The Wynn Las Vegas is my favorite hotel in Vegas. In fact, it’s one of my favorite hotels, period. But it also happens to be one of the worst offenders when it comes to that most dreaded of charges: the resort fee. Wynn, like most of the Strip, where many of the iconic hotels lie, including some highlighted in [Las Vegas Old and New](https://www.goodlifereport.com/travel/best-las-vegas-old-new/), introduced me to this nebulous, nefarious little surcharge years ago.
What is a Resort Fee?
Often called amenity, facility, or destination fees— resort fees are mandatory daily charges tacked onto your hotel bill, usually not included in the initially advertised price. While some hotels offer genuine amenities for these fees, many guests experience them as surprise junk fees, sometimes even exceeding the nightly room rate itself. Below are some of the worst offenders in the hotel industry, with specific egregious examples.
A Brief History
I still remember seeing that $50-per-night “resort fee” for the first time. At the time, I was confused but brushed it off as just another Vegas quirk. That was about 15 years ago. Today, it’s no longer a Vegas-only problem—it has become a nationwide epidemic. And ironically, it was supercharged by another epidemic: COVID-19.
Before the pandemic, resort fees were mostly contained to Las Vegas and a handful of destinations. They popped up primarily at upscale resorts—places with sprawling pools, hot tubs, fitness centers, and other actual amenities. I never agreed with the fees, but at least you could see the (flimsy) logic: you were paying for access to facilities you might actually use.
COVID’s role
Then came COVID. Hotels and resorts were shuttered for months, and when they reopened, they were desperate to make up lost revenue. Enter the “creative” revenue officers. Resort fees started spreading like wildfire—not just at luxury properties, but at everyday hotels, urban boutiques, and even places with zero resort amenities. No pools, no spas, no lazy rivers—just a fee for nothing.
What was once an egregious surcharge tied to actual facilities has now morphed into a vague, all-purpose money grab. A fee that offers nothing tangible in return, except a reminder that hotel transparency is increasingly hard to come by.
The New GLR Resort Fee “Justicator”
GLR has officially released a beta version of our new web-based calculator that tells you if your resort fee is justified. This tool is super easy to use and gives you realtime perspective on whether a hotel’s “resort fee” is justified. You simply fill in some quick “input” criteria (shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds – a minute) and the calculator spits out data on whether your resort fee is warranted, including a rating from 1-10. If the rating is very low, meaning the fee is completely unjustified (the hotel has no amenities like a pool or exercise room), then our tool will generate an ai-generated email response that you can send to the resort explaining exactly why your fee should be waved.
Who are the biggest offenders right now? Here are some notorious resort fee offenders:
Las Vegas Strip Hotels
Las Vegas is infamous for high resort fees, with almost every major Strip hotel charging $50–$60 per night on top of the room rate. Specific examples include:
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas: $56.69/night resort fee.
Bellagio, Aria, Wynn/Encore: $56–$57 per night.
MGM Grand: $50 daily resort fee.
Circus Circus & Excalibur: Have advertised rooms for less than the resort fee itself, such as a $28 room paired with a $36.28 resort fee.
Miami Beach
Fisher Island Club and Resort: The most expensive resort fee in the U.S., at $160.60 per night, besides a $1,052 room rate. This fee stands out nationwide for its sheer scale.
“Hidden” Resort Fees Disguised as Taxes
Some hotels disguise resort fees as taxes or “mandatory government charges.”
The Life Hotel, New York City: Lists a “NYC Mandatory City Hotel Fee,” which is actually a hidden resort fee.
Budget and Non-Resort Hotels Charging Resort Fees
Super 8 (Las Vegas), Hotel Pennsylvania (NYC), Best Western (Orlando): While not typical resorts, these budget properties levy daily resort fees, often with minimal amenities justifying the charge.
Five-Star Hotels With High Fees
Even luxury travelers aren’t immune.
Andaz Maui (Hawaii): Sizable resort fee atop $500+/night rooms.
Ritz-Carlton Tucson, Waldorf Astoria Orlando, Moana Surfrider Waikiki: All levy resort fees despite premium nightly rates, sometimes exceeding $1,500 for the room itself.
Hotel Chains With the Highest Resort Fees (By Brand)
A 2025 analysis by NerdWallet shows:
Hilton: Resorts average a 4.6% upcharge via resort fees, with a typical fee of $40 per night. Properties like Hilton Phoenix Resort charge $35/night for water park access, among other amenities.
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group): Resort fees average 3% of room rate; most Intercontinental hotels charge a “facility fee” around $40 per night.
Wyndham: Lowest average among mainstream brands but still applies fees averaging 6.4% of the room rate at some properties.
Other major chains implicated in either high fees or controversial practices include Hyatt, Omni Hotels, Choice Hotels, and Four Seasons. And outside the U.S., these practices are rare—most European hotels include all fees in the listed price.
Special Mentions
Detroit (MGM Detroit): Detroit, not a resort city, features hotel properties charging “resort fees” for basic in-room amenities like a Keurig coffee maker.
TWA Hotel, JFK Airport (NYC): Uses fees to reduce the portion of total charges taxed at the higher hotel room tax rate, leading to lower tax revenue for the city.
Geographic Hotspots for Resort Fees
New York City: Often charges $30–$50/night labeled as “urban” or “facility” fees, even at non-resort properties.
Hawaii, Orlando, Caribbean: Popular tourist hot spots commonly add mandatory fees on top of the nightly rate.
While the intent behind some resort fees is to bundle amenities, many fees serve mainly as a profit center for hotels, frustrating guests with hidden and often unavoidable costs. Las Vegas and Miami are notorious, but the problem extends to budget hotels, non-resorts, and even luxury properties nationwide. Knowing which brands and locations have the worst offenders can help travelers plan and avoid unnecessary overcharges.
Whit Cook is the Founder/Publisher of GoodLife Report (GLR), a lifestyle website geared towards men and women who like unique products and experiences. He previously worked for Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado magazines, several technology start-ups, and is a freelance marketing professional.
