resort fee increase

I understand the sentiment regarding resort fees and have ever since Stations started their $3 surcharge way back when. On the other hand hotels have to make money to stay in business. I've never seen anything written by any present or former hotel people about this. I would be curious to hear their side. I feel we too often justify pricing in our own industry and turn a blind eye to others. I think hotels would do themselves a favor to list it along with taxes when you book instead of putting a notation down at the bottom of the booking window. The other option would be to show an inclusive price, but then people complain about rates being raised! I can't see hotels coming out on this.

Good Luck!
Ric at Joes

Was it the same for #2?

The Scotsman's lament:

Here I sit, broken hearted.
Paid to sh$t, but only farted.

the hotels have to make a profit, I get that. but why play games with pricing that just insults people? and yes, I can add room rate + resort fee, but I would rather they just list the total price before tax. they way they do it now it is the equivalent of posting teaser rates just to suck someone in.

vegasdev - You are exactly correct - not only are "resort" fees a ripoff, they are underhandedly posted and administered.

I have worked in marketing before, and I would always protest when someone would propose gimmicks, trickery, and tomfoolery, -- because I know how much it annoys me as a consumer. no need to beat a dead horse I suppose, I know the subject of resort fees has been covered well. I was just noting the increase because I had not noticed it posted in here prior. im beginning to think that some people enjoy paying the resort fee.

This stuff gets so frustrating.It seems that between the airlines and their added on fees and the hotel resort fees,they are trying to push customers away.Keep it up and the customers will eventually revolt.

The game is simple. When you go onto Hotels.com (or anything else similar) you can sort by price. The resort fee doesn't figure into the base price that is being sorted - so lowering your room rate and increasing your resort fee moves you up higher on the list. Its the same thinking companies use in the Yellow Pages when they call themselves "AAA Plumbing" - it puts them at the top of the alphabetically sorted list.

I dont think the ultimate room rates have really increased much over time - they just keep reducing the base rate while increasing the resort fee.