I wanted to cover a topic that that I am seeing a lot more in travel today. That is the situation where a client arrives at a resort only to find that the quality of the resort has been misrepresented on various websites online, including the resort’s own website. This is created by the fact that ratings are so subjective and, once you get outside of the U.S., ratings can be anything the resort wants published and ratings are not regulated.
Surprise! Extra Fees at Checkout
A new situation has been quietly increasing with hotels. This is the addition of ancillary fees added on top of the room rate. These are known by a number of different names, the most common being “Resort Fees”. They are additional fees that cover amenities at the resort whether you use them or not. They cover things like parking, pool towel service, use of tennis courts, use of the pool and beach. This has been standard practice in places like Hawaii for a number of years but they are now being extended to other hotels and resorts in the U.S. They are not going away but you need to be aware of them when booking hotels and resorts. When you get a room rate make sure you understand what that rate includes and what if any additional fees or taxes the hotel or resort may charge.