The hidden resort fee that ate my $89 hotel deal in Vegas

Booked a room on a discount site for $89 a night, but when I checked out the actual charge was $147 because of a $58 daily resort fee they don't show upfront. I found it buried in the fine print after calling the front desk, has anyone else gotten hit with this on purpose?

2 comments

2 Comments

simonp4721d ago

Last time I thought I was gaming the system with a $49 room in Reno and ended up paying $112 by the time they tacked on the "amenity access" fee. Guess I wasn't the genius I thought. At least the ice machine was free, though that's probably because it was broken.

sandra_anderson220d ago

Those resort fees are basically a scam but here's the thing nobody talks about. The hotels that charge them are usually the ones that also let you opt out if you ask at the front desk. Just say you don't want the pool or gym access and they'll drop it half the time. The real trick is booking through the hotel's direct site instead of those discount apps. That $49 rate is a bait price, the app gets a cut so the hotel adds on fees to make up for it. Call the hotel's local number, not the 800 number, and ask for their walk-in rate. Got a room in Vegas for $67 once, no resort fee, just because I asked nice and it was a Tuesday. The sticker price is never the real price, you just gotta know which buttons to push.