Hotel resort fees explained
A resort fee is a mandatory daily charge that most hotels add on top of the advertised nightly rate. It is not optional, it does not reduce the base room price, and it is almost always disclosed after you have already chosen the property. At US resort hotels, resort fees range from $20 to $75 per night, and in Las Vegas the average is closer to $40 to $50.
This guide explains what resort fees are, where they appear, what they cover, and how to factor them into your real hotel cost before you commit to a booking.
What is a resort fee
A resort fee is a fixed daily charge billed separately from the room rate. Hotels introduced them in the mid-2000s as a way to split the room cost from amenity costs, which let properties advertise a lower headline rate while recovering the same or higher total revenue. The fee is mandatory — you cannot opt out by skipping the pool or gym, and you cannot negotiate it away by calling the front desk (though see the section below on exceptions).
Resort fees go by several names depending on the property:
- Resort fee
- Destination fee (common in city hotels that adopted the practice from Las Vegas)
- Amenity fee
- Facility fee
- Urban fee or city fee
Whatever the name, the structure is the same: a fixed dollar amount per night, charged in addition to the base rate and taxes.
Why resort fees matter
Resort fees matter because they materially change the real cost of a stay and are frequently disclosed too late in the booking process for travelers to compare prices accurately.
The math is straightforward. A hotel advertising $149/night with a $45/night resort fee in Las Vegas costs $194 per night in room costs alone before tax. A hotel advertising $179/night with no resort fee costs $179. The first looks $30 cheaper per night; it is actually $15 more expensive. Multiply that over three nights and the difference is $45.
| Destination type | Typical resort fee range |
|---|---|
| Las Vegas strip hotels | $35–$55/night |
| Miami beach resorts | $25–$45/night |
| Hawaii resort properties | $30–$65/night |
| Orlando theme park hotels | $20–$40/night |
| City hotels (NYC, DC, Chicago) | $15–$35/night |
| Standard city hotels (non-resort) | $0–$20/night |
Are resort fees optional
At most properties, no. The fee is mandatory regardless of whether you use the amenities it supposedly covers. If the hotel's policy includes a resort fee, you pay it.
There are three situations where travelers have successfully had resort fees waived or reduced:
Booking direct and asking: When booking directly with the hotel rather than through a third-party site, some properties will waive the resort fee for guests who ask at check-in, particularly during low-occupancy periods. This is not guaranteed and works more often at independently owned properties than at large chain hotels.
Elite loyalty status: Members with high-tier status in a hotel chain's loyalty program sometimes receive resort fee waivers as a benefit. This applies at specific chains and specific tiers — check the program terms before assuming it applies to you.
Billing errors: Resort fees occasionally appear on the final bill even after being verbally waived. Review your checkout statement line by line before you leave the property.
Outside these situations, assume the resort fee is a fixed cost of the stay.
Where resort fees usually appear
On most booking sites, resort fees are disclosed somewhere in the booking flow — but not always at the point where you are comparing prices. The most common disclosure points are:
- A small note on the hotel detail page, often below the fold
- A line item on the rate breakdown screen, after you select the room type
- A separate line on the checkout confirmation page labeled "collect at property" or "due at hotel"
- The hotel's own policy text, linked rather than displayed
What is rarer: resort fees shown in the search results alongside the nightly rate, at the first point of comparison. On Travorro, mandatory fees are included in the total shown in search results, so the number you compare is the number you pay.
How resort fees change the real price
The practical effect of a resort fee is to create a gap between the advertised rate and the real rate. That gap grows with the length of stay.
A $40/night resort fee on a 2-night stay adds $80 to the cost. On a 5-night stay, it adds $200. Over a week, $280. At that scale, a hotel with a $30/night lower base rate and a $40/night resort fee is not a bargain — it is $70 more expensive over seven nights than the hotel with the higher headline rate and no fee.
The only way to catch this is to compare the total cost including resort fees, not the per-night rate. The formula is: (base rate + resort fee) x number of nights + taxes.
Search hotels on Travorro and check the full price before you commit. The total shown includes taxes and mandatory fees, so you can compare properties on equal terms. Search hotels on Travorro.
Resort fee checklist
- Before choosing a hotel, scroll to the fee breakdown section on the hotel detail page
- Look for the words "resort fee," "destination fee," "amenity fee," or "collect at property"
- Multiply the daily fee by your number of nights to get the full fee total for the stay
- Add that amount to the room subtotal plus taxes for the real stay cost
- Compare the resulting total across candidate hotels, not the nightly rate
- If booking direct, ask at check-in whether the fee can be waived — worth trying once
- Check your checkout statement before leaving to confirm no fee was added without disclosure
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a resort fee pay for?
Officially, resort fees cover amenities like pool access, gym use, in-room Wi-Fi, local phone calls, and bottled water. In practice, most of these are standard hospitality inclusions that guests would expect regardless of a separate fee. The fee exists primarily as a pricing mechanism, not because these amenities have a separate cost that needs recovering.
Can I get a resort fee refunded if I did not use any amenities?
Rarely. The fee is mandatory whether or not you use the pool, gym, or any other named benefit. Some properties have made exceptions for guests who raised a formal complaint, but this is not a reliable strategy. The best approach is to factor the fee into your booking decision before you arrive.
Do all hotels charge resort fees?
No. Resort fees are most common at hotels that explicitly market themselves as resorts, at Las Vegas strip properties, and at beach and golf properties in Florida, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. Standard city business hotels often have no resort fee, and budget properties rarely charge them. The fee is concentrated in the mid-range to luxury leisure segment.
Are resort fees taxed?
In many US states and cities, yes. Resort fees are subject to the same occupancy taxes as the room rate, which means the tax is calculated on the combined room rate plus resort fee, not just the room rate. This further increases the effective total.
Is a destination fee the same as a resort fee?
Functionally yes. Destination fees are resort fees by another name, adopted by city hotels that wanted the revenue benefit without the "resort" label. The mechanics, the mandatory nature, and the effect on your total cost are the same.
Related guides
- Hotel total price guide — how to compare the real cost before booking
- Hidden hotel fees checklist — what to look for before you book
- Pay at property fees — what the booking does not tell you
- Hotel booking without hidden fees — full 2026 guide
Search hotels on Travorro and check the full price before you commit: Compare hotels now
About the Author
This article was written by our team of travorro team, professionals with extensive experience in the travel industry and deep knowledge of booking platforms, security practices, and travel optimization strategies.
About this article: Written by the Travorro team using real booking data, platform insights, and current travel industry trends. Last updated May 2026.