Resort Fee Add-on Scam

[Mike]

Matrix, Matrix, Matrix...

Best thing ever invented

Gives me every combination of every flight you can possibly think of, sort by duration, stops, price, gives you the flight numbers, search by cheapest days to fly cross referenced by how duration effects the prices...

Matrix - ITA Software

 

[chillyinCanada]

I like momondo! Especially now since they've added Business Class. Yes, AVC can put together some special pricing on packages, however, not generally to anywhere I want to go.

I use a travel agent for European trips and such. When I was in Jordan and had to get out of the horrible hotel, it only took one email. That said, he was the guy who booked me in there in the first place.

 

[DandyDon]

Kayak is the bomb for researching flights. I'll book our next Coz trip there, a mile redemption to Cancun is a waste of points. I can connect through the US for probably the same time as the bag drag.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Kayak can be a good tool. I shopped this hotel on it. It does not give Resort Fees on hotels tho, and often has the hotel location wrong.

Are you sure you want to change planes in the US and deal with our Immigration, Customs, and TSA? If you can fly non-stop to Cancun, you can take the bus & ferry and still save time - and get a private cab in Cozumel instead of packing a van like a sardine.

Matrix, Matrix, Matrix...

Best thing ever invented

Gives me every combination of every flight you can possibly think of, sort by duration, stops, price, gives you the flight numbers, search by cheapest days to fly cross referenced by how duration effects the prices...

Matrix - ITA Software

Yep, and a lot of options & tools. I kept 3 tabs open there for weeks watching for fares from three different airports to Vegas, then jumped on one. Odd that it gave me a fair $4 less than American would show even with all of my digging - and I do know how well American hides their fares in bait & switch, but I was happy enough. First bag checked free with their Master Card, less than $300 each to save 2,000 RT miles of "are we there yet?" Last year SWA had $200 RT on non-stops but not this year. We still have to drive down to Abilene, but at a decent time of day, arriving early enough to hit a nearby Walmart, supper, and still get to the valley that leads to Death Valley early enough to find our hotel.

 

[Tigerman]

one word... "prepaid"...

 

[Aguablanco1]

I understand. Aren't taxes great!

The average US citizen is paying over 60% taxes on their income when you add up all the taxes we pay from federal to state income, to sales taxes, gasoline purchases and now to hotels.

We get to actually keep a whopping 40% of our income! Yippee.

Actually, according to this website it is closer to 30%. How much tax do we really pay?
RichH

 

[DandyDon]

I just ran a battery test on my PLB. Failed?! No the failure was mine. :silly: I was running the wrong test indoors. At least I didn't hit the wrong button and call NOAA 911, which is why I test the battery indoors - and did not ruin my battery.

one word... "prepaid"...

Meaningless...??

 

[Mike]

Actually, according to this website it is closer to 30%. How much tax do we really pay?
RichH

Look again at the website you're quoting it says -

Total tax percentage potentially paid by the above average US citizen, 2013 est. - 59.7%

30% isn't even logically close. 30% is far closer to what you get to keep.

Yowzer

---------- Post added May 1st, 2014 at 05:20 PM ----------

one word... "prepaid"...

Pleaze to eshplain?

---------- Post added May 1st, 2014 at 05:22 PM ----------

Kayak can be a good tool. I shopped this hotel on it. It does not give Resort Fees on hotels tho, and often has the hotel location wrong.

Are you sure you want to change planes in the US and deal with our Immigration, Customs, and TSA? If you can fly non-stop to Cancun, you can take the bus & ferry and still save time - and get a private cab in Cozumel instead of packing a van like a sardine.


Yep, and a lot of options & tools. I kept 3 tabs open there for weeks watching for fares from three different airports to Vegas, then jumped on one. Odd that it gave me a fair $4 less than American would show even with all of my digging - and I do know how well American hides their fares in bait & switch, but I was happy enough. First bag checked free with their Master Card, less than $300 each to save 2,000 RT miles of "are we there yet?" Last year SWA had $200 RT on non-stops but not this year. We still have to drive down to Abilene, but at a decent time of day, arriving early enough to hit a nearby Walmart, supper, and still get to the valley that leads to Death Valley early enough to find our hotel.

Don you ever use yapta.com ?

Pretty interesting to see how the fare track over time. I usually put in a couple of fares and watch them over 4-5 months, very interstink!

 

[DandyDon]

No. I did have fare alerts set up with Kayak, but the changes were too fast. I checked Matrix on three tabs several times a day. The fare dropped below my $300 max for a few hours, then went back over $400 by morning.

 

[reefman]

friend visiting LAS next week sent me this useful link. hotels with no resort fees @ the bottom of page,,,,,,,,


Resort Fee Popup


reefman
key largo

 

[Tigerman]

one word... "prepaid"...

Meaningless...??

Pleaze to eshplain?

Theres several different booking options where you prepay the stay. This means you show up and hand over a voucher when you check in and don't get any "surprises" on the the room bill..
If theres a tax, you'll have to pay it regardless how you book, but if you have prepaid you'll only pay for extras to the hotel.
An added bonus if you use a booking agency/travel agency where you can prepay the stay is that due to the volume such agents generate to the hotel, you have some leverage IF they try to screw you over...

On another note, booking agencies like booking.com, hotels.com etc charge BAR rates (which is the rate you'll be quoted if you book direct) and the hotel pay them a comission per booking. This means the hotel will make less money from each booking through such agencies and unlike popular belief, all guests are NOT treated equal, if that where the case we'd all be sleeping in the presidential suite...