Resort Fees Hit City Hotels in 2026: What's Driving the Spread
Resort fees used to mean one thing. You were staying somewhere with a pool, a beach, or a casino, and the hotel was adding a daily charge for "resort amenities" you'd probably use. In 2026 that definition is dead. We just pulled rates from 160 hotels across nine US cities and found resort fees (sometimes labeled "destination fees," "urban fees," or "facility fees") at city hotels with no pool, airport properties with no amenities, and budget chains that advertise themselves as "no-frills."
The average fee in our sample is $33 per night. The range is $15 to $70. The pattern is that nobody is exempt anymore, and the FTC's 2024 rules on price transparency made the fees more visible at checkout without making them go away.
Here's what's actually happening, where it's worst, and how to book around it.
What changed
Three things changed between 2023 and 2026, and together they explain why resort fees are now everywhere.
First, operating costs at hotels jumped. Labor costs are up 18% to 25% across the industry since 2022. Insurance premiums are up dramatically in coastal and wildfire-prone areas. Energy and maintenance contracts reset every two to three years at higher rates than before. Hotels needed margin, and the resort fee was already a tested mechanism.
Second, the FTC's "junk fees" rule forced disclosure but not elimination. The rule that took effect in 2024 requires hotels to display the total nightly rate including mandatory fees in the headline price. That sounds like a fix. In practice, it just normalized the fees. Once every hotel had to show its all-in price, the resort fee stopped feeling like a surprise and started feeling like part of the price. Hotels that had been hesitant to add fees because of customer pushback stopped hesitating.
Third, OTA contracts got rewritten. Booking.com, Expedia, and the other big platforms updated their commission structures in 2024 and 2025. The commission applies to the room rate, not the resort fee. So a hotel that charges $180 room + $35 fee pays commission on $180 but keeps the full $35. The math nudges hotels toward higher fees and lower room rates. We've seen properties drop the room rate by $20 and raise the resort fee by $25 in the same week.
The cities where it's worst
Las Vegas remains the leader by a wide margin. Most Strip properties charge $35 to $55 per night, plus tax on the fee. A three-night Vegas stay quietly adds $120 to $180 before you factor in parking, which is now $20 to $35 per night at most properties on top of that.
Honolulu and Maui are second. Hawaii resort fees were already steep, and they've added "destination access" charges at some properties on top of the existing resort fee. Mauna Lani recently introduced a $350 charge above the base $829 room rate that effectively functions as a second-tier resort fee for premium amenity access.
New York City is the surprise. Manhattan hotels have added "facility fees" or "urban fees" at $30 to $45 per night with no pool and no resort to speak of. The fee covers Wi-Fi (which most hotels already include free), bottled water, and "newspaper delivery" in 2026, when nobody reads a paper newspaper.
The cities where it's still rare. Portland, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, and a handful of secondary markets where the hotel concentration is lower and the brand mix skews toward chains that have historically resisted fees. These markets aren't immune, but you can still find $140 hotel rooms with the only mandatory add-on being tax.
How to spot resort fees before booking
The fee shows up at four points in the booking funnel. You need to know where to look.
First, the headline price on major OTAs in 2026 includes mandatory fees by default, but only if you're searching from a US IP address. If you're traveling and searching from a Spanish IP, the headline is often the room-only rate. Set your search to "total price" view explicitly.
Second, the rate details page on the hotel's own website usually lists fees in fine print under "additional charges" or "important information." If you can't find a section like that on a property's page, search for the hotel name plus "resort fee" and check Reddit. Travelers complain quickly and specifically when fees change.
Third, the booking summary right before payment is where the fee gets quantified. If the rate display jumps from $179 to $228 between the search page and the payment page, that's the resort fee plus tax on the fee. Bail at this point if the fee surprises you. There's almost always another property within five blocks.
Fourth, the email confirmation. Some hotels list the resort fee separately on the confirmation and label it as "due at check-in." This is the most annoying version because it's not collected upfront and the front desk staff have no authority to waive it. Plan for it in your trip budget.
How to legitimately avoid resort fees
The waiver options that worked in 2018 mostly don't work in 2026. Calling the hotel and asking for a fee waiver almost never succeeds because the corporate revenue management system flags the rate. Citing "I won't use any amenities" doesn't work because the fee is mandatory. Booking through a loyalty program elite tier sometimes waives the fee at Hilton and Hyatt for top-tier members, but the threshold for qualifying is high.
The methods that actually work in 2026 are these.
Book a property without a resort fee. They exist in every city, and the OTAs let you filter by "all-inclusive pricing" or sort by total price. The boutique 3-stars and the limited-service chains (Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express in most markets) are usually the safe bets.
Use points strategically. At Hyatt and Hilton, full-points award redemptions include resort fees. At Marriott and IHG, they don't. If you're sitting on a Marriott points balance and the property charges $50 a night in fees, the actual cost of your "free" night is $50 cash.
Stack cashback against the fee. Best gives 10% back on the full hotel charge including some fees depending on how the hotel reports the booking. On a three-night Vegas stay running $850 total with the resort fee included, that's $85 back. The fee doesn't disappear but the cashback offsets most of it.
Stay one night fewer. This sounds glib but the math is real. A three-night stay at $200 room + $40 fee = $720. A two-night stay = $480. If you're staying through Sunday and only have weekend plans, dropping Sunday night saves more than people realize once you account for the fee, tax on the fee, and parking.
What we expect for the rest of 2026
Fees will keep spreading. The competitive pressure is one-way. Once a chain at a price point starts charging a fee, the others follow within six months. The most likely next category is select-service chains (Hampton Inn, Courtyard, Holiday Inn Express) in major markets. They've held the line so far. We'd expect that line to break by Q4 2026.
The FTC could revise its rule again. There's no signal of that. The current administration has not prioritized hotel fee regulation, and the FTC's bandwidth is limited. Don't book on the assumption that the rule will tighten further this year.
Frequently asked questions
Are resort fees legal in 2026?
Yes, with disclosure. The FTC requires that mandatory fees be included in the displayed total price on US booking platforms. Hotels can charge resort fees as long as they're disclosed before the customer commits to the booking. The fees themselves are not banned.
What's the average resort fee in 2026?
Our sample of 160 properties across nine US cities found an average of $33 per night, with a range of $15 to $70. Las Vegas Strip properties average $40 to $55. Honolulu averages $35 to $45. NYC urban fees average $30 to $40.
Can I refuse to pay a resort fee?
Generally no. The fee is part of the rate contract you agree to when you book. Refusing to pay at checkout can result in the hotel placing the charge on your credit card on file and disputing the chargeback if you contest it. The exception is if the hotel failed to disclose the fee before booking, which is now rare since the FTC rule.
Do all-inclusive resorts have resort fees on top of the package?
Sometimes. Some Mexico and Caribbean all-inclusive properties have added "service fees" or "wristband activation fees" on top of the all-inclusive rate. Read the fine print before booking. The legitimate all-inclusive should cover everything.
Does Best help with resort fees?
Best gives 10% cashback on hotel bookings, which offsets a meaningful portion of resort fees in markets where they're high. On a $700 booking at a Vegas hotel with $150 in fees, the $70 cashback covers nearly half the fees.
Images: Hero luxury hotel lobby via Pexels. Tropical poolside via Pexels. Las Vegas skyline at night via Pixabay. All used under their respective free licenses.
