You have undoubtedly heard of mandatory resort fees, mandatory destination fees and mandatory facilities fees which an increasing number of hotel and resort properties have been charging guests — and these fees are often obscured from view until the potential customer starts the reservation booking process so that the advertised base rate of the room appears to be lower or more competitive with similar rooms priced by other lodging establishments…
Is This Amenity Fee a New Low?
…but what exactly is an amenity fee — and what is included with it once you pay for it?
More accurately called a “daily destination amenity fee”, the Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown hotel property charges $17.00 per day to the room rate.
Booking a reservation to check in to the hotel property on Friday, December 13, 2019 and staying for one night would be $218.00 just for the base room rate…
…and although the estimated government taxes and fees is an abominable $45.35, the mandatory destination amenity fee is $17.00 — but what do you get in return for paying for it?
FlyerTalk member PhillyPhlyer40 — who discovered and uncovered this scourge of a mandatory fee — spoke with an employee of the Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown on the morning of Monday, December 2, 2019 after having stayed at this hotel property to find out what exactly is included in the destination amenity fee.
1-free coffee in the room. If you run out, they will bring you more (no kidding, this was the leadoff line)
2-heated pool for use 7am-10pm
3-fitness center use 24 hours a day
4-free champagne or mimosa, but only available on weekends check ins from 3-5pm (WHHHAT?)
“Seriously, I asked to speak to a manager”, PhillyPhlyer40 wrote. “Got a front desk manager on the phone. Went through list. She also included a huge (HER WORDS) benefit the agent forgot. Free water bottles. They give 2 per room per day. (I did say i would just take them out of the lounge, to which she replied lounge food had to be consumed in lounge!)”
In conclusion, PhillyPhlyer40 lamented, “Well folks, guess this means I will look elsewhere. Be honest and put it in the room rate. This is deceptive at best.”
Even worse is what MSPeconomist shared, which can only add to the confusion of unwanted mandatory fees for business travelers: “My employer won’t reimburse resort fees. They seem to be viewed as a luxury that’s inappropriate for business travel, yet the reality is that sometimes you must stay in a property that charges resort fees. An obvious example would be a convention in Vegas. I’m not sure what happens if the garbage fee is called a destination or facilities fee.”
Summary
I could not agree with PhillyPhlyer40 more with the aforementioned conclusion — and other members of FlyerTalk agree.
That I vehemently oppose the implementation of mandatory resort fees, facilities fees and destination fees is no secret to you if you have been a reader of The Gate for years — they should either be optional or eliminated altogether — and I will just let this extensive body of work over the years pertaining to mandatory resort fees speak for me…
- Resort Fee Class Action Settlement 2019: Your Chance to Get Your Share of Money or Points From Wyndham Hotel Group
- Search Rankings Lowered For Hotels Which Charge Resort Fees: Expedia Group
- Deceptive Hotel Resort Fees: Legislation Introduced to Protect Consumers 2019
- Mandatory Resort Fees Increase at Three MGM Hotel and Casino Properties in Las Vegas
- Hilton Sued For Charging Deceptive Resort Fees by Attorney General of Nebraska
- Resort Fees are Here to Stay, According to the Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International
- The Importance of Not Abusing Trust
- Marriott International Sued For Charging Deceptive Resort Fees by Attorney General of District of Columbia
- One Simple Way to Reclaim That Resort Fee Which You Paid
- Even Worse: Mandatory Resort Fees as Percentage of Room Rate
- Why Are You Surprised That Resort Fees “Provide Real Tangible Value” to You?
- 4 Reasons Why Mandatory Resort Fees May Finally Be Disappearing
- Wait a Minute…A Hostel Which Charges a Resort Fee?!?
- Probe of Hotel Booking Sites Results in Enforcement Action in the United Kingdom
- Is This Flat Sales Tax Really a Mandatory Resort Fee in Disguise?
- Resort Fees: The Database of Lodging Options Which Charge Them
- Is This Secret to Ease the Pain of Paying Resort Fees Viable?
- The Destination Fee Plague Spreads Again — This Time, To…
- Another Way Mandatory Resort Fees are Deceptive
- Caesar’s Entertainment Properties to Increase Mandatory Resort Fees
- Resort Fees; Then Parking Fees: Are Free Drinks in Las Vegas In Jeopardy?
- What is Included in a Mandatory Resort Fee of $160.50 Per Night?
- Legislation Targets “Deceptive” Resort Fees
- New Parking Fees at Hotels: When Mandatory Resort Fees are Not Enough
- I Want In on This Resort Fee Nonsense: Open My Own Resort
- It’s Time to Put the Kibosh on Hotel Resort Fees? Now?!?
- Mandatory Resort Fees Can Add Up to 50% More to Your Room Rate With Useless Amenities
- Mandatory Facilities Fee: A Growing Deceptive Trend in Lodging?
- Help Me List Hotel Properties Here to Fight Resort Fees
- What If Other Businesses Surprised You With the Equivalent of Resort Fees?
- $40 Resort Fee at the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort Starts June 1, 2015
- Lawsuit Alleges Daily Resort Fee Was Hidden From Room Rate at Booking
- Who Likes Resort Fees? Not Me
- A Resort Fee Added on a $36 Rodeway Inn Room?
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
