What is a resort fee?

A mandatory daily charge set by the hotel, presented as covering amenities such as wifi, pool and gym access. It is most common in the United States. It is objectionable mainly because it has historically been excluded from the advertised rate, though US rules effective from 2025 require mandatory fees to be included in the displayed total price.

Can I refuse to pay a resort fee?

Generally no, if it was disclosed before you booked and the jurisdiction permits it. You have a genuine case if it was not disclosed at booking, if it covers a facility that was closed for your whole stay, or if it double-charges something billed separately.

Why is the cleaning fee so high on a villa?

Because it is charged once per stay rather than per night. On a two-night booking it can dominate the total; across two weeks it is marginal. Divide it by your nights before comparing a rental to a hotel.

Is a security deposit a fee?

No. It is a temporary hold on your card that reduces your available balance and is released after check-out. It is not money taken from you, though it can take several working days to disappear from your statement.

Hotel fees explained: resort fees, city tax and service charges

A guide to every line that can appear between the rate you saw and the total you pay — and which ones you can refuse.

The nightly rate is not the price. Between the number you saw in search results and the number that leaves your account there can be five or six additional lines, some charged at booking, some at check-out, some in cash at the desk. Here is what each one is.

Taxes charged by government

VAT / sales tax / GST. A percentage set by national law, applied to the room and usually to food and beverage separately. In most of Europe, quoted prices to consumers must legally include VAT. In the United States, quoted rates almost never include tax, which is why a $200 room routinely becomes $240.

City tax / tourist tax / occupancy tax. A per-person, per-night charge levied by a city or region, typically a small fixed amount and often stepped by the hotel's star rating. Common across European cities and increasingly elsewhere. It is frequently excluded from the online price and collected at the property, sometimes in cash. This is legitimate and not a scam, but it does surprise people.

You cannot refuse these. They are statutory.

Charges set by the hotel

Service charge. A fixed percentage, commonly 10%, added to the bill and — in principle — distributed to staff. In several markets it is effectively mandatory and appears on every bill. Where a service charge is applied, additional tipping is not expected.

Resort fee / facility fee / destination fee / amenity fee. A mandatory daily charge, presented as covering wifi, pool access, gym, local calls, a newspaper. This is the one people object to, correctly: it is a mandatory charge excluded from the advertised rate, which makes the advertised rate misleading. It is most common in the United States, particularly Las Vegas, Florida and Hawaii, and is spreading.

Regulatory pressure here is real and moving. US federal rules requiring the total price including mandatory fees to be shown up front took effect in 2025, and several states legislated ahead of that. Where those rules apply, the mandatory fee must be in the displayed price. Where they do not, it still will not be.

Cleaning fee. Standard on vacation rentals, villas and apartments; unusual on hotels. It is a one-off per stay, not per night, which means it weighs very heavily on a two-night stay and barely at all on a two-week one. A villa that looks expensive for a weekend often looks reasonable for a fortnight for exactly this reason.

Early check-in / late check-out fees. Charged when granted outside the standard window. Frequently waived. See our guide on how to ask.

Parking, wifi, breakfast, pets, extra bed, safe. All legitimately chargeable, all should be disclosed before you book. "Resort fee includes wifi" plus a separate wifi charge is double-billing and should be challenged.

Charges that are not really charges

The security deposit / pre-authorisation. Not a fee. It is a hold placed on your card, released after check-out. It reduces your available balance without taking your money. It is the single most misunderstood item on any hotel bill, and we have written about it separately.

Which ones you can actually refuse

Very few, honestly — but the ones you can matter.

Anything not disclosed before you booked. If a mandatory fee was not shown at the point of booking, you have a real argument, and in a growing number of jurisdictions a legal one. Ask for it in writing at booking time and keep the confirmation.
A fee for a service that does not exist or is closed. A resort fee covering a pool that is out of service for your entire stay is a reasonable thing to dispute at check-out. Raise it at the desk, calmly, before you pay.
Double-charged items. A resort fee that lists wifi plus a separate wifi line.

What you generally cannot refuse: statutory taxes, disclosed mandatory service charges, and a disclosed resort fee at a property in a jurisdiction that still permits them. Disputing these at check-out will not succeed, and the time to have avoided them was at booking.

The practical method

Take the booking to the final confirmation screen — the one showing the total payable — before deciding. Do not compare search-results prices.
Look specifically for the phrase "payable at property" or "not included". That is where the city tax and the resort fee hide.
Screenshot the total. If the bill at check-out differs, you have the evidence, and in practice showing it resolves the matter immediately.
For rentals, mentally divide the cleaning fee by your number of nights before comparing to a hotel.

Resort fees, city tax and service charges: what you will actually be charged