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Old Aug 13, 2015, 4:43 pm
  #1  
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Kimpton Resort Fees

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Had a rant about resort fees ("hotel fee") at the Donovan House in DC and at Kimpton in general. Reexamined my thoughts and determined it's not worth making a stink since without a 2016 benies announcement, it doesn't matter all that much since I'm spending my $ away from Kimpton.

Cheers

Last edited by thegrailer; Aug 13, 2015 at 4:48 pm
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Old Nov 25, 2015, 6:09 am
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Kimpton Resort Fees

I noticed these facility fees were added to most of the DC hotels. The fees include upgraded wifi (useless for an IC member), local and long distance calls, and car service for 2 hours in the morning within 1 mile radius. Really, Kimpton?? Back to Hilton's in DC for me.
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Old Nov 25, 2015, 9:25 am
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Resort fees are such BS. They're just a devaluation (since they're applied to reward nights) and a scam (since some of the charges are opaque during booking for cash reservations). FTC should take action, the same way airlines are required to advertise all-in prices.
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Old Nov 25, 2015, 9:29 am
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I had been thinking a bit about switching some of my stays from SPG/Marriott due to the merger, but if Kimptons tend to have resort fees now, no thanks!
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Old Nov 25, 2015, 9:52 am
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As the FTC has made clear that it will not wade into this issue so long as the fees are properly disclosed, the sole remedy is to vote with your feet.

If enough feet vote, there will be a change. Without it, there will not. Kimpton is betting that business travelers simply expense the fee and don't care and that most leisure travelers don't think about these things.
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Old Nov 25, 2015, 10:04 am
  #6  
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Originally Posted by Often1
As the FTC has made clear that it will not wade into this issue so long as the fees are properly disclosed, the sole remedy is to vote with your feet.
My fear is that like airline checked bag fees, we're going to see this expand more and more, across chains, when it comes to urban properties. (I've already given up when it comes to Vegas and actual "resorts".)
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Old Nov 25, 2015, 10:31 am
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Kimpton Resort Fees

The fees are lumped in the breakdown with the taxes, not too noticeable. I only noticed because there were over $30 in taxes and fees for a $100 stay. I really enjoyed the Kimpton's in DC, especially the Palomar, but I will be switching my DC stays to Hilton.
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Old Nov 30, 2015, 9:31 am
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Originally Posted by Sunshinedaydream1
The fees are lumped in the breakdown with the taxes, not too noticeable. I only noticed because there were over $30 in taxes and fees for a $100 stay. I really enjoyed the Kimpton's in DC, especially the Palomar, but I will be switching my DC stays to Hilton.
How much are the fees that you are seeing in DC? (I assume that they are flat and per night.)
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Old Nov 30, 2015, 1:29 pm
  #9  
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Originally Posted by RogerMurdock
How much are the fees that you are seeing in DC? (I assume that they are flat and per night.)
It's $15/night + tax at every DC property with the exception of the Monaco and the Carlyle.

Note that each DC property that has now added a "facilities fee" is owned by the same entity- the REIT LaSalle Hotel Properties. The Monaco and Carlyle are not owned by this entity.
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Old Nov 30, 2015, 6:10 pm
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I just did a Priceline name your price and "won" the Kimpton Donovan in DC. I've never had a hotel in that area with a resort/facility fee. The bid price was good, not great, and with the added fee, I would've been better off booking a known hotel. They just ruined my favorite bidding location because now I'll never know if I'm going to have to pay an additional $15 over what I expect.

I've never stayed in a Kimpton before, but this is my first impression of them.
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Old Dec 1, 2015, 3:56 am
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Originally Posted by dw
It's $15/night + tax at every DC property with the exception of the Monaco and the Carlyle.

Note that each DC property that has now added a "facilities fee" is owned by the same entity- the REIT LaSalle Hotel Properties. The Monaco and Carlyle are not owned by this entity.
LaSalle has been rather creative, even in how it's played its tax situation.

Resort/facilities fees at DC hotels? Talk about a scam. Hopefully this kind of scam is shut down before it gets even worse and expands further across the US and the world.

I liked Kimpton hotels, but with this kind of scam in play at Kimpton hotels I'm not going to be singing their praises.
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Old Dec 7, 2015, 10:09 am
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So what does 2 hour car service mean? Can I reserve the car for the whole 2 hours and be driven around the District? If the car is unavailable, do I receive a refund of my fee?
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Old Dec 7, 2015, 7:34 pm
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Originally Posted by thegrailer
So what does 2 hour car service mean? Can I reserve the car for the whole 2 hours and be driven around the District? If the car is unavailable, do I receive a refund of my fee?
According to their website, the car service is for within one mile of the hotel. Maybe they'll drive you around the block for two hours?
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Old Dec 7, 2015, 7:38 pm
  #14  
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Two hours within a one mile radius would allow for a horrendous traffic jam.
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Old Dec 7, 2015, 10:37 pm
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Originally Posted by thegrailer
So what does 2 hour car service mean? Can I reserve the car for the whole 2 hours and be driven around the District? If the car is unavailable, do I receive a refund of my fee?
For a couple of hours in the day, they will have a car available to take you from the hotel to some place that is a ten or fifteen minute walk away and may actually take longer in a car than to walk.
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