Resort Fees Got a Federal Rule a Year Ago. Here's What Hotels Are Still Charging You in 2026.

The federal rule that was supposed to kill hidden hotel fees turned one year old this month. It went into effect in May 2025 after years of FTC rulemaking, lawsuits, and pressure from state attorneys general. The headline promise was simple. Every hotel, motel, vacation rental, and booking platform had to display the full price up front, including all mandatory fees, the moment they showed any price at all.

So how's that going?

The fees are still there. They're just disclosed differently. And in some cases, they've quietly increased.

What the Rule Actually Did

The FTC's Junk Fees Rule didn't ban resort fees, destination fees, amenity fees, or any of the other names hotels invented to charge you extra. It required them to be included in the advertised total. So if a hotel previously listed a room at $159 a night and then added a $40 resort fee at checkout, the same hotel now has to list the room at $199 from the start.

That's a real change for transparency. You can finally compare two hotels accurately on a booking site. The $189 hotel that used to look cheaper than the $199 hotel may have actually been more expensive once a $25 resort fee got added. Now the math is honest at the search stage.

But honest pricing doesn't reduce the fee itself. It just shows it to you sooner. And there's where the loophole sits.

The Fees That Didn't Disappear

Resort fees in 2026 average between $25 and $70 per night across US hotels. In Las Vegas, the average is $48. Orlando sits at $42. Miami Beach properties are commonly hitting $55. Hawaii has the highest average at $58. New York City hotels are at $35 on average but climbing.

Most of these fees exist as a way to inflate hotel revenue without raising the base room rate. The base rate is what gets compared on third-party sites and what hotel-rate-tracking tools index. The fee is what gets quietly added on top.

What's striking about the data we've been tracking is that fees haven't dropped since the rule went into effect. In a few categories they've crept up. The most common pattern is hotels renaming fees rather than reducing them. "Resort fee" becomes "destination fee" becomes "urban amenity fee" depending on what the property thinks sounds less greedy that month.

What the Fee Is Supposedly Paying For

Hotels list a string of "included amenities" to justify the fee. The list usually includes some combination of these:

Wi-Fi access. (Which used to be free at most properties before resort fees became a profit center.) Pool and gym access. (Things you'd assume came with a hotel stay anyway.) Local phone calls. (A service almost nobody uses in 2026.) Bottled water in the room. (Two bottles, valued at $4.) Newspaper delivery. (A printed copy of yesterday's news.) Fitness classes you have to book separately and that fill up quickly. Beach towels at properties that have a beach.

The total advertised "value" of these amenities is usually around $80 to $120 per day. The actual cost to the hotel of providing them is closer to $4 to $8. The math is the point.

The 4 Ways to Push Back

You can't always avoid these fees. But you can reduce them. Here's what actually works in 2026.

1. Filter by no-fee properties at booking. Major booking platforms now have filters that show only properties without mandatory resort fees. The filter is buried, but it's there. On most platforms it's under "Property amenities" or "More filters." The list of no-fee properties is shorter than you'd think. Hyatt brands have been moving away from resort fees at urban properties. So have some boutique chains. Most luxury brands still charge them.

2. Ask for the fee to be waived at check-in. This works more often than you'd expect, particularly if you have any kind of loyalty status, are staying multiple nights, or are checking in mid-week when the hotel is below occupancy targets. Front desk staff have authority to waive fees in many cases. They won't offer. You have to ask. The script is straightforward: "I'd like to ask if the resort fee can be waived for my stay." Don't justify it. Don't argue. Just ask once. If they say no, move on.

3. Dispute fees that don't deliver the listed amenities. If the pool is closed for renovation, the gym is shut, or the Wi-Fi doesn't work, the fee can usually be removed. Take photos of closed amenities. Email the property after checkout asking for a partial refund. Properties usually concede rather than fight a chargeback. If they don't, file the chargeback through your credit card. Hotels lose those more often than they win them.

4. Stay at properties that bake the fee into the room rate instead. Some hotel chains have started rolling resort fees into the headline rate as a positioning move. The total price ends up similar but the absence of a fee feels cleaner and qualifies the property for booking site filters. These properties tend to be in the boutique and lifestyle category.

What the Lawsuits Are Doing

Junk fee class actions have become one of the fastest-growing areas of consumer litigation. Hilton, Marriott, and IHG have all faced suits in the past 18 months. Filings more than doubled from 2024 to 2025. Most are settling for refunds to affected guests and commitments to clearer disclosure going forward.

The pattern matters because it puts pressure on hotel chains to either justify the fees with actual amenities or fold them into base rates. Both outcomes are better for travelers than the current setup. Most chains will resist as long as they can. The economics of these fees are too attractive to give up voluntarily.

The Cashback Angle

Resort fees are the part of your hotel bill that cashback doesn't always cover. On most platforms, cashback applies to the room rate but not to mandatory fees that get added separately. At Best (best.so), we give 10% back on the total room rate including fees baked into the displayed nightly price, but not on fees collected at the property.

The practical takeaway is that the no-fee filter helps you twice. You avoid the fee, and you maximize the cashback on the actual room cost. On a $200-a-night stay with no resort fee, you get $20 back per night. On a $160-a-night room with a $40 resort fee, you get $16 back. Same total cost to you, different amount back.

What's Next

The FTC has signaled that enforcement actions are coming for properties that try to work around the rule with creative disclosure. State attorneys general in California, New York, and Texas have all opened investigations into specific chains. The next wave of changes will probably be either deeper integration of fees into displayed rates or, eventually, a federal ban on the structure entirely.

Until then, the rule has made shopping easier without making the bill lower. That's still progress. It just isn't the win it was sold as.

FAQ

Are hotel resort fees illegal in 2026?

No. The FTC's Junk Fees Rule that took effect in May 2025 requires hotels to display all mandatory fees up front in the total price, but doesn't ban the fees themselves. Hotels can still charge resort fees, destination fees, and amenity fees as long as they're disclosed in the advertised total.

What's the average resort fee in 2026?

Resort fees average $25 to $70 per night across US hotels. Hawaii ($58), Miami Beach ($55), Las Vegas ($48), and Orlando ($42) are among the highest-fee markets. Urban hotels typically charge less than resort properties.

Can I get a hotel resort fee waived?

Sometimes. Ask at check-in. Loyalty members, mid-week stays, and longer stays tend to have the highest success rates. Properties below occupancy targets are more likely to waive. The fee can also be removed retroactively if listed amenities (pool, gym, Wi-Fi) aren't actually working during your stay.

Do booking platforms hide resort fees?

Not since May 2025. The federal rule requires all mandatory fees to be in the displayed price from the first time a price is shown. Booking platforms that don't comply face FTC enforcement action.

Do cashback programs cover resort fees?

It depends on the program and how the fee is structured. Best (best.so) gives 10% back on the total room rate including fees baked into the displayed price, but cashback doesn't extend to fees charged separately at the property. Filtering for no-fee hotels maximizes both savings and cashback.

Images: Hero hotel lobby via Unsplash. Hotel receipt via Unsplash. Hotel front desk via Unsplash. Hotel folio table photo via Unsplash.