Several Hotel Loyalty Programs Exempt Resort Fees One of the easiest methods to avoid a resort fee is to book a room with hotel points. One of the easiest ways to avoid resort fees is to book an award stay. Many hotels will not apply resort fees for stays booked with points. In other words, it never hurts to ask that resort fees be waived, but don't assume that you'll be able to speak or protest to leave them.
By earning elite status with a hotel brand, you can enjoy a variety of benefits that will help you avoid paying resort fees. Having elite status with a hotel can be fantastic, and one of the benefits you can enjoy is waived resort fees. While several lawsuits have come into play to address the issue of resort fees, for now, the responsibility remains on the traveller to search for fares and avoid them if they can. Wyndham Rewards is famous for waiving resort charges during the awards, but Choice Privileges and IHG Rewards Club have made similar announcements.
When it comes to resort rates, the best thing to do is to keep an eye on them so you can budget accordingly. While many brands are decent at prominently revealing resort rates when pricing rooms online, others may be smarter. However, if you select “see total price”, you will finally be able to see the rates of the resort you are looking for and the fact that, with all taxes and fees included, the price of your stay is 60% more than advertised. You can also point out competing hotels that are not charging resort fees (using the handy ResortFeeChecker tool).
The slogan “It never hurts to ask” applies to virtually any scenario, including waiving resort fees. In some cases, a hotel or resort may charge other fees (such as a “service charge”) that are separate from any resort, destination, or facility charges charged by that hotel or resort. If you know you won't be using any of the amenities included with the resort fee, ask the manager to eliminate the fee altogether. There are also other fees charged by some vacation home tenants that can add up to more than resort fees, so read all the fine print.
