The Fee Happy Travel Industry

If you’ve done much traveling in the past couple of years, you no doubt have noticed that just about every aspect of the travel industry has a base rate, but oftentimes by the time you total up the final bill, you’ve paid almost as much in fees and taxes as the base rate.  I’m thinking this started with the airlines, but then the car rental companies joined in the fee business, and now, the hotel and resort industry is quickly falling into the same pattern.

I have mentioned it before, but not real recently, of the “resort fees” that several hotels and resorts have begun charging, in addition to the nightly rate. . .and the interesting thing about it is that it is for services that were previously included in the nightly rate.  We’ve noticed this with tour operators that announce that this or that hotel that has been reserved has resort fees that are not included with the nightly rate.

The fees range anywhere from $20 a night to as much as $40 a night.  Well, just what do they cover?  It includes internet usage and Wi-Fi, in-room local and toll-free telephone calls, access to the spa and fitness center, newspaper, one bottle of water in the room, and for some, printing your airline boarding pass.  I’ve even heard of some hotels charging you to make a reservation by phone. . .and suggest that you can make the reservation on-line without a charge.  My sense is that practice will last about a year or so, then they will start charging a reservation fee for on-line reservations too.

One report I read about on a European hotel site was that the nightly rate for a particular hotel was unbelievably inexpensive, however the kicker was that if you wanted a remote control for your TV it was an extra $7 a day, if you wanted Wi-Fi it was an additional $7 a day, and if you wanted your room cleaned, it was $14 a day extra.  So much for a cheap hotel!!!

So the tip is when you are making a reservation at a nice hotel or resort, be wary of the nightly rate that is quoted, because a booking technique is not to inform you of the resort fee until you get there and get checked in, then they will drop the “fee hammer”.  Another tip when you are booking on-line is to read the fine print.  Another tip is to rely on your travel agent to make the reservation for you.  They can’t make the resort fees go away, but they will find out if the hotel or resort is charging a resort fee and will disclose that information up-front.

You can reach that trusted travel agent at The Travel Factory, 4150 Southwest Drive, Ste. 120, at the Plaza at Park Central.  Our phone number is 698-1421 or call toll-free to 800-760-4040.  Our website is full of good information, and you can even book Funjet Vacation packages there; www.thetravelfactoryabilene.com.