Feedback: Readers lash out at resort fees

Regarding “Suits Target Resort Fee Shock,� (On the Spot, by Catharine Hamm, Aug. 11): I’d like to propose another fee: the “guest fee.�

If hotels want me to stay at their property, park my car, eat at their restaurants, get drinks in their bars, order room service or anything poolside, they can pay me $10 for each $20 I spend.

Just a thought.

Michael Wright
Hermosa Beach

To any hotel that hides these resort fees, I will never again book that hotel. I am especially watchful because I don’t use hotel pools and really get upset about hidden parking fees.

It seems like a ripoff for those of us who want a clean room, decent shower and a good experience at check-in and check-out. I am a member of several hotel loyalty programs and have sent them notice I will not pay for things I don’t use. I have also written off airlines that nickel and dime you to the poorhouse with add-ons that should be included in the fares.

Paul Brown
Santa Ana

Don’t be fooled. The goal [should be] to end this consumer fraud. By emphasizing the need to disclose upfront, [consumers should] obliterate the value of the concept, because its only purpose has always been to deceive ... [guests] on price and government on taxes due (room rates are taxed at a much higher rate in almost every district).

Rich Mathus
Orlando, Fla.

As an infrequent traveler, it is annoying to find a competitive rate at a resort property and then find there’s a nasty resort fee to add to the cost.

Some properties ought to be embarrassed to include a fee, as their “amenities� would be sorely lacking for a “premium� fee.

Also, don’t forget the excessive fees being charged for parking at many properties.

For instance, a recent booking at a local beach resort hotel was footnoted in the small print as having a $50-a-night fee for any vehicle brought to the property.

That’s an obscene amount that could easily be missed by many. And these parking prices are near ubiquitous at “resort� properties and at big-city hotels.

Dean Katz
Hollywood Hills