What are junk fees at a hotel?

Regulators call these “junk fees.” You have probably encountered junk fees at least a few times in your travels. The extra charges can come in many forms, such as fees for resort amenities, checked luggage and seat selection, and they're typically not disclosed upfront when you use an online search engine.



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Regulators call these “junk fees.” You have probably encountered junk fees at least a few times in your travels. The extra charges can come in many forms, such as fees for resort amenities, checked luggage and seat selection, and they're typically not disclosed upfront when you use an online search engine.

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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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Many international travelers encounter foreign transaction fees while making purchases or withdrawing cash from an ATM in a foreign country. The easiest way to avoid a foreign transaction fee is to use a debit or credit card that waives foreign transaction fees while traveling abroad.

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Of course, we're talking about resort fees—those universally hated fees that hotels and resorts charge in destinations like Hawaii and Las Vegas. Resort fees are usually charged to cover amenities like Wi-Fi and gym access, but they're not optional.

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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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Resort fees existed as early as 1997. 1 After hotels began charging resort fees, consumers complained that they were surprised by the fees and often did not learn about them until arriving at the hotel.

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Room Cleaning Fees Most hotels charge a cleaning fee to cover the cost of cleaning the room after you check out. This fee is typically included in the overall cost of your stay. However, if the room is left excessively dirty or requires additional cleaning beyond the norm, you may be charged an extra fee.

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Experts say hotels consider refund requests on a case-by-case basis. I've seen complaints for everything from cleanliness issues to noise, either because of other guests or hotel construction, a lack of amenities, bad service, and safety and security concerns, said Tim Hentschel, CEO of HotelPlanner.com.

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This is usually done to cover any additional charges that may have been incurred during your stay such as room service or other incidentals.

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However, it is important to note that hotels cannot track individual guest water usage on a per-guest basis. This is because water meters are typically installed at the property level rather than at the individual room level.

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Resort fees are usually charged to cover amenities like Wi-Fi and gym access, but they're not optional. You have no choice but to pay them even if you choose not to use the amenities they cover.

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To charge for potential damages or theft: The card which hotels keep on file is used in case the room has any damage or missing items. Usually that's found after checkout, so charges could post to the card that was used for the reservation or checking in.

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There's no sugarcoating it: Airfare is expensive. And while waiting until the last minute might sound like a good idea, it typically is cheaper to book your flights in advance. We are seeing fewer last-minute deals than in years past, especially when it comes to flights, a Kayak spokesperson tells Travel + Leisure.

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Round-trip tickets are usually cheaper than one-ways, sometimes significantly so. NerdWallet compared fares across multiple international routes and found that, typically, buying two one-way tickets costs 20% more than a single roundtrip.

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