Can someone explain hotel taxes & fees on the island?
- Thread starter DandyDon
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OP
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Yeah, hate those. They should quote their real room charge honestly and let that compete honestly with the others as shoppers compare properties in their price rang.
But these charges are quoted as taxes.
OP
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Okay, so I received an informative reply from the hotel today. The taxes are indeed 16% + 3%, but the booking site quoted combined taxes that also included the ENVIRONMENTAL FEE $25.35 MXN/day, so that's where the 22.54% came from. The booking site also added Sanitation services: MXN 20 per night would be collected, but I guess that was a mistake.
I heard that senior citizens were exempt from that new fees, then heard later that was canceled - but they agreed to waive it, so I guess so.
I heard that senior citizens were exempt from that new fees, then heard later that was canceled - but they agreed to waive it, so I guess so.
DFDubb
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Why are you booking through a booking site anyways? Booking directly will usually fetch the same or better rate and you're not paying a middle man to cut into the property owners margin. The service and room you get will usually be better as well.
OP
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You hear that, and it sounds logical, but when I have compared in the past - I found little truth to the claim. Since you brought it up tho, I ran a new comparison. You may not agree with my cheap taste in hotels, but I like Hotel Mary Carmen, half block from the square, their yard turtles begging for treats, etc. I tried their site, but their reservations feature didn't work.
Ok, so I tried Suites Colonial at Hotels.com vs their site: $44 at the booking site vs $48 direct with hotel. FAIL
Alrighty, try Casa Mexicana. And I am being careful to select their home pages and not fall for google listings that look similar: $65 at booking site vs $72 at their home site. FAIL
I think the hotels have to contract with the sites to not quote better prices on their own pages than offered thru the booking sites.
Then too, I like the 10% rewards at Hotels.com and their satisfaction guarantees, which I have claimed at times when I was disappointed with stays, received, and used at different properties on new travels.
Ok, try Casa Mexicana:
That's not necessarily true. The hotels sell these rooms at a discount to the brokers because they expect them to be otherwise unoccupied. I once booked a room in Houston through Hotels.com and near the end of my stay I found I needed to stay another day. The charge for the additional day in the same room, booked direct, was a lot more than what I paid through the booking site.
OP
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Yeah, while it may sound logical to expect a better deal avoiding the middle man - those middle men thought of that long ago as well and contracted against it, I think.
Here in the states, I try to remind myself to check AAA and AARP discounts that you won't find on Hotels.com and similar, and sometimes those save booking on the hotel's own site.
Couple years ago i stayed at suites bahia a couple nights. It was $45 a night thru booking.com. i walked into suites bahia and asked if they could match it they said no. I walked out booked it and went back in. I think the lowest they said maybe $65 a night.
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