How can I avoid hotel deposit fees?

Offering to provide a credit card or ID as collateral can also help you get a hotel deposit waived. This shows the hotel that you are a responsible guest and are willing to take responsibility for any damages or incidentals that may occur during your stay.



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You cannot simply refuse to pay resort fees, but — just as some hotel employees are occasionally empowered to compensate you — the employee might have authority to remove your resort fee. Just understand that this is the exception, not the norm. And while it doesn't hurt to ask, it helps to ask nicely.

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You can also talk with the hotel manager and ask to have the resort fee removed from your bill. Your final option is to dispute the resort fee with your credit card company, provided you have paid your hotel bill with a credit card.

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So why do hotels require a deposit in the first place? It's all about risk management. Hotels want to ensure that they don't lose money if a guest cancels their reservation or incurs any damages or charges during their stay. By requiring a deposit, hotels can offset some of that risk and protect their bottom line.

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A credit card hold is an insurance policy for the hotel. Specifically, the hold covers incidentals such as damage to the room, room service and dips into the minibar. Depending on the hotel, this hold could be a charge for your entire stay or charged each night.

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The bottom line
Businesses cannot charge your credit card without authorization. Hotels will typically get your authorization to place a hold on your card for your stay at the time you check in.

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The fee was a way for hotels to pay for all these extra amenities without having to add to the base prices consumers see when they search for hotels. In other words, hotels would appear cheaper in internet searches, making them appear more competitive in price while offering a more robust experience once guests arrive.

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The American Hotel and Lodging Association said that resort fees pay for a range of hotel amenities, such as pool use, gym access, towel services, Wi-Fi, newspapers, shuttle service, daily parking. They state that the resort fee is a payment for a group of services.

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Each hotel will have its own specific hold amount, generally $50-$200, on top of your room rate (including taxes and fees). While the hotel won't officially charge you until after you check out, the issuer will put aside the hold amount in the interim to ensure you are able to cover a potential charge.

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President Joe Biden announced during his State of the Union address in February that his administration would target junk fees in a variety of industries, including at hotels. “We'll ban surprise 'resort fees' that hotels tack on to your bill,” Biden said.

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The majority of resort fees cover perks like free internet services, gym entry and access to the resort pool if there is one.

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