taking Singapore Airlines IAH-MAN (and Delta to IAH) because the fees that BA and VS wanted to charge me for IAD/JFK/BOS-LHR were in the $600 range (and APD isn't part of the problem since this is an inbound flight), so forking over $300 for a paid F ticket on DL and changing at IAH was still substantially cheaper than the "direct" flight.

(Next time this is an issue I will probably use VS miles on DL to/from somewhere not in the UK.)
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