A resort fee is a mandatory daily surcharge added to a hotel's base room rate, typically ranging from $20 to more than $100 per night. Hotels collect it to cover amenities such as Wi-Fi, pool access, gym use and in-room bottled water, whether or not guests use those amenities. Also called a destination fee or amenity fee, the charge is almost always non-optional and appears separately from room taxes on your bill.
TL;DR / Key takeaways
A resort fee is a mandatory add-on charge billed per room, per night, on top of the advertised room rate. It is separate from taxes.
Fees commonly range from $20 to over $100 per night and are most prevalent at resort destinations like Hawaii, Las Vegas and Miami Beach, though urban hotels in major U.S. cities increasingly charge them too.
Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt waive resort fees on award stays booked entirely with points. Marriott Bonvoy does not, meaning the fee still applies even when you redeem points.
Since May 12, 2025, an FTC rule requires hotels and booking platforms to display the total price, including resort fees, upfront rather than at checkout.
The best way to sidestep resort fees is to book through a loyalty program that waives them on award stays, or to hold top-tier elite status in a program that waives them on paid stays.
What does a resort fee cover?
Resort fees were originally introduced at large properties with substantial amenity offerings. The intent was to bundle the cost of extras that guests could actually use, rather than fold them into the room rate. In practice, what the fee covers varies widely by property.
Common inclusions are:
- Wi-Fi and in-room internet access
- Pool, hot tub and beach chair access
- Fitness center access
- In-room bottled water and coffee
- Local or domestic phone calls
- Business center access
- Newspaper or streaming service access
At genuine resort properties, the fee can also include more substantive perks: guided kayak tours, paddleboard lessons, cultural classes, resort-wide transportation or daily food and beverage credits. A handful of hotels structure their resort fee so that the credit offsets most or all of the charge, which effectively makes the fee a wash if you use the perks they offer.
How much are resort fees, and how are they charged?
Most properties charge a flat fee per room, per night. Some charge a percentage of the room rate or, less commonly, a per-person fee. The range is wide: some can land around $50 while others can be higher factoring in things like taxes and parking.
| Fee type | How it works | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Flat per-room/per-night | Fixed dollar amount regardless of rate | $45/night at a Las Vegas casino property |
| Percentage of room rate | Fee scales with the nightly rate you pay | 10% of a $200 rate = $20/night |
| Per-person fee | Charged for each guest in the room | $25/night per person, two guests = $50/night |
Historically, resort fees were buried in the booking flow and only revealed at the checkout screen. The FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, which took effect on May 12, 2025, now requires hotels and booking platforms to display the total price, including mandatory fees such as resort and destination charges, prominently and upfront. This marks a significant shift in transparency, though it does not eliminate the fees themselves.
How to avoid or reduce resort fees
There are three reliable strategies for eliminating or reducing what you pay.
- Book an award stay with a program that waives fees. Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt both waive resort fees on stays booked entirely with points or free night certificates. Wyndham Rewards also waives fees on its points-only awards at select properties. Marriott Bonvoy is the notable exception: the program does not waive resort fees on award stays, meaning guests can pay around $30-$50 or more per night even on a redemption. Learn how to avoid paying resort fees.
- Use top-tier elite status. World of Hyatt Globalist members have resort fees waived on eligible paid stays, not just award stays. This is one of the most valuable benefits of holding top-tier status in any hotel program.
- Ask at the front desk. Hotels occasionally waive or reduce resort fees when listed amenities are unavailable during your stay. If the pool is closed, the Wi-Fi is unreliable, or the fitness center is under renovation, it is worth raising the issue at check-in. There is no guarantee, but some guests have had partial or full fees removed in these situations.
| Program | Award Stays | Paid Stays |
|---|---|---|
| Hilton Honors | Waived | Not waived (most tiers) |
| World of Hyatt | Waived | Waived for Globalists |
| Wyndham Rewards | Waived (at select properties) | Not waived |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Not waived | Not waived |
| IHG One Rewards | Not waived | Not waived |
Some premium travel cards include annual resort credits or property credits that can offset resort fees at select hotel brands. Check the current benefits for any card you hold to see whether a resort or hotel credit applies. (Terms apply.)
