Royal Plaza fees!!

[ncbyrne]

This morning we are checking out of the Royal Plaza on Hotel Plaza Blvd. near DD. We booked this hotel thru a AAA "deal" of $60 per night + tax.
Wellll, here's what the bill really looks like:
Accomodation: $60 (x4)
Resort Fee: $8 (x4)
Resort Tax: $2.08
Sales Tax $11.70
Parking: $10 (x4)
Parking Tax: $2.60
Internet $9.95
Yikes! So much for the budget! I spell this R-I-P-O-F-F!

 

[shortbun]

AAA should have advised you about each of these fees when you booked your reservation. These kinds of charges are not unusual and unfortunately must be expected. Sorry you were suprised. I was a travel agent for 27 years and they(the hotels in resorts and even most large cities) have had these taxes and fees for years.

 

[scrapquitler]

You can probably get some of those fees removed if you ask. If you don't use the internet, they will subtract that off. Sometimes they will remove the resort fee if you ask, and if you don't have a car they will take off the parking fee.

But yeah, I had a hotel once advertised that they provided a newspaper. Then they charged me for it. Even though it was on the weekend and the paper was only delivered during the week. I did get that removed. I've had the 'resort' fee removed (because I told them that I had no intention of using the hotel pool).

 

[ncbyrne]

Last year we took a cross country road trip from NJ to CA. We stayed mostly in Hampton Inn, Super 8, Ramada, and Holiday Inn and never had anything more than sales tax!!
We are moving onto WDW property.....Port Orleans. Can we expect this at a WDW resort too?

 

[3boymthr]

This is why we ended up staying on WDW property. DH was well this hotel is $50/night cheaper and I figured out that with the extra fees they charged (resort fee x $10x 5 people x 7 days + car x $10 x 7 days + one more x 7 ) plus the parking fee at WDW it was going to be cheaper to stay at WDW.

Last year we took a cross country road trip from NJ to CA. We stayed mostly in Hampton Inn, Super 8, Ramada, and Holiday Inn and never had anything more than sales tax!!
We are moving onto WDW property.....Port Orleans. Can we expect this at a WDW resort too?

No - the only resort fees you'll pay at a WDW property is the internet if you choose to get it. They don't charge unless you use it. You will pay taxes tho.

 

[shan136]

Hospitality taxes are usually really high. If I remember correctly, 18% is not uncommon in many states in addition to sales tax. This past summer I have stayed in 3 hotels, 2 in NY state and 1 in CT and the taxes were about 25%. Unfortunately, it is not customary to quote the taxes as part of the price upfront in the U.S. Except for the WDW resorts, awesome.

I think that charging a resort fee and parking fee are ridiculous. If the resort fee is $8 and the parking is $10 (which is crazy unless you're parking in a downtown area of city), then the cost of the room is $78 plus tax and that is what should be quoted.

Charging anything, especially 9.95, for high-speed internet, is disgusting. It does not cost the hotel anywhere close to that much to provide that service. The fact that it seems to be common to charge 9.95 for internet access in the Orlando area confuses me since high speed wireless internet is free in every McDonald's, Starbucks, Panera and Comfort Inn across the rest of the country. So, although I am completely addicted to my Macbook and require daily quality time with it, when I am at WDW this November I have no intention of paying their exorbitant internet fee.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

This is why we ended up staying on WDW property. DH was well this hotel is $50/night cheaper and I figured out that with the extra fees they charged (resort fee x $10x 5 people x 7 days + car x $10 x 7 days + one more x 7 ) plus the parking fee at WDW it was going to be cheaper to stay at WDW.



No - the only resort fees you'll pay at a WDW property is the internet if you choose to get it. They don't charge unless you use it. You will pay taxes tho.

Us too. I cancelled our stay at the Dolphin because of the resort fee for stuff I won't even be using and then the parking fee on top of that. I could extend my trip and stay at Pop (I know, no real comparison to the Dolphin) with free dining and come out cheaper and I would rather use what I am paying for.

Suzanne

 

[MomToOne]

I always dig around on a hotel's website and the reviews on TripAdvisor before booking a hotel, to see what nasty fees may be awaiting me. If I don't find any info in those places, I call the hotel (directly, not the 800 central res number) and ask them point blank.

A hotel that seems like a great deal often turns out to be anything but that once you add on everything. I can usually find a better deal at a hotel where the nightly rate may be more, but parking etc. is free.

 

[Hannathy]

You always have to check when you book or buy something. It always amazes me how little people find out about what they are buying.

Which fee were you surprised about? surely you expected some of them?

 

[ccgirl]

It is very nice of you to bring these fees to others attention so they are not surprised. However, I went on their website to see if the fees were disclosed. I had to agree to the Terms & Conditions before I proceeded. I read the terms & conditions before agreeing to them and they were the following:

Guarantee Policy
A major credit card is needed to make your reservation.

Cancellation Policy
Reservations can be cancelled up to 4 pm, 72 hours prior to your arrival date with no penalty. After that, all cancellations will forfeit their deposit of one nights room and tax.


A resort fee of $8 plus tax per room, per day will be added to your account. It includes: *Guaranteed entry into Disney theme parks *Discounts for golf at all Disney golf courses *USA Today Newspaper daily Mon-Fri *Use of fitness center and tennis courts *Pool towel service *Unlimited local phone calls *In-room coffee Self - Parking fee $10.00 per day Check-in time after 4 PM. Check-out time before 11 AM. No pets allowed. We are an entirely "NON-SMOKING" hotel Property Tax: 12.5% Daily Self Parking USD10.00 plus tax and Optional Internet Access USD 9.95 plus tax for a 24 hour period Kids 10 and under eat free for breakfast and dinner (1 child per every paying adult)

 

[SnowWtch]

I've stopped staying at several hotels b/c they added fees. Good has come of me not staying at places I once stayed at. I've found a number of nice hotels that don't charge fees but I never would have noticed otherwise. We like to stay off-site sometimes b/c it is cheaper for us since we like to go shopping, to Universal, WDW, eat at some of our favorite restaurants or on a whim stop at a 711 for a slushie and an apple fritter. If we stayed on-property we'd miss a lot of fun stuff we like to do.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

We need a place to stay for 3 nights before our cruise in Feb, DH is Platinum at Marriott and booked the JW Marriott Grande Lakes with points. Turns out they charge $18 a day to park and if you want to go in the lazy river, you have to buy the tube and it is $7! Incase you are not familiar with the Grande Lakes property (JW, Ritz Carlton and Lakeshore Reserve Vacation Club) it is in the middle of NOWHERE off Central Florida Parkway (a few miles from Sea World). No way am I paying $18 a day to park at a hotel out in the middle of nowhere Orlando, so we cancelled it! Odds are it is going to be too cold to use the lazy river anyways!

 

[maggiew]

We need a place to stay for 3 nights before our cruise in Feb, DH is Platinum at Marriott and booked the JW Marriott Grande Lakes with points. Turns out they charge $18 a day to park and if you want to go in the lazy river, you have to buy the tube and it is $7! Incase you are not familiar with the Grande Lakes property (JW, Ritz Carlton and Lakeshore Reserve Vacation Club) it is in the middle of NOWHERE off Central Florida Parkway (a few miles from Sea World). No way am I paying $18 a day to park at a hotel out in the middle of nowhere Orlando, so we cancelled it! Odds are it is going to be too cold to use the lazy river anyways!

Thanks for this info. I was looking at the Grande Lakes property also because on the Marriott Rewards. But $18 to park!!!

However, its the same at The Yacht and Beach Club about the lazy river. You need to rent the tube. Although its not $7 but I think maybe around $4 per day to rent?? You could go IN the lazy river without a tube, if you wanted. But there are a couple places where it was too deep for me to walk.

In addition, Disney charges $9.95 for internet access also.

Maggie

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Thanks for this info. I was looking at the Grande Lakes property also because on the Marriott Rewards. But $18 to park!!!

However, its the same at The Yacht and Beach Club about the lazy river. You need to rent the tube. Although its not $7 but I think maybe around $4 per day to rent?? You could go IN the lazy river without a tube, if you wanted. But there are a couple places where it was too deep for me to walk.

In addition, Disney charges $9.95 for internet access also.

Maggie

I did check into the Vacation Club area that just opened (Marriott Lakeshore Reserve) and they are not charging to park at this time, but JW and Ritz are!

 

[krisnchris]

We stayed at the JW Marriott last year when DH had a conference. They gave us the inner tubes for free, and we got to keep them. The guy helping us move our luggage was insistent! Also, they gave my ds's each a freebie stuffed animal on the bed one day. I figured they were trying to compete w/the disney hotels for family visits, as it is kinda far out there (but close to Sea World).

 

[kaytieeldr]

Charging anything, especially 9.95, for high-speed internet, is disgusting. It does not cost the hotel anywhere close to that much to provide that service.

It doesn't matter what it costs the entity to provide the service. The resorts don't provide it, by the way; it's outside vendors. Many of the higher-end properties do charge $9.95 per day or more for internet access. Sure, some mid-range (and lower) chains offer it free - it's called competition. If Royal Plaza is charging $9.95 per day, why should Disney offer it free?

The fact that it seems to be common to charge 9.95 for internet access in the Orlando area confuses me since high speed wireless internet is free in every McDonald's, Starbucks, Panera and Comfort Inn across the rest of the country.

Comfort Inn isn't in the same category as the WDW and HPB properties; and so far, Starbucks, Panera, and McDonalds haven't encouraged customers to move in for multiple nights.

 

[shan136]

Comfort Inn isn't in the same category as the WDW and HPB properties; and so far, Starbucks, Panera, and McDonalds haven't encouraged customers to move in for multiple nights.

I am honestly not comparing Comfort Inn to a high-end resort, but since convenient high-speed internet access is becoming more readily available in less expensive venues, more expensive resorts and hotels that charge for this service are putting themselves at risk of losing customers to lower and mid-priced hotels who do offer free wifi. http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx?ArticleId=3944&ArticleType=35&PageType=News

Charging a separate fee for internet service just isn't progressive. Although, not a hotel Starbucks is a great example of this mistake. Customers wanted coffee and they wanted internet service. For the first few years, when Starbucks was one of the few national chains that offered internet service they were able to charge and were paid exorbitant fees. Slowly as other similar shops started to offer the service for free, Starbucks started to lose customers who wanted coffee and FREE internet service.

If it is costly for hotels to offer wifi or other types of high-speed internet, I'd rather be charged a reasonable fee <$5.00 for it or have it be included in the cost of the room.

 

[Planogirl]

I'd say that Comfort Inn is easily as nice as the budget resorts but location is everything!

Back to the fees, I detest parking fees and even though I love the Universal hotels, the parking fees are aggravating. I kind of expect resort fees though since they seem to be getting more and more common.

During our last trip, we stayed at a nice offsite budget hotel that didn't charge all of this. They did charge the high taxes but every hotel does that.

 

[kaytieeldr]

If it is costly for hotels to offer wifi or other types of high-speed internet, I'd rather be charged a reasonable fee <$5.00 for it or have it be included in the cost of the room.

But 'reasonable' is subjective, and I don't begrudge any business the opportunity to earn a profit - especially a publicly-held company . Since I don't bring a computer when I travel, I see no need for me to pay for a feature I won't use.

 

[mjkacmom]

I am honestly not comparing Comfort Inn to a high-end resort, but since convenient high-speed internet access is becoming more readily available in less expensive venues, more expensive resorts and hotels that charge for this service are putting themselves at risk of losing customers to lower and mid-priced hotels who do offer free wifi. .

I've noticed the less expensive the hotel, the more free-bees they throw in. Hilton's aren't giving you free hot breakfast in the morning, but Comfort Inn's are. The people who appreciate the free stuff don't want to spend the $ on a Hilton. Hotels provide services to their target audiences. People who are comfortable spending a lot on a hotel room will pay for internet, and pay for their breakfast. Higher end hotels don't have to offer free stuff.