Hotel Guests Regularly Socked with Extra Fees
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Just when you were getting used to the idea of the airlines charging you extra for things that used to be included in the price of a ticket comes a report about the U.S. hotel industry that is bound to raise more hackles.
NYU professor Bjorn Hanson says that hotels managed to collect over $2 billion from fees and surcharges alone in 2013 and this year they’ll make an even bigger profit.
Hotel guests are regularly socked with resort or amenity fees, early departure fees and early reservation cancellation fees.
In some instances, guests pay for the safe in their rooms that they don’t even use. And of course, there’s the added cost of restocking the minibar.
Just like the airline industry, hotels seem reluctant to raise their prices to reflect market value, which Hanson said would actually eliminate the need for fees.
However, customers seem more willing to put up with the surcharges than pay a little extra for a room even if it costs them more money in the long run.
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