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Resort Fees Are Optional

Resort fees now average $45 a night at US hotels. They are legally enforceable, socially mandatory, and in practice — the single most negotiable line item on the entire bill.

What a resort fee actually is

A mandatory daily charge tacked onto your room rate to cover wifi, pool access, gym, and local calls you weren't making anyway. The hotel industry invented them in the late 1990s as a workaround for online travel agency commission structures (commission is calculated on the room rate, not the resort fee, so resort fees let hotels raise prices while paying OTAs less). They have kept growing because nobody has pushed back at scale.

If the same amenities are advertised as "included" at a non-resort hotel, nothing about a resort fee property's actual cost structure justifies charging $45/night on top of the room. It is a margin decision.

Rule #1: Ask at check-in, not check-out

Front-desk clerks have different authority at different points in your stay. At check-in they can waive the fee prospectively — a single adjustment in the system. At check-out they have to reverse a posted charge, which requires a different approval and is harder to get.

When you check in, after the clerk swipes your card and confirms the room, say: "Before I forget — I'd like to opt out of the resort fee. I'm not planning to use the pool, gym, or wifi. Can you remove it from my folio?" You have to phrase it as opting out of something, not asking for a favor.

"I'd like to opt out of the resort fee. I won't be using the amenities it covers. Can you take it off the folio for the full stay?"

Who says yes and who says no

• Luxury-branded independents (Ritz, Four Seasons): Almost always waive on polite request. They want the relationship.
• Marriott and Hyatt brands: Will waive for elite loyalty members on award stays, occasional waiver for others.
• Hilton: Consistent waiver for Diamond members; rigid otherwise.
• Vegas and Orlando: Hardest. Caesars, MGM, Disney properties rarely budge. Vegas has the highest resort fees in the country ($40–$55) and the least flexibility.
• Airbnb and Vrbo: No resort fees, but cleaning fees play the same role and are rarely negotiable.

When the desk says no

If the front-desk clerk will not budge, do not argue. Ask for the manager. If the manager still says no, pay the fee, enjoy your stay, and then dispute the charge with your credit card issuer if you have a colorable argument that the resort fee was not adequately disclosed at booking. Chase, Amex, and Capital One typically side with the cardholder on disclosure-based disputes.

What doesn't work

Do not threaten to leave a bad review at check-in. You lose leverage immediately. Do not lie about why you want it waived ("I'm not staying here for the pool" is fine; "my pool broke" is not). Do not say "other hotels don't charge this" — the clerk knows and doesn't care.

Common questions