How to Get Resort Fees Waived in 2026
Resort fees are more visible in 2026 but they have not gone away. Here are the tactics that actually get a hotel resort fee waived, dropped, or disputed.
You booked a room for 159 a night. At checkout the bill says 192. The difference is a resort fee, a daily charge for the pool, the gym, the Wi-Fi, and the bottled water you never opened. In 2026 these fees are more visible than they used to be, but they have not gone away. The good news is that several of them can be made to disappear.
A 2025 FTC rule changed the rules of the game, and a few reliable tactics can knock the fee off entirely. Here is what actually works.
First, what the FTC rule did and did not do
The FTC Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees took effect in May 2025. It did not ban resort fees. It requires hotels to show the total price, mandatory fees included, upfront before you book. In the FTC's own framing, businesses have to tell you the whole truth about price from the start.
That matters more than it sounds. The fee is now part of the number you compare, so a 159 room with a 33 fee shows as 192 from the beginning. It also means a hidden fee, sprung on you only at checkout, is now a rule violation you can act on. Some states went further. New York banned hidden hotel fees outright in early 2026, which we covered in our piece on the New York hotel fee ban.
Book award stays at the right chains
The cleanest way to dodge a resort fee is to book the night on points at a chain that waives the fee on award stays. Hilton and Hyatt both drop resort fees when you redeem points for a free night. That is a real, repeatable saving on properties that would otherwise charge 30 to 50 dollars a night.
One major exception. Marriott still charges its destination fee even on award nights, so a Bonvoy free night is not always fee-free. Know the chain's policy before you assume the points cover everything. If your points are not stretching like they used to, our breakdown of why hotel points are worth less in 2026 explains what changed.
Use elite status, even a low tier
Some loyalty tiers waive resort fees as a standing benefit. Hyatt Globalist gets the fee dropped on all stays, cash or points, which for a frequent Hyatt guest can be worth more than any free breakfast. Other programs vary, so check whether your tier includes a fee waiver before you book a property that charges one.
If you do not have status, it can still be worth chasing the tier that carries this perk when your travel clusters around one chain. The fee adds up faster than people expect across a year.
Hunt for fee-waived promotions
Hotels run resort-fee-waived promotions more often than you would think, especially in shoulder season when they need to fill rooms. Some properties have repeatedly run all-inclusive-of-fee deals where the resort fee is simply removed for the booking window.
Find these by joining the hotel's email list and checking its official offers page before you book. A waived 40-dollar fee over four nights is 160 dollars, which beats most loyalty perks you would otherwise be chasing.
Choose hotels that do not charge them
The simplest tactic is to filter them out. Plenty of excellent hotels charge no resort fee at all, and now that the all-in price shows upfront, the no-fee option is easy to spot when you compare totals. Sort by the real total rather than the headline rate, and a fee-free hotel often beats a cheaper-looking one that tacks on 35 a night.
This is also where booking through a cashback platform tilts the math. Book through Best and you get 10% back on the stay, which on a fee-charging hotel can offset most or all of the resort fee anyway. A 40-dollar nightly fee against 10% cashback on a 200-dollar room is close to a wash, and on a no-fee hotel it is pure savings. For the wider comparison, see cashback versus credit card travel portals.
Dispute a fee that was not disclosed
If a resort fee was not clearly shown before you booked, you now have grounds to push back, because that is exactly what the FTC rule prohibits. Raise it with the hotel first and ask for the fee to be removed. If the hotel will not fix an improperly disclosed charge, escalate to your credit card issuer and dispute it with your booking confirmation as evidence.
Keep the screenshots. A booking page that hid the fee, paired with a checkout bill that added it, is a clean case. The rule exists precisely so you do not eat a charge you never agreed to.
What resort fees actually cost in 2026
The fees are not trivial. In big tourist markets they commonly run 30 to 55 dollars a night, and a handful of Las Vegas and Hawaii properties push past 50. On a four-night stay, a 45-dollar fee adds 180 dollars to a bill you thought you had locked in. That is often more than the difference between the two hotels you were choosing between, which is exactly why comparing all-in totals matters so much now.
The frustrating part is that the fee bundles things many guests never use. Wi-Fi, the fitness center, local calls, a newspaper, bottled water. The amenities are real, but the charge is mandatory whether you touch them or not, which is what separates a resort fee from an optional add-on.
The checkout-day playbook
Review the folio before you leave, not after. Ask the front desk to itemize the resort fee and confirm it matches what was disclosed when you booked. If a charge looks higher than the rate you agreed to, raise it on the spot while you are standing there, which is far easier than chasing it later.
If something is off and the desk will not fix it, pay under protest, keep the itemized bill, and open a dispute with your card issuer using your booking confirmation. The 2025 transparency rule is your backstop. A fee that was never properly disclosed is a charge you have real grounds to claw back.
State rules are tightening too
The federal transparency rule is not the only pressure on resort fees. States are moving as well. New York banned hidden hotel fees outright in early 2026, and California and a handful of others have passed or proposed their own all-in pricing laws. The direction of travel is clear. Fees are getting harder to hide, which makes the all-in total the only number worth comparing and gives you stronger footing if you ever have to dispute one.
Frequently asked questions
Were resort fees banned in 2026? No. The 2025 FTC rule made them transparent, not illegal. Hotels can still charge resort fees, but they must show the full price including the fee upfront before you pay.
What is the easiest way to avoid a resort fee? Book an award night at Hilton or Hyatt, which waive the fee on points stays, or choose a hotel that charges no fee at all. Comparing all-in totals makes the no-fee options easy to find.
Does Marriott waive resort fees on points? No. Marriott is the major chain that still charges its destination fee even on award stays, so check before assuming points cover it.
Can I dispute a resort fee? Yes, if it was not properly disclosed before booking. Ask the hotel to remove it first, then dispute the charge with your credit card company using your booking confirmation as proof.
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