Don Willmott
Just when you thought it was safe to check out
Your plane leaves in an hour. As you dash through the hotel lobby on your way to check out, all you’re thinking about is the taxi and your boarding pass. The clerk prints out your bill, you shove it into your bag as you sign the credit card slip, and you’re on your way. You may never even look at the bill...
Just when you thought it was safe to check out
Your plane leaves in an hour. As you dash through the hotel lobby on your way to check out, all you’re thinking about is the taxi and your boarding pass. The clerk prints out your bill, you shove it into your bag as you sign the credit card slip, and you’re on your way. You may never even look at the bill...
Don Willmott Just when you thought it was safe to check out Your plane leaves in an hour. As you dash through the hotel lobby on your way to check out,... more
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Created 05/31/08
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1
The Resort Fee
When you book a room at a resort, it’s natural to assume that built into your rate is your use of all those things—the gym, the pool, the gardens—that make the resort so delightful. Why, then, would a resort tack on an additional $10 to $25 resort fee for each day of your stay, even if you never go near the pool or the beach? Because it can. (Then they add a tax to the fee!) If you’re heading for any hotel that has palm trees, be sure to ask about this fee up front.
2
The Telephone Fees
Telephone surcharges still exist, and they’re as bad as ever. One former hotel manager explains, “AT&T would charge our hotel 10 cents per local call. The hotel would then charge the guest between $1.50 and $2. Long distance was even worse. It's a very easy way to add to the bottom line.” The solution, of course, is to stick with your cell phone or find free WiFi in the lobby and use a low-cost Internet phone service such as Skype.
3
The Energy Fee
Hotels often call the energy fee a “surcharge,” perhaps in an effort to foment global warming guilt. Shame on you for using the air conditioner. Of course you should pay. In reality, the fee has nothing to do with the amount of energy you actually consume during your stay. It just is what it is.
4
The Technology Fee
You’d think by now hotels would be scrambling to offer free high-speed Internet access as a competitive advantage, but that’s often not the case. Sometimes semantics comes into play when the Internet is “free,” but access to it will cost you. One solution is to roam around the hotel with your WiFi-equipped laptop until you find a signal and tap in. Try the hallway outside the Business Center.
5
The Groundskeeping Fee
Here’s hoping you enjoy looking at the rose bushes that line the resort’s driveway. They could cost you an additional few bucks in “groundskeeping fees,” one of the more absurd fees that some resorts have come up with. Take special care to ask about this one if you’re booking a stay at a golf resort, where there is sure to be a small army of groundskeepers.
6
The Towel Fee
One of the great joys of a luxury hotel stay is working your way through a huge pile of fluffy towels without having to worry about doing laundry. Proceed with caution, especially at poolside, where cabana boys will offer you extra towels and then ask for your room number. Is a few minutes with that extra towel really worth $5?
7
The Safe Fee
One could easily argue that a fee for an in-room safe is fair…if you actually use the safe. What’s unfair is charging you $3 a day just for the privilege of sleeping in the same room with a safe even if you never touch it. Hotel.com’s Scott Booker says this fee is most prevalent in Las Vegas and Orlando.
8
The Housekeeping and Bellman Fees
Maids and bellmen work hard for the money, and they depend on tips to supplement their income. That’s fine, but the tips should be up to you, not up to the hotel, which may assess mandatory gratuities but not tell you until you check out, long after you’ve already put cash in hands all around the hotel. (Note: such fees are sometimes applied to groups. If you’re part of a group or a tour, it makes sense to ask the organizer of your trip.)
9
The Parking Fee
Where will you park your car when you arrive at your hotel? This could be the single most important question you ask when it comes protecting your bottom line. Hotels routinely get away with charging $20 or more per night (plus tips) for mandatory valet parking, even if there’s a convenient hotel parking lot just steps away. San Francisco is an inveterate offender in this department. If you ask about only one thing prior to your arrival, this should be it. Hotel.com’s Scott Booker says that even he has fallen victim to this one.
10
The Mineral Water Fee
You arrive at your hotel room in Cleveland or Cairo parched from your long journey. How nice to see a bottle of Evian or Fiji water on the credenza next your bed, just begging to be the quencher of your traveler’s thirst. And how utterly frustrating to be charged a $7 anti-dehydration fee. Stock up on drinks and other minibar-style treats at a local drugstore before you even check-in, and you’ll be all set.
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