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Hotel resort fees started as a way for resorts to charge for extras they provide beyond those of a regular city hotel: beach chairs, pool towels, and the like. Now the resort fee is rebranded as a destination fee when it’s a city property, and just about every hotel is charging it. What is a resort fee, and is there any way to avoid paying it?
What is a Resort Fee?
Hotels call it a fee to offer extra amenities; I call it a scam. Potato, potahto. At many properties, the benefits include wifi, access to the gym, and two bottles of water per day. I bet hotels offered the water for free before they introduced the fee, and which hotel is seriously charging for wifi in 2026?
Some properties will offer decent perks like museum tickets and laundry credits, but the value is still questionable, given you’re paying inflated hotel laundry prices and likely not visiting the museum every day.
The Grand Wailea Maui’s resort fee at least includes “daily cultural activities”
Note that a resort fee is separate from destination marketing fees, which you can sometimes opt out of.
Why Do Hotels Charge Resort Fees?
Hotels originally introduced resort and destination fees to appear cheaper than competitors in online searches, since they only add those fees at the final checkout page. However, all hotels are doing it, so the cheapest-looking hotel is usually still the cheapest, even if the price is higher on the final screen. Then, brands started including the destination fees in the original price as a “customer-friendly feature”. I guess showing it in the base price is better than not if hotels are charging it anyway, but the real customer-friendly move would be to scrap it entirely and include all this nonsense in the base fare.
I believe the main reason hotels charge resort/destination fees separately is to avoid paying travel agents and online travel agencies. How commission works is it’s a fixed percentage, but only on the base fare of the room. The idea is that hotels shouldn’t be paying commission on government taxes or a guest’s food & beverage charges, which is fair enough. But what about resort/destination fees and mandatory service charges?
The resort/destination fee can make up a significant chunk of the nightly fee, and it’s pure profit for the hotel.
How to Avoid Paying Resort Fees
In 2026, avoiding the resort fee is harder than ever before. Back in 2020 or earlier, I’d often ask the front desk to waive the fee, and quite a few times, they did. Nowadays, hotel staff almost always insist the fee is mandatory and refuse to waive it. Although at the JW Marriott New Orleans last November, they erased one (of three) nights’ fee as a courtesy when I asked.
Use Points
Hilton and Hyatt both waive resort fees when staying on points. This is the easiest and cleanest way to avoid the resort fee. For example, the Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort in Maui, charges $55/night, which is waived when paying with Hilton Honors points. If you redeem points for a 5-night stay, you get both the 5th night free benefit as well as $275 of resort fees waived, plus any taxes charged on the resort fee.
Unfortunately, Marriott does not offer this benefit so be on the lookout even when paying with points. This might be an annoying $25/night fee, or it could be a $175/night fee that you’re on the hook for.
“I love paying a $175 USD resort fee,” said no one ever…
Use Your Elite Status
Hyatt Globalist members don’t pay resort fees even on cash stays. This is a significant benefit Hyatt has over other loyalty programs.
If you have status with MGM or Caesars Rewards, resort fees will be waived on your Las Vegas stays. For Las Vegas in particular, the resort fee could be twice the nightly rate.
Ask Staff Kindly
Even if it’s not an official benefit, try asking to have your resort fees waived. Mention you’re a Marriott Platinum/Titanium member and your loyalty to the chain. You might think everyone is Platinum these days, but it’s worth a try.
Say that you don’t need bottled water, and you already have free wifi with your status. If the hotel closes the pool, make sure to mention that. Obviously, none of this guarantees success, and you may need some social engineering.
Takeaway
Resort fees are charged to make hotels appear cheaper in online searches. That benefit is not as prominent now, with many platforms now touting “transparent pricing”. However, the other reason is that hotels avoid paying commissions to travel agents or online travel agencies on the resort fee, which should really be part of the base fare. In many cases, resort fees feel more like a cash grab than a reflection of actual added value.
The obvious way to avoid resort fees is to book a hotel that doesn’t charge them. That’s harder now, as more and more properties charge these fees. You can still avoid them by booking Hyatt and Hilton stays with points, and Hyatt Globalist members skip resort fees even on cash stays. It also never hurts to ask the hotel to waive the fee.
