A 'resort fee' is a mandatory daily charge that hotels add at check-in for amenities you may never use — Wi-Fi, pool access, gym, newspaper. They're disclosed in fine print and increasingly being challenged as deceptive. BookingOnABudget.com properties don't charge them. Here's what to look out for.
Resort fees started in Las Vegas in the 1990s and have spread globally. The trick is that they're not included in the advertised nightly rate, so a $99/night room becomes $149/night at check-in once a $50 resort fee is added. Booking sites are required to disclose them in 2024+ but they're still buried in fine print, and they're charged whether or not you use the 'resort amenities'.
The US FTC has proposed banning hidden hotel fees outright, calling them deceptive. Several US state attorneys general have sued major chains. EU consumer protection rules already require all-inclusive pricing in advertising — but tourist taxes and 'optional' fees still slip through.
BookingOnABudget.com's pricing rule is simple: the total shown at checkout is the total you pay. No resort fee, no destination fee, no amenity fee, no €0 service fee that becomes €15 at the end. Where local tourist taxes apply (e.g. Greece, Germany, Spain), they're shown as a separate line in the breakdown before you confirm — never sprung on you at check-in.