{"id":5945,"date":"2026-07-27T14:08:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:08:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/superguideswp.wpcomstaging.com\/?p=5945"},"modified":"2026-07-27T14:08:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:08:48","slug":"what-are-resort-and-destination-fees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.super.com\/guides\/travel\/tips\/what-are-resort-and-destination-fees\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Resort Fees and Destination Fees? A Clear Look at True Hotel Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"What<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Picture this: You\u2019ve finally found the perfect hotel deal for a weekend getaway. The advertised rate is a completely reasonable $189 per night. You click through, enter your details, and excitedly land on the final checkout page, only to see your total jump to $355.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What just happened? You just met the notorious resort fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a resort fee? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A resort fee, also known as a destination fee or amenity fee is a mandatory per-night surcharge added by a hotel on top of the advertised base room rate. This fee typically is to cover services like Wi-Fi, pool access, and fitness center use.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re wondering why your hotel bill suddenly looks like a grocery receipt filled with unexpected line items, you aren’t alone. Uncovering these hidden charges is a major frustration for anyone trying to stick to a travel budget. In this guide, we are going to break down exactly what these fees are, why hotels charge them, how the laws are finally changing, and how you can spot the true total cost of your stay before you ever hand over your credit card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Name Game: Resort Fees, Destination Fees, and Amenity Fees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You might be searching for “what is a destination fee hotel” only to realize your receipt says “facility fee.” Are these all different things?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The short answer is no. Resort fees and destination fees are exactly the same thing in practice. They are just different names that hotels use depending on where they are located and how they want to market the charge to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because a hotel sitting in the middle of a concrete downtown area can’t logically charge you a “resort fee” with a straight face, they simply rebrand the charge. They call it a “destination fee” or an “urban amenity fee.” It is a clever name change designed for the exact same purpose: to show you an attractive, lower price in your initial search results, and then add the real cost of the room right at the last moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a quick breakdown of what hotels call these charges versus what they actually are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What hotels call it<\/strong><\/td>What it actually is<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Resort fee<\/td>Mandatory nightly surcharge at resort properties, on top of the base room rate<\/td><\/tr>
Destination fee<\/td>Same charge, rebranded for city hotels that can’t justify calling it a “resort” fee<\/td><\/tr>
Amenity fee<\/td>Same charge, used when hotels want to emphasize what’s supposedly included (Wi-Fi, gym, pool)<\/td><\/tr>
Facility fee<\/td>Same charge, framing it as access to the building’s infrastructure rather than named amenities<\/td><\/tr>
Urban fee \/ urban amenity fee<\/td>Same charge, used in dense metro markets like NYC and Chicago<\/td><\/tr>
Resort charge<\/td>Identical to a resort fee \u2014 just slightly different wording on the same bill line<\/td><\/tr>
Daily fee<\/td>Generic label some properties use to obscure the nature of the charge entirely<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What Are You Actually Paying For?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you are hit with a mandatory destination fee, it is natural to ask: “What is included in a resort fee?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hotels usually justify these nightly surcharges by claiming they cover a bundle of on-property services and perks. Commonly, a hotel will state that your fee covers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n