You’re in the check-out line at the front desk of your hotel when it hits: something you hadn’t budgeted for. It’s a mandatory Resort Fee, and according to Travel Hawaii LLC some of the islands’ top resorts tack the charge onto your bill at check-out.
Travel Hawaii says some 16 of Hawaii’s leading hotels follow the practice, and that those fees can be as much as $26 per day. Ouch.
This can make for real sticker shock if you don’t figure them into your final bill ahead of time, a task that’s made tougher – says Travel Hawaii – by virtue of the fact that some hoteliers don’t always make those fees readily apparent.
Travel Hawaii client Barbara Gillespie was miffed by the $18.75 Resort Fee her hotel added to the final bill upon checkout: “Given the fact that the hotel charges a fair amount for their rooms to begin with,” says the Toronto resident, “we did feel that the daily resort fee was bit much – especially considering they still charged for such things as beach chairs and snorkeling equipment. We self-parked every day and did not make use of the Internet service in our room. So, to us, the value of that daily fee was just not there.”
Other guests think the fee was fine. Carol Wright of Riverside, CA, is one of them. “We definitely think the Westin’s $20 per day Resort fee was well worth it,” she says.
The real issue, contends Travel Hawaii owner John Lindelow, is information. “Whether a Resort fee is a great value or not, the important things is that clients be clearly informed…before they finalize their hotel booking.”
Next time you book Hawaii, ask ahead of time. Be specific when you talk to the folks at reservations, or when you book through a travel agency. Ask them if there’s a Resort Fee, and if there is, what it covers.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
