Resort Fees Jump; Higher Amounts Next Month; 'No Justification'

WASHINGTON (TVR) – Resort fees are on the rise again, with higher surcharges going into effect next month amid growing frustration amid travel agents and travelers.

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Resort fees at approximately 10 resorts in Las Vegas will jump 11% in March, Travel Market Report found, with fees at some resorts in Hawaii rising April 1.

Consumers have taken their ire to the courts, with resort fee litigation filed against some hotel chains such as Wyndham and Marriott.

The Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, operated by Starwood, which has been acquired by Marriott, recently added a $25 fee to its guests’ bills even with no noticeable additions to guest benefits.

“There’s no justification for a resort fee. If it takes that much money to run your resort, raise the room charges and make those commissionable to the agents,” Diane McIntyre Mason, owner of the Cruise & Travel Planner in Saint Peters, Missouri, told Travel Market Report.

“It’s just a way for these resorts to make more money and cut the agent out of the commission.”

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Hotels: Resort Fees Save Travelers Money

The American Hotel and Lodging Association disputes the arguments by some travel agents and travelers that resort fees are unnecessary and not transparent, and says the fees are “not widespread.”

“These mandatory fees are usually “bundled” to provide guests with a better value for these services that would otherwise cost more if charged individually,” the AHLA says in a post on its website titled “Facts on Mandatory Resort Fees.”

The AHLA says the resort fees, also known as amenity fees, cover costs associated with a pool, gym, laundry, wifi and newspapers.

“Mandatory resort fees were created in an effort to provide consumers with the best value by grouping amenity fees into one cost,” the association’s website states.

“This practice aligns with guidance introduced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2012.”