Hotel fees continue to bob to the surface
If there’s one thing the hotel industry has learned from the airlines, it’s the obvious fact that hotel fees are important to the bottom line.
“If you think hotels will never stoop to the level of airlines — charging extra for anything that isn’t bolted down — maybe you’ve never heard of easyHotel,” suggests travel commentator Christopher Elliott.
Rooms at the cut-rate European hotel chain are typically about USD$35 a night but fresh towels will cost you. So will watching TV. And maid service? Only at a price.
“Add it all up and your stay costs closer to $50 a night, which is less of a bargain,” Elliott writes.
Charging fees for services that formerly were part of a hotel bill is a development hotels hope their customers will buy.
“What’s next, a fee for a bed?” Elliott asks, adding that this is not a laughable concept.
If someone had suggested two decades ago that airlines would charge for checked bags or soft-drinks, who would have believed it?
Some hotels are now even charging fees for use of their pool.
That kind of logic makes about as much sense as selling an airline seat that doesn’t include a piece of checked luggage. “Which is to say, none (sense) at all,” he says.
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive