
Can you legally refuse to pay resort fees? - beatthatflight
https://travel.stackexchange.com/q/153723/101
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musicale
Resort fees currently enable hotels to charge more than their advertised room
rates. It simultaneously gets customers to pay more and reduces travel agency
commissions, which are based on the lower advertised rate rather than the
actual rate.

I'm rather puzzled as to why FTC doesn't mandate that advertised room rates
include all mandatory fees including resort fees.

Failing that, I wonder whether the FTC can place any limits on undisclosed,
mandatory fees that businesses love to add to your bill.

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JohnFen
In my state, resort fees are a tax imposed by the city and state -- a bit like
a sales tax. The business is collecting them on behalf of the city/state, and
don't get to keep them for themselves. The business also doesn't determine how
much the fee is -- that's set by law.

What they are not is a sneaky way for a business to charge more than their
advertised rate as you describe. I don't know how this works in other parts of
the US, but I suspect it's pretty much the same everywhere.

I'm with you that these sorts of taxes should just be rolled into the price
tag, though.

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mrburton
I avoid resort fees in NY by staying in Jersey City. Basically a Resort fee is
how Hotels make extra money by giving you bullshit "perks" that, if you're
like me, you'll never use.

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sharkmerry
I dont think you can refuse these, but I've never tried.

I believe they came about as a result of the Online Travel Agencies (OTAs).
The hotel doesnt have to split any of the resort fee with the OTA, unlike the
the room rate.

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Scoundreller
I understand that restaurants and bars in the tourists area of Niagara Falls
charge this, but if you say you live there, they usually take them off.

