[prharp]

Just stayed a night at a hotel in Orlando. They wanted to charge me an 8% "hotel fee". When I asked them what it was for they could not give me any details. They then said they would not charge me. When I asked, the hotel manager told me that they do not charge this "hotel fee" to their regular customers; only to those customers that book via Hotwire and Priceline. She further said that both these companies instruct the hotel that they must remove certain items from their room rate. One example is internet access -- they normally include this service in their flat room rate for regular customers, however for those booking with hotwire or priceline, they pull the cost out of their room rate and include it later as part of their "hotel fee". The manager told me that she agreed with me that this was a bad practice, but both priceline and hotwire require that she does this. One would think that both Priceline and Hotwire are hurting their reputations by this practice.....they certainly are irritating their customers.

[dahammer]

prharp, on Mar 10 2010, 09:13 PM, said:

Just stayed a night at a hotel in Orlando.

Welcome!

Can you please post the details of your trip including whether you booked via PRICELINE or HOTWIRE, the name of the zone, the name of the hotel, the dates of travel, and the rate? We can then comment on your post.

This information could benefit others seeking similar accomodations.

thanks!

[Will]

I would also email Priceline and inquire if that's legit. Logically services like internet access are fixed costs, not variable based on your room rate. If there not included they should be optional (hence taking them out..) not just added on after.

[Squall]

Yesterday i booked a room at the marriott suites in Garden Grove; and to my surprise......and after reading reviews from various people; i learned that they too offer this resort fee. From how i read it, others make it seemed forced but, from their official website it says:

"Guest Rooms: Wired*

*Wired-for-Business

For a daily rate of 12.95 USD, the following features are available in your guest room:

1. High-speed Internet access
2. Unlimited local phone calls
3. Unlimited long distance calls (within the country), not available in all markets

Prices may vary in a few markets."

So IF i do get charged a fee; does their wording in your guys honest opinions make it seem like it's "optional" or "forced" I mean just because they have a bottle of water available on your room; it doesn't mean you have to drink it...although if u drink it, you will be charged.

[dahammer]

I think this is an optional fee for high speed internet and it includes local and long distance calls. There is a $12 fee for self parking as well.

[Squall]

It better be optional.......and the beauty of me is that i don't drive; so i don't need parking That parking fee is going to pretty much cover my two-three days of transportation)

[keithandmissy]

I have encountered what the OP is talking about. I understand fees that hotels have are not included like a resort fee, internet access fee, parking fee, etc. I understand those and they are quite common at hotels (especially 4-star ones) and it comes with the territory. However, what the OP encountered and I also did at the America's Best Value Inn near Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is another story. When I checked in they tried to charge me about $12 as a Hotwire Customer Fee. This fee put the rate I paid up to the advertised rate that was on their sign outside the hotel.

When we complained to the hotel the manager said that in order to stay in business he had to make up for the fee that Hotwire takes from the booking and that he doesn't get. I tried to explain that that was a cost of doing business but it was like talking to a wall.

I went on to call Hotwire Customer Service and they were very apologetic and called the hotel to find out more details. The hotel told them the same line they told me and Hotwire informed them they could not do that. Since it was peak season and we needed a room, I paid the fee, but Hotwire refunded it in the end. So, outside of the normal fees that hotels charge - for specific services - if the hotel tries to charge you a "customer fee" or whatever, make sure to call customer service as they are not allowed to do that.

[Box]

I agree on the fees you were charged - and also on the internet fees, parking fees etc. Those are fees based on your usage. But I disagree on the resort fee. Priceline has a "resort" category, and so if you are not bidding on that category, it does not make sense to charge you a resort fee. It is a compulsory fee and so hiding that does not make any sense...

[Kade]

If this was booked with HOTWIRE:

It states there may be additional fee's charged by the hotel. The reason they aren't able to provide you with the amounts, let alone include them in the rates, is because we don't have access to the hotels inventory and their prices for things such as Parking, Room Service, and etc are constantly changing. It would be impossible to stay in such communication with the thousands of hotels we service.

[ailidasfang]

I agree on the fees you were charged, and I think those are fees based on your usage

[travelguy2]

Box, on Jul 6 2010, 10:51 PM, said:

I agree on the fees you were charged - and also on the internet fees, parking fees etc. Those are fees based on your usage.

I agree that hotels can charge extra for certain services (internet, parking, etc) and that these are not necessarily included in you room rate. However, what I think is particularly low of the hotel is 1. Giving these services free to regular-rate guests but NOT to Priceline/Hotwire guests, and 2. lying to the guests about it. Not only do Priceline/Hotwire NOT require the hotels to delete services from their rooms, they actually frown upon it. If a standard room includes internet at a particular hotel, then it should include internet regardless of how the guest booked. (Imagine if, taken to the extreme, the hotels decide that "Priceline only requires we give you a room with a bed...so we removed the linens, towels and TV but you can have them back for a $20 charge each.")

Box, on Jul 6 2010, 10:51 PM, said:

But I disagree on the resort fee. Priceline has a "resort" category, and so if you are not bidding on that category, it does not make sense to charge you a resort fee. It is a compulsory fee and so hiding that does not make any sense...

Unfortunately, this is one major complaint some folks have with Priceline. First of all, a hotel does NOT have to be rated "Resort" by Priceline in order to charge a resort fee. In some resorty-type areas (Scottsdale, Orlando, Vegas, etc.) it is not uncommon for 2, 3, and 4 star hotels to also charge resort fees. You can bid on any of those categories and possibly get a hotel with a resort fee. As you said, the fee is mandatory and you cannot avoid it since you do not pick the hotel when you are bidding. Secondly, even if you are bidding in a category where you believe it is unlikely your hotel will charge a resort fee, Priceline can always "upgrade" your bid to a higher category - possibly one where the hotels charge a resort fee. If hotels load low-ball rates onto Priceline and make up the difference with a resort fee, it makes this all the more likely to happen. For example let's say there is a 3* hotel with a $40 Priceline rate that doesn't charge a resort fee. If a 4* hotel offers a $35 Priceline rate but charges a $10 resort fee, you'll likely be "upgraded" to the 4* (since it's got a cheaper priceline rate and is in a higher category) even though you will pay $5/night more for the privilege! Or imagine if there is a resort that loads a $30 rate with a $25 resort fee...same thing only even worse!

Priceline does disclose that the hotels may charge resort fees, but I know a lot of people who feel that their disclosure is not adequate. My best advice is to do your research on the zone, see if some/most hotels charge resort fees, and factor the amount into your bids.

[Bob7]

Travelguy2, you’ve nailed it down exactly. I’m actually looking at Scottsdale AZ hotel data and I’ve found out the resort fees for all the 3 & 4 star and resort hotels there, and guess what, most of the winning bids are at hotels that charge a resort fee, mostly $19-25. This puts a big increase on a $50-70 winning bid. Some posters are putting on their winning bid post what the resort fee is.

I suppose the only recourse for guests is to complain at the hotel about the charge and see if they’re sensitive to bad PR, and/or complain to your credit card company that this fee is above the total on your Priceline receipt. Does anyone have any other ideas on beating the resort fee monster?