One hundred dollar bills currency
Photograph ©2016 by Brian Cohen.

Being Charged a Resort Fee Twice: Error — or Money Grab?

Were double the “valuable amenities” enjoyed, at least?

People are not infallible; and machines and computer systems are not perfect. Mistakes do happen. However, no employee at lodging companies apologizes for charging guests mandatory resort fees — even though they almost always offer virtually no value to guests in return because they are almost pure profit for a hotel or resort property, which brings the question of being charged a resort fee twice: error — or money grab?

Being Charged a Resort Fee Twice: Error — or Money Grab?

Imagine being charged $40.00 per night in mandatory resort fees — especially when rates can be close to as much as $600.00 per night — which includes:

  • Two bottles of water delivered to your room daily
  • Complimentary access to Wi-Fi
  • Daily fitness classes at the Dolphin resort property
  • Use of the Swan paddle boats
  • Discounts on select spa treatments

Now imagine receiving your folio at the end of your stay; and you find out that you were charged $80.00 per night because the mandatory resort fee was added twice — which is allegedly what happened to FlyerTalk member YYZTHF recently at The Swan Reserve at Disney World.

Hotel and resort properties have been increasingly creative in adding perceived value to mandatory resort fees, mandatory room fees, mandatory destination fees, mandatory amenities fees, mandatory facilities fees, or mandatory damage waiver fees — all of which are usually charged on a daily basis. They may have different names — after all, many hotel properties are not resorts; so calling the mandatory fee a “resort” fee would be ridiculous.

Final Boarding Call

Charging a mandatory resort fee on a daily basis is egregious enough in the first place, in my opinion — but to be charged that fee twice per day is inexcusable. I am almost certain that a simple mistake was committed; but I would not put it past the management of that resort property to “accidentally” charge guests a daily mandatory resort fee twice to see if they could get away with doing so.

I do not believe in intervention by the government to interfere with the free market; but these mandatory fees — creative as they may be and which are specifically designed to initially obfuscate the true cost of travel — are out of control. Unfortunately, consumers seem to be more resigned to paying them out of frustration rather than boycotting hotel and resort properties which charge them — especially as more and more of them do so to create extra revenue for themselves.

The only true way to stop this madness of hotel and resort properties simply tacking on an added daily mandatory fee is to not patronize them — or, at least, negotiate to not pay them when at the hotel or resort property.

Although a lot of work still needs to be done, you can help me fight mandatory daily fees by adding to the list of hotel and resort properties that charge them.

If all else fails, you can always try filing a complaint with the attorney general of the state in which you have stayed — or with the attorney general of the state in which you reside if you live in another state and booked a reservation at the hotel or resort property while sitting at home. Some readers of The Gate With Brian Cohen have reported their successful experiences of getting fully reimbursed for the mandatory fees that they paid.

A list of the articles pertaining to these mandatory fees at The Gate With Brian Cohen can be found at the conclusion of this article.

Photograph ©2016 by Brian Cohen.

  1. The Doubletree Alana Honolulu is breathtaking. I did a detailed analysis of what they were charging for and just to get the benefits for the amount they were charging you would need to have spent $600+ in addition to the $75. But worse, 2 of the items on the list were closed and unavailable. Another one, the beach lounges, did not even recognize the discount allegedly available to Guests. This is fraud. Nothing more and nothing less. And do you think I can get Ginger and her mob of thieves to even be accountable? No, instead they go on the attack and act is if one has no right to question their theft. Like the writer, I agree in the market deciding and less government but there comes a time when these people need to be held accountable. But in the most super-woke, radical left wing State of the Commonwealth, Hawai-iiiiii you’ve got Buckleys chance of it ever happening

    1. If you were charged a mandatory fee for two items that were not available but included in that fee, robbo, you should have had the fee refunded to you. Period.

      I would have contacted Hilton and pursued this matter after getting no satisfaction from the hotel property…

    2. Left wing, right wing,broken wing, you think extra fees charged by hotel properties is the exclusive purview of a particular political bent. While the majority of us applaud Capitalism with a fervent huzzah, we moan and complain when it is exercised. Yes, so called resort fees are onerous. Mandatory parking fees also. If you are naive to think if HI became “red” all those fees would be eliminated by your red flag waving capitalist.

  2. Left wing, right wing,broken wing, you think extra fees charged by hotel properties is the exclusive purview of a particular political bent. While the majority of us applaud Capitalism with a fervent huzzah, we moan and complain when it is exercised. Yes, so called resort fees are onerous. Mandatory parking fees also. If you are naive to think if HI became “red” all those fees would be eliminated by your red flag waving capitalist.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!