Resort Fees in Vegas and Orlando: See Them Before You Book

The resort fee now has to be in the price you're shown

Resort fees, destination fees and amenity fees all count as mandatory fees. Under the FTC fees rule, in force since May 2025, a hotel or booking site has to include them in the advertised total. California's law requires the same. You no longer have to read the fine print to find the real price, because the advertised price is supposed to include them.

In practice, the room rate and the total can still show up on different lines, and they don't always look alike. A room might be listed at one price and the checkout total at a higher one. Most of that gap is taxes plus the fee the desk collects. If you compare hotels by room rate, a place with a high fee can look like the better deal when it isn't. Compare the totals and the confusion goes away.

Hidden fees are the first complaint for 61% of American travelers

In the research we read for this guide, 61% of travelers named hidden fees as their top frustration. That came well ahead of unhelpful service at 37% and availability at 34%. Also, 31% said they abandon a booking when the price jumps at the last step, and 27% said they had skipped a trip because of bag and seat fees. The research lists resort and destination fees at hotels among the main offenders.

Our own reading of public forum posts, which isn't a survey, found the phrase "nickel and dimed" 5 times, 4 of them from US travelers. Fees came up as an irritant, but they were rarely the reason someone said a trip wasn't worth it. Most people forgive the fee itself. What they don't forgive is finding out about it at the desk.

We stayed at an all inclusive and when registering for the cabana they said the tip is not included. For what.. handing me towels?

Las Vegas and Orlando: a quote without the resort fee isn't a quote

Las Vegas and Orlando are where resort fees show up most, at Strip casinos and at big resorts near the parks. When we write a price for either city, the fee is part of it. In the quote, it reads as a plain line like "$45 a night resort fee included." If a quote for either city leaves the fee out, it isn't the real price yet.

In Orlando, keep the hotel's mandatory fee separate from the optional extras sold around the parks. A resort fee is part of what the room costs. Paid ride access, a cabana or a dining plan is a choice you make later. These extras aren't part of the total, so put them in your own budget if you plan to buy them.

I have not purchased LL as I am morally opposed to the money grab of taking something that was complimentary for all guests and making it pay to play

Parking, Wi-Fi tiers, the minibar and card holds aren't resort fees

Not every charge at checkout is a mandatory fee. Parking, paid Wi-Fi tiers and the minibar count as extras. You can choose to skip them, so the rule doesn't require them in the advertised total. In Miami Beach or Waikiki, parking alone can add up over a long stay, so ask about it before you decide to bring or rent a car.

The deposit or hold on your card at check-in is normal too. It isn't a fee, and the hotel releases it after checkout. It can tie up part of your card limit for a few days, so it's worth knowing about before a trip on a tight card. Car rentals bring their own surprises, and they're outside any hotel total.

Just got back from Miami and NextCar/Stride Rent A Car at MIA hit me with a $450 smoking fee. No we did not smoke in the car.

How the totals on our trip pages read

On every trip page we publish, "The total, before you go" adds up three things: flights for two with taxes and fees, the best-value hotel for the whole stay with taxes, and the resort fee the hotel collects at the desk. We include the resort fee whenever the booking site lists one. When it lists none, the page says "this hotel lists no resort fee" so you know we checked.

Here are three totals we found on Oct 15, 2026. San Diego from Denver, Oct 23–25, 2026, 2 nights at the Hilton Garden Inn San Diego Mission Valley/Stadium: $1,178 for two, with flights at $756 and the hotel at $373. Miami from Houston, Nov 27–Dec 1, 2026, 4 nights at Casablanca Residences Miami Beach: $1,004 for two, with flights at $236 and the hotel at $684. Honolulu & Oahu from Tampa, Nov 14–23, 2026, 9 nights at the Oasis Hotel Waikiki: $3,321 for two, with flights at $1,655 and the hotel at $1,439.

In each case the total is higher than the flight and hotel lines added together. The total line is where we put a desk fee when the booking site lists one, so read that line first. These are the prices we found on that date and not a promise. The booking site's checkout is the price that counts.

What a total still leaves out

Even an honest total doesn't include everything. A checked bag isn't included, and neither are seat picks on basic fares, food, transfers or tickets. Bag fees vary by airline, and some basic economy fares don't include a carry-on. The research found that 32% of travelers changed destination because of airfare, so it's worth pricing the flight the way you'll actually fly it.

Cruise lines and all-inclusives work the same way, with a low headline price and add-ons later. One traveler summed it up bluntly.

Royal's whole model is to get you booked and then sell you a ton of upcharges

If a surprise fee shows up at the desk

If the hotel adds a mandatory fee at check-in that wasn't in the total you were shown, you can push back. Start by contesting it politely at the desk, with a screenshot of the total you booked. If that doesn't work, dispute the charge with your card issuer. You can also report it to the FTC through its fraud reporting site or to your state attorney general.

Keep the screenshot from the final checkout step, not the search results. That's the price the booking site committed to, and it's what you'll show the desk and your card issuer.