Tag: Hotel Fees View All Tags
Tags: Anti-View / Hard Rock Hotels / Hotel Fees / Hotel Hell / → All Tags
The Paradise Tower Paved Paradise and Showed Guests a Parking Garage
You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.
We really hate to do two of the same anti-views in a row but this one from the Hard Rock Hotel's new Paradise Tower is worse than last week's construction eyesore.
A recent guest sent us these photos, which not only show the crap view that some rooms get of the Employee Parking lot but also just how much wear and tear the hotel rooms have suffered--and the hotel just opened on July 31st!
The disappointed guest writes:
I checked into a room at the new Paradise Tower at the Hard Rock yesterday, and found it to be a prefect specimen for your "anti-view" segment. Though I’ve never taken photos of a hotel room before, this one I couldn’t resist.
The room number was 30521. It was supposed to be a "mountain/ city view," but I’d categorize it as an "employee parking lot view," or, "some random guy’s Dodge Ram view." They have draconian policies (like a $100 an hour charge for late check-outs beyond 11AM), and they really don’t keep the place up (the old tower is in shambles).
Frankly, the only reason to even consider staying there is to go to Rehab (their Sunday pool party). Otherwise, the place is ridiculously expensive and has horrible service and food options.
Tags: OpenThread / Hotel Parking / Hotel Fees / → All Tags
What is The Most Outrageous Hotel Parking Fee You've Ever Paid?
We've said it before and we'll say it again--when you shell out lots of moolah for a hotel room, free or cheap parking should be an automatic amenity (we'll take that over sweet-smelling bath products). But we've found that the more expensive the hotel, the more jacked-up the parking fees.
A prime example is the Peninsula New York, where you'll fork over between $925 and $16,000 for a room, but if you want to park your vehicle there, the hotel will tack on an extra $60 for every 24 hours—and that's without any in-and-out privileges. What's worse is that most hotels don't even list their sky-high parking fees on their website, meaning you usually don't know until you pull up that parking will cost you upwards of $35 a night.
So we're taking names and making a list. Here are some other pricey-parking doozies that we've found and that our Twitter followers have shared with us:
Tags: Hotel Taxes / Hotel Fees / Industry News / Oregon Hotels / → All Tags
How to Avoid Hotel Taxes :: Which U.S. Cities Tax You More Than the Rest
These days you can't take a quoted room rate at face value. Before making a decision you must estimate the taxes and fees that will inevitably be added to your bottom line.
With the travel industry struggling, more and more surcharges are sneaking into our bills.
The National Business Travel Association recently conducted a study ranking cities in the United States by hotel and other travel taxes.
Tags: Hotel News / Hotel Booking Sites / Hotel Taxes / Hotel Fees / → All Tags
Online Travel Companies Under Pressure To Pay Up Owed Taxes
We've posted before on how several online travel agencies are in hot water with local municipalities over hotel room taxes and it looks like the tug-of-war will be going on for a while.
Several towns and counties have complained that online travel agencies like Expedia, Hotels.com and Travelocity have pocketed hotel room taxes which rightfully belong to the city or county that the hotel is located in.
You know what those taxes are like. You see them on your check-out bill and it usually is listed as a state or city tax or both. For instance, we just checked out of a hotel in NYC and were docked with a NY state tax, an NYC city tax and an occupancy tax, totaling about $45.
Tags: Pacific Northwest Hotel Guide / Vancouver Hotel Reviews / British Columbia Hotels / Marriott Hotels / Hotel Fees / Pet-Friendly Hotels / → All Tags
Pacific Northwest Hotel Guide :: Marriott Pinnacle Vancouver Has Great Location But Some Fees Apply
HotelChatter contributing editor Tim Leffel is moving around British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, seeing the hotel scene from a family travel perspective. All prices are in Canadian dollars--which currently trade slightly higher than U.S. dollars. Enjoy.
The Marriott Pinnacle Vancouver comes across as your basic high-rise business hotel, but with a gracious staff and a hotel restaurant that gets high marks on its own, this one is a cut above the norm.
You will recognize the furniture and the bedding as it sticks to very bland Marriott look, but the service goes beyond business traveler briskness to help tourists make the most of their time in the city.
Tags: OpenThread / Resort Fees / Hidden Hotel Fees / Hotel Fees / → All Tags
HotelChatter OpenThread :: Who Charges Resort Fees?
Resort Fees are never loved. No one likes ponying up another $20 atop a room rate at check-in. And resort fees are a major buzzkill when you think you've found a room within your budget only to find out that you have to pay an extra $35 a night.
Hotels know that these resort fees suck so they try to trick you by calling it different things like a "Service Charge" or a "Hospitality Fee" or even a "Bellman's Gratuity Fee." But whatever they call it, it still feels like a serious case of nickel and diming.
As we've seen with hotel WiFi, hotel guests don't like to be charged for extra services. We would rather you just roll that into the room rate.
But could there be a silver lining to resort fees?
Some resort fees that we have encountered recently we didn't mind, especially when they covered the cost of valet or self-parking and in certain situations, internet access. Some hotels charge $15 a day for WiFi, while resort fees can be $20 and cover internet, breakfast and parking.
Sure, it's not ideal but if a resort fee saves us from constantly having to pull out our credit card or fumble for single bills to tip the staff, then maybe resort fees can actually make your hotel stay easier. Then again, some resorts charge a fee that doesn't include internet or parking or anything extra that's really of value.
Here we're hoping to create an unofficial list of hotels with resort fees and what you get for those extra dollars a night.
[HotelChatter OpenThreads are a place for readers to get in here and talk about hot stories and issues of the day in an open forum. If you are already a HotelChatter member log in to comment, if not become a member for free and comment away.]
Tags: Hotel Fees / Hidden Hotel Fees / Tips / → All Tags
Hidden Hotel Fees Just Totally Suck
Hotel fees just totally suck. And while the obvious ones are pretty annoying like the charges for WiFi, parking, mini-bar and fitness centers, the hidden ones blow even more. Here's a little round-up of status of hotel fees today.
· Hilton Hotels: If you cancel a room at a Hilton, they will not only charge you the room rate but also occupancy tax. In this case, a guest contested the tax and was refunded. [Consumerist]
· Early Departure Fees: We sometimes forget about this one. If you leave a day before you were supposed to, you will get dinged. Charges start at $50 and go up. [Go California]
· Checked Baggage...in Hotels: We all know that airlines are getting fee-happy but sometimes are starting to charge you $1-$5 for leaving your suitcase with the bellman after that pain-in-the-ass check-out time of 11am and before your 3pm flight. Grrr....[CNN]
· Booking Sites List Fees: Shame on hotels who don't list all of their booking fees online. But third-party booking sites may. [Travel + Leisure]
· A Video Tutorial: Catherine Hamm of the LA Times made this video on how to avoid the hidden fees. [Video Jug]
· Random Fees: We've been keeping track of some other random fees that hotels charge as well. [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotel Hell / Hotel Fees / Hilton Hotels / → All Tags
The Capitol Hilton Hotel in DC Doesn't Want You To Work Out
Because if the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC really wanted you to work out, they wouldn't ask you to cough up $10 to use their fitness center.
This is what happened recently to a hotel guest:
They charged ten dollars for the gym. Is that normal in the States now? The whole place was pretty mouldy to be honest. Unfriendly and inefficient service.
May we add that this was a hotel guest who was staying there and not some schmoe off the street?
Typically we hear of gym fees at big resorts and at the Vegas casino-hotels but for a Hilton in Washington, DC, this sounds pretty silly. And with rooms starting around $300 a night, it's practically a crime to charge guests to stay in shape.
That said, silver, diamond or gold Hilton Honors member get to use the gym gratis.
Been hit with cruel Hotel Gym Fees? Share your sob stories here.
Tags: Tips / Hotel Booking Tips / Hotel Fees / → All Tags
Know Your Hidden Hotel Fees
Fodors has put out a list that we strongly suggest everyone read because it might save you some moolah and the frustration of finding random fees on your bill when you check-out.
The 14 Hidden Hotel Fees includes some charges we knew about (pay-for towels at the pool, business center and fitness center fees, mini-bar charges, etc) and a few we didn't really think about like Groundskeeping and Baggage-Holding, which we do all the time thanks to the crappy early check-out time hotels enforce.
Some of them you can't fight like energy surcharges and resort fees but the hotel should make you well aware of these charges before you book or at least when you check-in.
We also say pay close attention to the Random Incorrect Charges. This happens frequently when we check-out. We get double-billed for a movie or internet access or even room-service.
But most importantly, try to settle these unnecessary charges at check-out if you can. If you leave the hotel without checking your bill and then discover the charges upon returning home, you will have to deal with a hotel's accounting department and they keep Mon-Fri., 9-5 with an hour lunch break type of hours.
Tags: Peter Greenberg / Hidden Hotel Fees / Hotel Fees / Hotel News / → All Tags
Peter Greenberg Calls Out Arizona Hotels For Hidden Fees
As our little brother in travel arms just told you, Peter Greenberg was on NBC's Today Show this morning, calling out a couple Arizona hotels for piling on the "resort fees". The most egregious offender? The Tempe Mission Palms where Peter was subject to a $9.75 "hospitality fee". Guess some hotels feel their guests should pay extra for general hospitality. How lame.
Though Regis Philbin was the main stream media trailblazer in drawing attention to hotels where tips and fees are built into your bill, many times unknowingly, Greenberg did a great job moving the ball forward this morning. The important thing is to call out these hotels by name, so unsuspecting guests can become suspecting guests and get these charges removed from the bill before they even check in, or alternatively, just stay elsewhere. For the hotels, it is important to remember guests don't like feeling bamboozled. Be super up front about whatever fees you are going to charge and then the responsibility accepting such fees swings back to the guest.
We applaud Peter Greenberg for having the guts to call these hotels out by name and presenting the "gotcha" bill on the Today Show for everyone to see.
Have you been a victim of hidden hotel and resort fees? Let us know in the comments below.
Related Stories:
· Hotels in Arizona [HotelChatter]
· Peter Greenberg [HotelChatter]
· Hidden Hotel Fees [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotel Fees / Nantucket Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Make Sure You Really Want to Stay at Jared Coffin House
In a conversation with an FOHC, (Friend of HotelChatter), we listened to them gripe about their search for a Nantucket hotel to visit, just before Memorial Day.
In any case, they settled on the Jared Coffin House. She was able to get a room in Spring price range of $180, but was shocked to see their cancellation policy (shown above.)
Hotel cancellation policies vary from hotel to hotel. Some give you 24 hours, some give you 14 days. We just think the Coffin's policy is a little harsh, especially because they charge you $25 even if you cancel three weeks before your arrival date. Also, if you have to leave early, you have to pay the full amount of days booked. Then again, at least it's not the Ritz-Carlton.
And we're not saying you won't have a good stay here at the Coffin but just make sure you will actually be there when you say you will.
Related Stories:
· Jared Coffin House reservations policy [Jared Coffin House]
· Jared Coffin House reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Ritz Carlton's Ritzy Cancellation Fee [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotel Fees / Manhattan Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
If You're a 'Good Neighbor' You Still Have to Pay a Fee
Last week we let you know about a "Good Neighbor" policy at the Franklin Hotel on the Upper East Side. UES residents are entitled to a 15 percent discount off the hotel's best available rate. We found one for Friday night for $319 but a tipster let us know that the hotel adds on a $12 charge to the room rate.
Here's what he wrote in to us:
if you look closely on their website you will see all their so-called free amenities are not so free after all. They charge a $12 per night service fee on top of your room and tax. That fee is not calculated in your total until check out.
Most likely, that 15 percent off is saving you the hotel fee and some of the crazy New York City taxes. But if you're an out-of-towner, you're forced to pony up the whole shebang.
We're not sure how you feel but we think that hotels who have such added (sometimes called "resort") fees should just lump it into the hotel room rate and spare us all the itemized details.
Let us know how you feel about these types of hotel fees.
Related Stories:
· It Pays to be a 'Good Neighbor' at the Franklin Hotel [HotelChatter]
· Ritz Carlton's Ritzy Cancellation Fee [HotelChatter]
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