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PRESIDENT BIDEN’S State of the Union speech this month touched a nerve when he mentioned “junk fees.” Talking about hotel costs, he said, “Those fees can cost you up to $90 a night at hotels that aren’t even resorts.”
I was reminded of the first time we were hit with a resort fee. It was at a Marriott hotel in New York City. A bicycle was part of the “resort” package. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t see myself—as a tourist—riding a bicycle down Fifth Avenue.
To make matters worse, wi-fi was also a part of the fee. Really? That’s included in our hotel loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Membership. So now we’re paying for something we get for free?
A newsletter from The Points Guy came to my rescue. It recently ran an article about Marriott’s fees and how they can be avoided. It’s right in the hotel’s terms and conditions, which can be found at the bottom of Marriott’s website. This is something we all check, right?
The internet access terms and conditions are in section 1.3. c.ii, which states, “Participating properties with mandatory resort charges, which include internet access, will provide a replacement benefit, to be determined at each participating property’s discretion.”
Translation: Marriott locations that participate in the loyalty program aren’t supposed to charge for something you’re entitled to get for free. They can waive the resort fee or offer you a freebie, such as a $25 daily credit for food and drink.
The article warned not to expect the hotel to roll over and play dead. It found some properties were very forthcoming and even comped the entire resort fee. Other properties acted like they were being nickeled and dimed. The best course of action is to contact Marriott Bonvoy by phone and make arrangements for the phone rep to coordinate with the property, so the issue can be handled before you arrive.
That brings me to another recent, irritating experience. Earlier this month, we wanted to change a hotel reservation. The reservation is for a two-week stay at the Hampton Inn, a part of the Hilton chain. We wanted to cancel the first two or three nights to stay with friends nearby. The cancellation was within corporate policy.
When I called, I was told that not only would I have to cancel the entire reservation, but also the room we’d chosen would then be unavailable upon rebooking, and we would be paying $150 more per night for a lesser room for the remaining time.
My husband suggested we cancel days from the end of our stay instead. It’s a good thing we checked the fine print on the reservation. It warned that if we planned to depart early, the price would be subject to change.
In my conversation with Hilton Hotels, I mentioned our disappointment with this cancellation policy. It’s been two weeks, and I assume Hilton doesn’t plan to respond. It would seem the hotel has adopted the playbook used by cable companies—ignore the customer.
Resort fees & show/concert “service” fees totaling 25-50% + of ticket price are pet peeves. Everyone complains, but I vote with my wallet. So far I’ve been able to avoid them all. I find hotel alternatives equally as good or in case of shows/events, I just skip it. There is no performer or play that important to me. Refuse to pay ripoff fees.
But I will say every hotel I’ve booked the past 4-5 years will gladly change, add or remove days from a reservation but won’t honor the original lower rate/deal. That seems like something that has changed across the board…at least from my experience.
Caveat emptor
If a hotel wants my return business, I expect them to be watching out for my interests as well as their own.
No question there are plenty of sneaky fees tucked into hotel bills and other private transactions. Though, it seemed ironic that mention of “junk fees” in the State of the Union speech omits mentioning fees that are pilfered from everyday bills by various government entities. All you need to do is check out a phone bill or airline ticket, and you’ll find lots of examples of junk fees.
How is a phone company or an airline a “government entity”?
They are collectors/conduits for the government entities.
Sonja, thanks for this. Maybe one of the contacts here will help: Hilton Hotels and Resorts – Elliott Report
When all else fails, I’ve had good luck with an email to the CEO. They all have a bunch of “executive office” staff who can really help you.
The trick can be finding the CEO’s email address. Sometimes you can find them here: CEO E-mail addresses for Chief Executives of US Companies for contact to resolve escalated customer service issues (ceoemail.com)
or here: Company Contacts – Elliott Report
Also, a web search will usually yield the email template for that company, and you just have to insert the CEO’s name. Sometimes that means trying several variations, e.g., Robert.Smith@ABCCorp.com; Bob.Smith@ABCCorp.com, etc.
Good luck and keep pushing!
Based on a sample of one, the CEO list is woefully outdated. I looked up the company that I spent my career working for, now retired. The listed CEO also retired — about 10 years ago. The useful info however is that you can see the company’s format for email addresses.
CEOs do not relish relating with the peasants that pay their generous salaries, bonuses and perks, but rest assured they will provide easy access to their “stakeholder” peers at Black Rock, Vanguard, Goldman Sachs, etc. These are no longer grandpa’s corporations…just the way it is, and sadly it sets the tone for the entire corporation.
P.S.: I didn’t scroll down far enough on that first link: Hilton Hotels and Resorts – Elliott Report It lists several possible email addresses—and phone numbers—for the Hilton CEO.
Wow, what an eye opener in the hotel industry. Everybody, not just hotels, has their hands in your pocket and they prey that you’ll overlook a hard-to-find policy. Thanks for sharing this shameful practice.
Thanks Sonja. I’m a Marriott Titanium member, but I was not aware of all these fees. I’ll have to keep my eyes open.
Thanks for the “warning” Sonja. It’s another example of how customer service is all but gone!