Resort Fees

[Mouse13]

On past trips we've stayed at the HoJo or Residence Inn Maingate and neither property has a resort fee. I was considering staying at the Homewood Suites for our next trip but have just learned that they will have a resort fee beginning in 2011. They currently have a $12 parking fee and a nominal fee for their dedicated shuttle. According to a rep at the Homewood Suites, they're not sure at this point how much the fee will be or what it will cover. For those of you that are more familiar with resort fees, do they typically cover things like parking and shuttle fees? I'm trying to figure out how the resort fee might impact our trip in terms of cost.

 

[ardenandjacksmom]

I've never stayed at a Homewood Suites with a resort fee, but at other hotels where we've stayed with resort fees, never has that included parking. (And I'd be willing to bet they won't include it either--why would they give up charging a la carte for something they've conditioned their guests to pay?)

I thought the idea behind a 'resort fee' is that it represents the cost of resort offerings that go beyond 'normal' hotel services, such as sauna/spa, golf, tennis, dancing, live musicians, movie nights, children's activities, etc.

If I were booking a hotel where I planned to spend a lot of time (for instance, where the hotel itself provides most of the activities of the vacation--Hilton Head or Amelia Island comes to mind), then I'd gladly pay a resort fee because I know I'd be taking advantage of those offerings. But I'd avoid a hotel that charged that fee when going to WDW or DLR because most of the time I spent at the hotel would be with eyes closed, LOL!

Lastly, I have to say that I get a little irked to see hotels that aren't truly 'resorts' are starting to charge this kind of daily fee. Not saying that this is necessarily the case here, as I don't know what the Homewood Suites is offering as 'resort' activities. (Overall though, it reminds me of when all the airlines starting to charge for bags, ugh). I think that it is an attempt at obfuscation--they can claim a low nightly rate so it looks competitive for the online hotel booking sites, and then add on a bunch of 'fees' and extras in the fine print.

If it were me, and this particular hotel fit my criteria in every other way, I'd go ahead and book, call back when the 'fee' goes into effect and get the details regarding what is or isn't included--once you have all the info you can decide if it's worth the extra charge. I would be mindful of cancellation policies and probably book a back-up if my dates were at a peak time.

Hope it works out for you

 

[Mouse13]

ardenandjacksmom, thanks for your very thoughtful response. DH and I are in total agreement with your take on the fee and the airline bag fees are a perfect example (we always fly Southwest. LOL) As far as I know, the Homewood Suites doesn't offer any resort type activities and I doubt they will start in 2011.

I have three other hotels booked at this point and they're all within walking distance of the park. One of them I was lucky enough to get at a rock bottom price through a hotel price guarantee where I found a lower rate at a third party site and got it matched plus an additional 25% off. Financially, that will be hard to turn down because we can use the extra money for tours or character meals or other splurges at the parks.

We always stay for 7 or 8 days and the Homewood appealed to me because they offered us a little more room, breakfast, a light evening meal, and a dedicated shuttle. I'm definitely planning to call back after the first of the year to find out the details on the resort fee. On the other hand, I love being able to walk to the parks and we're not really huge breakfast eaters. I probably won't make my final hotel decision until about a month before our trip and, who knows, maybe I'll find an even better deal between now and then.

 

[c&m]

Isn't Homewood Suites like a home away from home along the same lines as Marriott's Residence Inns??? I don't think it can qualify as a resort (think lush gardens, themed pool with grottos and waterfalls, extensive fitness center, spa, koi fish, poolside service).

From my experience of staying at resorts, the resort fee usually covers bottled water, use of the fitness facilities, daily newspaper, and sometimes parking. For example, Westin Maui Resort and Spa charges $25/day for a resort fee that also included parking.

For a Homewood Suites in Garden Grove to charge a "resort" fee AND a parking fee, it sounds a bit too much on top of their nightly rate.

Have you checked getawaytoday.com? Their hotel only package typically covers the parking fee, shuttle costs, and other extras.

 

[Mouse13]

For a Homewood Suites in Garden Grove to charge a "resort" fee AND a parking fee, it sounds a bit too much on top of their nightly rate.

Have you checked getawaytoday.com? Their hotel only package typically covers the parking fee, shuttle costs, and other extras.

Yes, it's Hilton's version of a Residence Inn. I agree that a resort fee and a parking fee sounds over the top for this property. I was thinking that they might actually roll the parking fee and shuttle fee into the resort fee but that might be wishful thinking on my part.

I've checked getawaytoday.com as this property has participated in the buy 3 nights, get 1 free deals in the past but it's too early for my dates right now. Thanks for your input!

 

[c&m]

I've checked getawaytoday.com as this property has participated in the buy 3 nights, get 1 free deals in the past but it's too early for my dates right now. Thanks for your input!

We're going during spring break in March 2011, and did manage to take advantage of getawaytoday's buy 3, get 1 night deal. We booked the Sheraton Garden Grove for 4 nights, got free parking and free shuttle, for $360 (taxes included). Sweet deal. Only downside is that it's not walking distance. But the extra savings can be spent on food since this is our "budget" trip.

 

[Mouse13]

We're going during spring break in March 2011, and did manage to take advantage of getawaytoday's buy 3, get 1 night deal. We booked the Sheraton Garden Grove for 4 nights, got free parking and free shuttle, for $360 (taxes included). Sweet deal. Only downside is that it's not walking distance. But the extra savings can be spent on food since this is our "budget" trip.

Sounds like you got a good deal! Enjoy your trip!

 

[DebbieB]

On past trips we've stayed at the HoJo or Residence Inn Maingate and neither property has a resort fee. I was considering staying at the Homewood Suites for our next trip but have just learned that they will have a resort fee beginning in 2011. They currently have a $12 parking fee and a nominal fee for their dedicated shuttle. According to a rep at the Homewood Suites, they're not sure at this point how much the fee will be or what it will cover. For those of you that are more familiar with resort fees, do they typically cover things like parking and shuttle fees? I'm trying to figure out how the resort fee might impact our trip in terms of cost.

They have a dedicated shuttle? I've stayed there before and used ART. I have a reservation there for December. Do you have information on how it works?

 

[Mouse13]

They have a dedicated shuttle? I've stayed there before and used ART. I have a reservation there for December. Do you have information on how it works?

I think the shuttle service might be fairly new. This is the info I got from the hotel:

Shuttle Ticket cost:
1 Day Adult $4.00 3 Day Adult $9.00
1 Day Child $1.00 2 Day Child $2.00

Hope you have a great trip! Let me know how you like the hotel and if you consider the pool to be warm. Thanks!

 

[DebbieB]

I think the shuttle service might be fairly new. This is the info I got from the hotel:

Shuttle Ticket cost:
1 Day Adult $4.00 3 Day Adult $9.00
1 Day Child $1.00 2 Day Child $2.00

Hope you have a great trip! Let me know how you like the hotel and if you consider the pool to be warm. Thanks!

I've stayed there 2 times before and liked it. Those are the same prices as ART, I hope they have frequent service. It's just a quick 2 night trip, I will not be using the pool. Thanks!

 

[Mouse13]

I've stayed there 2 times before and liked it. Those are the same prices as ART, I hope they have frequent service. It's just a quick 2 night trip, I will not be using the pool. Thanks!

Yes, same prices as ART. I called the hotel to see if they had a 5 day option but they don't. Also, their shuttle is supposed to being running in time to get you to the gates 30 minutes before park opening. I hope this is the case.

 

[DebbieB]

Update - returned from my stay at Homewood. I was charged $12 per day parking. The shuttle was $4 for 1 day. The shuttle was very prompt - it leaves Homewood at the top and bottom of the hour. Leaves Disneyland at :20 and :50. It is not "dedicated" - it also stops at the Crown Plaza and Sheraton.

The only complaint I had about Homewood is they really need to invest in a rug scrubber. The elevator rug was filthy and the rug in the room had spots.

 

[Mouse13]

Update - returned from my stay at Homewood. I was charged $12 per day parking. The shuttle was $4 for 1 day. The shuttle was very prompt - it leaves Homewood at the top and bottom of the hour. Leaves Disneyland at :20 and :50. It is not "dedicated" - it also stops at the Crown Plaza and Sheraton.

The only complaint I had about Homewood is they really need to invest in a rug scrubber. The elevator rug was filthy and the rug in the room had spots.

Thanks for the update. I believe the resort fee was supposed to be implemented in January 2011. I plan to call the hotel after the first of the year to see. I'm glad to hear that the shuttle was prompt. Did it leave in time to get you to the park before opening? If you tried out the pool, was it heated? Thanks again and I hope you had a magical trip!

 

[DebbieB]

Thanks for the update. I believe the resort fee was supposed to be implemented in January 2011. I plan to call the hotel after the first of the year to see. I'm glad to hear that the shuttle was prompt. Did it leave in time to get you to the park before opening? If you tried out the pool, was it heated? Thanks again and I hope you had a magical trip!

I didn't go at opening, I got the 9:00 shuttle. The card I got at check-in said that the first shuttle leaves 30 min before park opening (1:30 on magic mornings), last leaves the park 50 minutes after closing. I really liked that they were on a schedule, you knew when you had to leave to catch the bus. Didn't use the pool, my room was above it and I didn't see anyone in it, daytime temps were only in the 60's.

 

[Mouse13]

I didn't go at opening, I got the 9:00 shuttle. The card I got at check-in said that the first shuttle leaves 30 min before park opening (1:30 on magic mornings), last leaves the park 50 minutes after closing. I really liked that they were on a schedule, you knew when you had to leave to catch the bus. Didn't use the pool, my room was above it and I didn't see anyone in it, daytime temps were only in the 60's.

Thanks so much, DebbieB. I really want to try this property. I have a reservation here but I also have a reservation at the Fairfield Inn for $65 a night. I go back and forth between wanting all the amenities at the Homewood or staying right across the street for next to nothing, an easy walk over, and spending the extra $ in the parks. Hotels are such a hard decision. They can make or break a trip and it's so hard to decide on the right thing for your family. When we visit in June, I plan to check out a couple of hotels in person that I'm interested in but have never stayed at before. I think that will really help me make better/easier decisions in the future.

 

[cmwade77]

To be honest, I have never had great luck with Homestead, if I go for this type of place, I like Marriot's various extended stay offerings much better. I would also never accept a resort fee, especially when I don't know how much that fee wil be. I say go with cheaper option and spend the money on breakfast.

Also, last I checked their shuttle is not a dedicated shuttle, they use ART, which claims the last bus will depart 30 minutes after park closing; however, the last bus usually depart 20 minutes after the park closing or when it fills up and they will not send another shuttle.

 

[DebbieB]

To be honest, I have never had great luck with Homestead, if I go for this type of place, I like Marriot's various extended stay offerings much better. I would also never accept a resort fee, especially when I don't know how much that fee wil be. I say go with cheaper option and spend the money on breakfast.

Also, last I checked their shuttle is not a dedicated shuttle, they use ART, which claims the last bus will depart 30 minutes after park closing; however, the last bus usually depart 20 minutes after the park closing or when it fills up and they will not send another shuttle.

Their shuttle is no longer ART. The name on the ticket was PCA, several hotels use them instead of ART. On the times I rode it on Friday & Saturday, the driver announced that their last shuttle left the park at 12:50am (midnight close). Homewood was not dedicated, it shared with Crown Plaza & Sheraton (same block).