Can This Trip Be Saved? "Nickel-and-Dime" Hotel/Resort Fees
by John Hawks

Question: When my husband and I checked out of our hotel at the end of a recent trip (after staying at the property for about a week), I was amazed at the "nickel-and-dime" fees that showed up on my final bill. The hotel charged us a nickel a minute for calls over an hour -- a tiny fee that added up considerably because it applied to my Internet access time from my laptop! Also, we got hit with $10-a-day "resort fees" and an "energy surcharge" of $2 a day. Do hotels have the legal right to tack on such outrageous extra charges to our bill?

Answer: In the years since 9/11, many hotels that have seen their occupancy rates, and/or their average daily room rates, drop precipitously have tried to balance their books by adding (or paying much closer attention to collecting) sundry charges for everything from daily high-speed Internet access and mini-bar items to local phone calls and last-minute cancellations.

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