Just booked a hotel room for like $99 a night and suddenly I'm paying $150+ when I check out. Sound familiar? Yeah, that's the resort fee trap. So what is resort fee anyway? Basically it's this semi-hidden charge hotels tack on at checkout, sometimes called amenity fees or facility charges. They started popping up around 1997 and honestly they've become one of the most annoying parts of travel.

Here's the thing about what is resort fee - it's supposed to cover amenities you get access to. Back in the day that made sense. But now hotels are charging resort fees for basic stuff like gym access and Wi-Fi that most regular hotels just include for free. The worst part? You can't really opt out. Unlike baggage fees on airlines, there's no way to avoid paying a resort fee if your hotel charges one.

According to analysis from early 2023, the average resort fee across US hotels that charge them was around $42. But that number varies wildly depending on where you're staying. At the DoubleTree on Waikiki Beach, a room listed at $235 ended up being $320 after adding a $49 tax and $35 resort fee. That's a 35% jump from what you initially see. At lower-cost hotels the percentage can get even worse.

Some resort fees are actually worth it though. The Andaz Maui charges $48 but throws in local snacks, free snorkel gear, GoPro rentals, and free lessons in ukulele and paddleboarding. Meanwhile the Excalibur in Vegas charges $35 for gym access, Wi-Fi, and free boarding pass printing - stuff that honestly shouldn't even be a fee.

Want to avoid paying resort fees? Your best bets are booking through hotel loyalty programs like Hilton Honors or World of Hyatt where elite members get them waived. Some travel credit cards also reimburse resort fees as part of their travel credits. You can also try asking at check-in nicely - sometimes hotel staff have authority to waive them, though don't count on it.

Really the easiest move is just picking hotels that don't charge them. Only about 6% of hotels in the US actually charge resort fees, so they're not everywhere. If you're hitting up Hawaii or Vegas though yeah, most places will charge them. But you can find exceptions like the Courtyard by Marriott on Oahu's North Shore that offers all the amenities without the fee. Or honestly, look into vacation rentals like Airbnb instead - they often end up cheaper anyway, especially for longer trips.