No one told me about the resort fee

[BDSC]

The other option is to say to the desk clerk clerk "I didn't use the spa, didn't sign up for the spa, and I'm not paying the spa fee."

Terry

This has worked for me Terry two different times. For example. I went to check out of a hotel and at checkout there was the base room price, taxes, and a $9.95 daily fee for use of their health club. I never went into the health club and told the person at checkout. But they told me that that was a fee that is charged to everyone because it still cost the hotel to maintain the club, etc. etc. whether you use it or not.

So I told them I wasn't going to pay but would gladly pay the room rate and taxes. The person behind the desk tried, very politely, to tell me that it gets charged to everyone. I was polite back and again refused to pay and asked for a manager. The manager comes and I basically told them this. "I'm not going to pay the $9.95 daily fee and will not sign the credit card slip with that on there. If you process it, I'll dispute the entire charge and not just the fee. So if you guys want to go thru that hassle then by all means go for it. But when I leave here I'll be on the phone with my credit card, tell them what has happened, and make sure they don't send you a dime." ( I was firm but nice about it) In both cases they waived the fee.

I look at it this way. If at anytime during the booking process, whether you call them direct, do it at a website, or use a travel agent, if the "fee" is disclosed to you so that you knew it before you agreed to the deal, then pay the fee. You agreed to it upfront. However, if it was never disclosed to you in anyway and they surprise you at checkout with a fee, DO NOT PAY!

They are not going to force the issue beyond the front desk.

 

[DandyDon]

This has worked for me Terry two different times. For example. I went to check out of a hotel and at checkout there was the base room price, taxes, and a $9.95 daily fee for use of their health club. I never went into the health club and told the person at checkout. But they told me that that was a fee that is charged to everyone because it still cost the hotel to maintain the club, etc. etc. whether you use it or not.

So I told them I wasn't going to pay but would gladly pay the room rate and taxes. The person behind the desk tried, very politely, to tell me that it gets charged to everyone. I was polite back and again refused to pay and asked for a manager. The manager comes and I basically told them this. "I'm not going to pay the $9.95 daily fee and will not sign the credit card slip with that on there. If you process it, I'll dispute the entire charge and not just the fee. So if you guys want to go thru that hassle then by all means go for it. But when I leave here I'll be on the phone with my credit card, tell them what has happened, and make sure they don't send you a dime." ( I was firm but nice about it) In both cases they waived the fee.

I look at it this way. If at anytime during the booking process, whether you call them direct, do it at a website, or use a travel agent, if the "fee" is disclosed to you so that you knew it before you agreed to the deal, then pay the fee. You agreed to it upfront. However, if it was never disclosed to you in anyway and they surprise you at checkout with a fee, DO NOT PAY!

They are not going to force the issue beyond the front desk.

Good play!

 

[firelaw]

I look at it this way. If at anytime during the booking process, whether you call them direct, do it at a website, or use a travel agent, if the "fee" is disclosed to you so that you knew it before you agreed to the deal, then pay the fee. You agreed to it upfront. However, if it was never disclosed to you in anyway and they surprise you at checkout with a fee, DO NOT PAY!

They are not going to force the issue beyond the front desk.

I only add that the "specific" fee has to be disclosed, including the exact price, prior to incurring an obligation. A general statement that "a fee" might be charged is insufficient to create an obligation to pay.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Don, I have used hotwire a few times for Hotels Then had to change a reservation so that didn't work out in my favor so I quit doing that. I have used them for Rental cars a few times since and have not had any problems other than paying for a day that I didn't use because I left early.

I would not use them for a vacation stay. I work all year for 2 vacation trips and the extra hassle is just not worth the extra $$ to me. I'll check out sidestep but I'm more likely to book with the resort directly.

 

[mike_s]

when I traveled every week for work, I would often get fee's assessed at checkout such as an "service fee" or "energy fee" or something.....

I would refuse to pay them if they were not disclosed on my reservation. I'll just pull out my reservation paperwork and tell them that this was not disclosed at the time of the reservation and the price I was quoted. 99% of the time they would credit the fee.



I can't stand it when you go somewhere and they advertise one rate and then charge additional fees to make up for it. (Car dealerships are famous for it. They'll advertise a $15 oil change fee, only to add a $3 service order fee, $4 shop fee, and $3 environmental fee.)

It just irks me when they try to take advantage of people by adding petty fees.

 

[austin.takahashi]

when I traveled every week for work, I would often get fee's assessed at checkout such as an "service fee" or "energy fee" or something.....

I would refuse to pay them if they were not disclosed on my reservation. I'll just pull out my reservation paperwork and tell them that this was not disclosed at the time of the reservation and the price I was quoted. 99% of the time they would credit the fee.



I can't stand it when you go somewhere and they advertise one rate and then charge additional fees to make up for it. (Car dealerships are famous for it. They'll advertise a $15 oil change fee, only to add a $3 service order fee, $4 shop fee, and $3 environmental fee.)

It just irks me when they try to take advantage of people by adding petty fees.

I just had a few times that this happened but I also did the same thing. Just bring the paperwork to your trip and show them what's written on it. If it wasnt there then they should find no reason not to force you to pay fees that you have not agreed to.

Great advice mike_s

 

[AbyssalPlains]

Another reason to not even go to resorts in the first place. So far, I have never felt the need to stay at a resort to dive anyway.

 

[DandyDon]

Sidestep is not a booking agent, just a very helpful searching sites that will include options to also search Hotwire and others. Honestly I usually uncheck all those, at least on initial searches, as when I have tried them - haven't found anything better than the main search will. This is from their Hotel search page...

Even after skipping all those, Sidestep will often offer a number of choices for booking at a hotel or other selection...

Orbitz seems to be a very common choice with them and being the cynic I am I have to suspect some connection but maybe not; maybe they are solely funded by advertising. I have used Sidestep at times to help me find the best deals on flights that I booked directly with the airline* and cars that I booked directly with the rental firm, but my experience has been that Orbitz and other linked booking firms often offer much better hotel deals as well as packages that may include air & hotel, etc.

Again the cynic here, I suspect all packages of being overpriced marketing gimmicks until they prove to offer more than I can book separately and/or direct. Using an Orbitz discount code of 200entertain on a minimum 7 nights in Mexico tho, one can often book a hotel good enough for me for a private room with flight for less than $100 more than the planet ticket: $70/week hotel with taxes & breakfasts! :cool3: For me and my bud to have separate rooms is super, no snoring competition; for a couple not wanting two rooms, one can apply the $200 discount to a shared room for less dramatic results that may still be good, or book the second person as air only, or air & car with the same $200 discount. That Orbitiz code also applies to the Caribbean and Hawaii, but choices may be limited - still worth checking if one wants to stay in one room for a week.

I am really getting off topic further here, fftopic: but I used that discount to book our week on Coz even tho we are leaving the rooms occupied only by drying gear and clothes one night while we make an overnight run on the mainland. In another case today, a friend asking me about visiting some ruins south of Veracruz Mexico and along with many other suggestions from my experiences and what I have learned here on SB, I pointed out that...

If you wanted to spend a week in the Veracruz area, with maybe one or two nights at the ruins, and you know because of flight times you need to stay close to the airport the night of arrival and maybe the night before leaving....

(1) Book a 7 night air and Veracrus hotel Vacation package thru Sidestep @ $895 including taxes and fees;

(2) connecting to Orbitz where you use 200entertain special discount code to take off $200 a room;

(3) That's air, private room and taxes for only $74 more than air ticket only, depending on days of flights and other choices...!!

(4) Leave the hotel booked and occupied with some of your stuff while you're away for one or two nights, then come back to same room when you get back - also giving her some great suggestions on nice hotels at the ruins.​

Heck, she'd pay more than that booking arrival and departure nights only at a decent hotel near the airport. It often pays to open Sidestep and other sites on several tabs for comparison shopping: air & hotel, air & car, all parts separately, hotel and diving together, etc. and sometimes I have to open an additional Window of multiple tabs, then - when I can't make it all fit just right, call the booking site on their 800 number.

* Airlines are the worst risk in booking direct! It hasn't been that long since I posted a really revealing thread about clearing cookies as you repeatedly shop the same airline for choices to prevent them from raising the fares offered to your IP address for a trip, but that is out of date now! :shocked2: At least some of them are using what really amounts to spyware to see what OS your computer uses, what ISP, what browser, what extensions, etc and and with high probability identify you even without cookies. Sidestep and others are really worth checking for air fares! Even after finding the flights and lowest fares on Sidestep to book directly with the airline, I can clear cookies for that airline and still not duplicate the ticket and price on their site - but can link from Sidestep to that same site for that ticket and price. :silly:

Back to the original topic! The more we utilize these searching and booking sites, the more we can get tricked into additional fees. You really have to watch them as they add the numbers, trying to add an overpriced option or just a previously unmentioned booking fee - but at least most of them are stated. A surprise fee like the original topic would really set me off and I appreciate the info from others above in case it ever happens.