Washington DC Attorney General sues Marriott over "deceptive resort fees"
Jul 15, 2019, 12:56 pm
#121
Join Date: Aug 2003
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Sorry to be contrary, but my company doesn't count the resort fees in our per diem hotel booking limits, so there are times when this practice of tacking on the resort fee helps me rather than hurts. That said, I do occasionally want to lose my temper over them.
Jul 16, 2019, 8:11 am
#122
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Doesn't help with Marriott, which is perhaps why no one's mentioned it yet.
Jul 16, 2019, 8:46 am
#123
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Those times when having an incompetent corporate travel policy and agency can actually be useful!
Jul 16, 2019, 8:57 am
#124
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Sweden
Programs: Marriott Platinum - LT Gold
Posts: 688
Here's the CEO defending resort fees:
https://onemileatatime.com/marriott-...s-resort-fees/
1) They're nothing like baggage fees, because baggage fees are optional - don't check bags if you don't want to pay them.
2) Every actual resort I stayed at where I paid a resort fee, activities were still an additional charge. Also, a lot of non-resort hotels in the city are now charging these fees too, and they don't have "paddle boarding and bikes".
3) As a Lifetime Titanium I already get free breakfast at most hotels. Coincidentally, at island resorts where I have to pay a resort fee, I STILL have to pay to upgrade my free Elite breakfast to a proper one.
https://onemileatatime.com/marriott-...s-resort-fees/
1) They're nothing like baggage fees, because baggage fees are optional - don't check bags if you don't want to pay them.
2) Every actual resort I stayed at where I paid a resort fee, activities were still an additional charge. Also, a lot of non-resort hotels in the city are now charging these fees too, and they don't have "paddle boarding and bikes".
3) As a Lifetime Titanium I already get free breakfast at most hotels. Coincidentally, at island resorts where I have to pay a resort fee, I STILL have to pay to upgrade my free Elite breakfast to a proper one.
"Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt say the fees cover upgraded WiFi, on-property food and beverage credits, phone service and either free or discounted local activities, such as audio tours."
https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-...stination-fees
America, land of the fees
Jul 16, 2019, 11:02 am
#125
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How about Mr Sorenson make another comment on these mandatory 'Destination Fees' of $25-30 in New York etc? Why are they mandatory for instance?
"Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt say the fees cover upgraded WiFi, on-property food and beverage credits, phone service and either free or discounted local activities, such as audio tours."
"Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt say the fees cover upgraded WiFi, on-property food and beverage credits, phone service and either free or discounted local activities, such as audio tours."
they're good though the the of the year, will find friends with kids or scalp them on eBay or something 
Jul 16, 2019, 12:15 pm
#127
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Jul 16, 2019, 2:01 pm
#128
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To trick you into thinking you were getting something for a lower price.
In some cases, to also trick search engines into sorting the hotels in a deceptive order.
Potentially in other cases, to bait-and-switch some corporate customers by giving them less total discount than they thought they negotiated. (Although some of the biggest corp deals waive resort fees because the companies are large enough to demand it.)
In some cases, to also trick search engines into sorting the hotels in a deceptive order.
Potentially in other cases, to bait-and-switch some corporate customers by giving them less total discount than they thought they negotiated. (Although some of the biggest corp deals waive resort fees because the companies are large enough to demand it.)
Jul 30, 2019, 5:39 am
#130
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 140
I'd love to see this deceptive practice banned. To book a hotel in Las Vegas, you need your travel search engine and, at the same time, a site that lists resort fees for the various brands and properties so you can estimate the true cost of the options you see. Makes the process way more time consuming.
Jul 30, 2019, 5:42 am
#131
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1. When it's a fee you don't earn points - so for a $50 room with $30 resort fee, you only earn point for the $50. However if the room is sold at $80 without the resort fee then you earn points on $80. So hotels pay fewer points to award your stay;
2. It can trick price comparison site that the hotel is sold at $50 instead of $80
2. It can trick price comparison site that the hotel is sold at $50 instead of $80
Jul 30, 2019, 5:51 am
#133
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 597
DC is a Marriott town. The first Hot Shoppes was here. The first hotel - the Marriott Twin Bridges - was right across the river. There are seemingly as many Marriott's as Starbucks here.
Jul 30, 2019, 6:13 am
#134
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Instead of destination fees, some hotels in SoCal charges like hell for parking - I was looking to use my 40k cert but then the FS hotel I looked at charges $32 parking, and then you can get the very same spot for $7.95 from a parking app (the condition is that you can't be an overnight guest at the hotel). It's totally ridiculous and it's basically telling people that you will have to pay the insane parking as a fee in order to stay at the hotel.
Jul 30, 2019, 6:19 am
#135
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Bounding Around The Good 'Ole USA In My Chevrolet
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Posts: 381
I'd love to see this deceptive practice banned. To book a hotel in Las Vegas, you need your travel search engine and, at the same time, a site that lists resort fees for the various brands and properties so you can estimate the true cost of the options you see. Makes the process way more time consuming.