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Last month I booked cheap flights(r/t $200) to MCO(12/17 - 12/25).
I'm so glad I chose to fly back on Xmas. My motivation to fly on Xmas was purely for the lowest airfare. Accidentally, I just discovered that hotel prices start to rise dramatically after Xmas, it's not unusual to see some popular hotels to raise the price by 50% or more. Okay, this is probably common sense for many of you, but I wasn't really aware of the dramatic price fluctuation before.
Florida isn't cheap in the winter. But what irritates me most is the resort fee and sometimes parking fee. I do understand that the only thing matters is the final total price, not how the price breaks down. But advertising a lower rate to lure tourists and mentioning a hefty(from 25 to 40 per night) resort fee just before confirming booking is a shady business practice. I'm constantly forced to do the number crunching when I compare prices.
The real hidden fee is parking. They won't mention it when you finalize the booking. I thought Orlando, a city middle of nowhere, shouldn't be more expensive than Dallas. I was wrong. Most decent hotels charge you parking fee and it's not cheap. For instance, Hyatt Regency Orlando charges $25 + tax per night for self-parking. Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek charges around the same for parking on top of the already expensive $40 resort fee. Basically, you need to add $67 to their advertised nightly rate.
The only way to get around the hassle is to downgrade to Hyatt Place, Hampton Inn or the likes.
They charge it because people will pay it, it works like that everywhere. Plus, there are often heavy taxes on the hospitality industry because it means the local municipality can hold the line more on its constituents, as hospitality caters to out-of-towners.
Most places have a “season”. Off season is in the summer months. Winter has the nicest weather in Florida so that is the high season for most tourists. Most families and budget conscious people usually come in the summer.
People from colder climates travel to Florida in the winter to escape the cold, so of course prices will reflect that, you make hay while the sun shines, so to speak. Same principle up here, you can't touch a decent hotel in any of the resort or beach towns in Michigan for under $200-250/night during the peak summer months when the weather is gorgeous.
The resort fee isn't just in Florida either, I had to pay an upcharge of $25/night at the Omni in Hilton Head in late February, it was considered a "resort fee", even though a lot of the amenities were unusable due to the daily temperature being in the low 50s. Ridiculous, but what can you do?
Parking in any large, congested city with limited parking will be expensive and hotels will rack you for it. We have had the same experience in cities like Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, NYC, and Atlanta. Again, what can you do? They have something that you have to have and they are going to charge you dearly for it. I have been to Orlando to visit extended family several times during the winter months and it is a congested mess. Who wouldn't try to take advantage of the lack of space as compared to the number of people, same as anywhere.
I hate the practice of showing a "rate" then having all the fees and taxes tallied at checkout, but this is the norm. The hotel industry should be mandated to adopt the all madatory fees/taxes included in pricing, like the airlines.
That said, most majors have the resort fees and parking fees mentioned on their websites, though you have to dig to detailed info to find it sometimes. Of course you do have the option to cancel at checkout once you see the total fees.
I think we all can agree that taxes and fees should be included, as all mandatory and really just reasonable items should be compared equally. However items like parking wouldn't work so well...that would be like requiring airline pricing to always show cost for one carryon and one checked bag. Not everyone needs it so it's best to let those that do figure out the additional cost.
The only way to get around the hassle is to downgrade to Hyatt Place, Hampton Inn or the likes.
So the only way to get out of paying a resort fee, which is meant to cover increased amenities, is to stay at a hotel which pretty much has the same bed but less amenities?
Do you need the extra amenities? If so, you gotta pay for them.
Last month I booked cheap flights(r/t $200) to MCO(12/17 - 12/25).
I'm so glad I chose to fly back on Xmas. My motivation to fly on Xmas was purely for the lowest airfare. Accidentally, I just discovered that hotel prices start to rise dramatically after Xmas, it's not unusual to see some popular hotels to raise the price by 50% or more. Okay, this is probably common sense for many of you, but I wasn't really aware of the dramatic price fluctuation before.
Florida isn't cheap in the winter. But what irritates me most is the resort fee and sometimes parking fee. I do understand that the only thing matters is the final total price, not how the price breaks down. But advertising a lower rate to lure tourists and mentioning a hefty(from 25 to 40 per night) resort fee just before confirming booking is a shady business practice. I'm constantly forced to do the number crunching when I compare prices.
The real hidden fee is parking. They won't mention it when you finalize the booking. I thought Orlando, a city middle of nowhere, shouldn't be more expensive than Dallas. I was wrong. Most decent hotels charge you parking fee and it's not cheap. For instance, Hyatt Regency Orlando charges $25 + tax per night for self-parking. Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek charges around the same for parking on top of the already expensive $40 resort fee. Basically, you need to add $67 to their advertised nightly rate.
The only way to get around the hassle is to downgrade to Hyatt Place, Hampton Inn or the likes.
I live here, if you want to play, you have to pay. There are cheaper places to visit, but people still love coming here enough to pay the price.
So the only way to get out of paying a resort fee, which is meant to cover increased amenities, is to stay at a hotel which pretty much has the same bed but less amenities?
Do you need the extra amenities? If so, you gotta pay for them.
They won't refund the resort fee even if I, like probably the majority of guests, do not use any amenity.
There are plenty of things to do in Florida from theme parks to swimming with manatees to keep me occupied.
So the only way to get out of paying a resort fee, which is meant to cover increased amenities, is to stay at a hotel which pretty much has the same bed but less amenities?
Do you need the extra amenities? If so, you gotta pay for them.
I'm a little bit picky about the mattress and linens. I haven't found a hotel with Westin beds and Hampton Inn amenities. Last time I tried Doubletree, I barely slept on the worn out mattress.
Maybe I should try camping, so I have full control of my bed.
Actually, non-resort style 4-star hotels fit the bill. For instance, I stay in a nice Westin hotel in Plano everytime I need to visit Dallas(The Westin Stonebriar Hotel & Golf Club). The pool is tiny, the gym is, well, I don't really know since I never use it. Parking is free and of course no resort fee.
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