Hilton’s resort fee penance

Hotel resort fees are evil. Starwood has already confessed to its sins. Wyndham, too. Now, it’s Hilton’s turn.

In a settlement quietly unveiled today, Hilton is offering to discount future resort fees at certain properties for all guests and to reimburse customers who stayed at specific Hilton hotels and paid a resort fee for the full amount of the charge.

If that sounds like a convoluted mouthful, you should check out the fine print. It’s enough to give a lawyer a headache.

But the document does contain a few noteworthy nuggets:

» Resort fees are big money. Through Dec. 31, 2003, for example, the Hilton Walt Disney World collected an eye-popping $3.6 million in fees. So did the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs. The Hilton at Squaw Peak collected a cool $2.6 mil.

» Hilton isn’t to blame. Read between the lines in the settlement notice and it’s pretty obvious that Hilton thinks mandatory resort fees were the work of a few renegade hotels. Either way, it asserts, no one was “harmed or damaged” because of the surcharges.

» The fees live on. Under the agreement, Hilton will treat them as optional and obtain an “affirmative” agreement from customers before charging them. But they will continue.

What does all of this mean? That remains to be seen.

But I can envision a future in which a room rate covers your bed — and nothing else.

Want towels? Shampoo? Maid service? Then you can pay a “resort fee” that ensures you’ll get all of those extra “amenities” that once came standard with every hotel room.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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