Resort fees and destination fees are among the most annoying ”junk” fees you’ll find in the hotel industry. Lots of Marriott-family properties have these, and there are no easy ways to avoid them (in the sense that redeeming points and/or having elite status doesn’t get these waived).
Continue reading: Marriott Bonvoy Member Resort Fee Wi-Fi Replacement Benefit: Did You Know?
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I always ask for a benefit of equal value and utility. I often suggest a $15 food credit or 2 free drinks a day. Usually after a bit of back and forth it happens. Maybe not worth it for a single day, but if you’re staying a week…
If resort fees are required to be included in the advertised total cost of stay (as they are in California, and hopefully in increasing numbers of other places) then I'm fine with whatever they disingenuously throw in there to justify it. Or if they have to provide a "replacement" benefit.
I've had enough of service charges, hidden taxes/fees, mandatory gratuities and healthcare charges, etc. and why these kinds of deceptive practices are allowed to be continued on us all.
It’s been hit and miss for me when requesting a replacement with reactions from “deer in the headlights” to “we don’t do that.” And not that it should matter but I’m lifetime Titanium. Resort fees in general make me want to in any case.
Many of the properties charging a resort or destination fee that includes internet still have the generic wifi landing page for all Marriott properties and list a $14 or $19 daily charge for wifi. That should be the value of whatever replacement they provide. This is actually ripe for a class-action lawsuit because there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands of guests who have not received a replacement benefit. I've long thought this was one of the strongest arguments for any fraud or consumer protection lawsuit against Marriott.
Ironically, Marriott's division that develops and franchises new hotels has owners sign a document saying that guests with certain elite status tiers will waived resort/destination fees. Unfortunately, the loyalty division of Marriott under David Flueck has never implemented this even though it's envisioned as a benefit.
Pre-Covid, I stayed at the Westin Hapuna Beach resort and received a $6 daily reduction in the resort fee. It's worth asking about.
It would be very helpful to know what a non-member would be charged for regular and advanced wi-fi.
Then one could reasonably argue for a benefit in replacement for the value (cost) being replaced.
I've seen some pretty big numbers for high speed which is a Hilton benefit.
In my experience, this is a real uphill battle. Front desk staff have no idea. About a year ago, I was astounded that even the manager made the effort to argue with me that it did not apply, even when I (Lifetime Platinum member) literally quoted the T&C from the Marriott website. He could have just given me a trivial 500 points or something to meet the requirement and I'd have to accept it, since the T&C don't specify what the benefit should be. Then I was surprised to find 6,500 points added to my account, which I suppose was great, but I'm more bothered that there was no communication - he never apologized or told me he was going to compensate me. I'm back in the same city next week, but I don't want to return to that hotel.
I just bring my own wifi. I've never come across a hotel wifi that had worked well.
Pricing regulations are an evil imposition of big gubmint, so pay your fees like a good libertarian and be proud of your freedom.
This joke, LOL.
I tried once and realized it's even worst than fighting for the Elite benefit guarantee cash, which by itself is almost impossible to win.
The only expectation I can get from front desk is an extra toothbrush.
There is a way to avoid resort fees. Don’t stay at the (primarily North American) properties that charge them.
A better idea is to not charge the fee and raise the price by a couple of dollars a night
Was at JW Desert Ridge and they said I could go to the gift shop to pick up my free gift. I went to the gift shop and the lady was like "uhhh, you get 20% off."
With such a good deal, I decided to buy $1,000 worth of sweatshirts from the gift store for only $800!
This is very interesting and I tend to agree the more I think about it.
Does anyone know if The Points of Life or Matthew Clint (maybe misspelled his name) practice this type of law and could weigh in? I would certainly sign on and probably a lot of others. Right now Marriott is as bad as I've ever seen in so many ways
Remember, it's not just elites. Any Bonvoy member is entitled to a replacement benefit. Marriott has more than 250 "beach resorts." There are probably another 200 hotels that charge resort or destination fees. So around 500 hotels. Let's say the average hotel has 150 rooms with an average occupancy of 60%. Let's also say 40% of guests are loyalty program members. If my math is right, you're talking about potentially 6.5 million people.
Uh, sorry, sir, you had a cocktail in the restaurant - which is owned by a different company and therefore does not qualify - and the frappuccino is coded in our system as dessert, not drink, so...