8 Cities Where Visitors Are Hit With Unexpected Resort Fees

Resort fees rarely feel like part of the vacation mood, which is why they sting when they appear. In many popular cities, hotels add a mandatory daily charge on top of the room rate, often labeled as an amenity or destination fee. It may bundle Wi-Fi, pool access, gym entry, or a small credit, but it still changes the real nightly cost. These fees show up often enough to reshape budgets, especially on short stays. Knowing where they’re common keeps planning calm and expectations clean.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas hotels love a low headline rate, then add a mandatory resort fee that changes the math. Charged nightly, it often covers Wi-Fi, gym entry, pool access, and local calls whether anyone uses them or not. On the Strip, the fee can sit close to the room price on a discounted night, so a bargain midweek stay stops looking like one. Some properties add small extras like printing or streaming, but the charge still lands every night, and it is taxed too. The clean way to compare options is to sort by the all-in total, not the base rate. That single detail can change which hotel is actually the better deal.

Honolulu, Hawai‘i

Honolulu, especially Waik?k?, is full of hotels that attach a resort or amenity fee even when the building is not a classic resort. The bundle usually includes Wi-Fi, beach towels, chairs, fitness access, and sometimes a small credit, but it is still mandatory. Many travelers miss it because it is separated from the room rate until the final screens, where it suddenly inflates the nightly cost. Parking can be expensive as well, so the combined add-ons can rival the room discount. Reading the fee line before booking keeps the budget honest and avoids a surprise at checkout. In Waik?k?, that clarity matters as much as the ocean view.

Orlando, Florida

Orlando’s hotel scene runs on perks, and resort fees are the common wrapper that makes them look free. A property may advertise park shuttles, pools, bottled water, Wi-Fi, and a gym, then bill a daily resort fee to cover it all. The catch is timing: the fee applies even on days spent entirely inside the parks, when the extras never get used. During school breaks, that daily charge can push a budget stay into a different bracket over a week. Smart comparisons start with the total per night, plus taxes, not the tempting first number. Families feel it most, because every night multiplies the add-on.

Miami Beach, Florida

Miami Beach looks simple on a booking page until a daily resort fee appears as a separate line item. Hotels tie it to Wi-Fi, beach towels, loungers, and fitness access, and it can show up even at smaller boutique properties. Because many trips are short, the fee feels larger compared with a discounted room rate, and taxes can lift it again. Add valet parking and the bill can jump by a surprising amount before the first beach walk. The practical move is to compare hotels by the full nightly total and only pay for perks that match the plan. A quick weekend can end up paying three nights of fees in spirit.

New York City, New York

New York City often calls it a destination fee, but the effect is the same as a resort fee with a city label. Hotels add a mandatory daily charge and bundle Wi-Fi, gym access, and a credit for food, drinks, or local partners. Visitors expect high prices, yet still get caught because the fee sits outside the advertised rate and stacks quickly over several nights. The credit can also be awkward if it must be used each day at the hotel, not saved for later when plans run long. Checking the fee rules before booking prevents the classic why is my total higher moment. In a city priced by the day, small add-ons add up fast.

San Diego, California

San Diego mixes beach energy with convention demand, and many downtown hotels add a destination fee that feels sudden. It is justified with premium internet, bike rentals, a daily credit, or access to partner services, and it applies whether or not any of it gets used. For travelers focused on the zoo, the harbor, or Coronado, the charge can read like paying for a hotel schedule that never happened. Some properties make the fee easier to swallow by offering a real credit that offsets food or parking. The key is to confirm what the fee buys, then decide if the total still fits the trip. If the fee is vague, the value usually is too.

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans hotels near the French Quarter sometimes add a daily destination fee that surprises first-timers. The bundle may include a welcome drink, a small dining credit, Wi-Fi, or local discounts, but the charge is mandatory and usually taxed. In a city where most hours are spent outside in music blocks and historic streets, those extras can feel minor compared with the added cost. The fee also tends to appear late in the booking flow, which makes it feel like a trap even when it is disclosed. Reading the policy page, and comparing all-in totals, keeps the focus on the city instead of the bill.

San Francisco, California

San Francisco totals can climb fast because the city stacks hotel taxes and assessments, and some properties add a destination fee on top. Hotels explain it with faster Wi-Fi, a daily credit, or rentals, but it still raises the nightly cost beyond the headline number. Many visitors only notice when the final confirmation shows a higher total than expected, because search pages highlight the base rate. When days are packed with neighborhoods, museums, and long walks, the bundled extras may not matter at all. The safest habit is to compare the all-in nightly price, then treat credits as a bonus, not a reason to book.