The Hotel Chains With the Highest (and Lowest) Resort Fees

Resort fees can be a major headache, especially if you’re trying to stick to a budget. By the time you finally reach the checkout page when booking a hotel, these extra fees can bring the total price much higher than first advertised. If you’re hoping not to bust your budget with resort fees or to avoid them altogether on your next trip, discover the major hotel chains that charge the highest — and lowest — resort fees, according to data provided by the personal finance blog NerdWallet.

What Are Resort Fees?

Whether they’re called “resort fees,” “destination fees,” or “facility fees,” these additional charges are added to your bill to cover extra amenities a hotel may offer. They are calculated on a per-night basis and tacked onto the room’s base rate. According to NerdWallet’s analysis of more than 400 different hotels, the average resort fee in 2024 was $35. While this denoted a decrease from the prior year’s average of $38.82, it still meant that guests were paying an additional 8.1% per night to stay at any of the hotels that charge such fees.

When the first resort fees were introduced in 1997, they weren’t associated with price gouging quite like they are today. Back then, they were a way for world-class resorts to cover the cost of luxury perks that their clientele was likely to use — activities like snorkeling expeditions, bike rentals, the use of the tennis courts, and so on. But over time, hotel brands began charging these fees for basic amenities that many travelers would argue should already be included in the base rate — for example, Wi-Fi or gym access.

Perhaps what’s most frustrating about resort fees is that you’re almost always obligated to pay them, whether you use the perks or not. You may never rent a bicycle or use the gym, but you’ll still end up paying an additional $35 per night. This is why so many hotel guests seek out hotels that don’t levy a resort fee.

How Hotel Chains Compare

When searching for hotels, it’s helpful to get an idea of how the major brands stack up when it comes to resort fees. According to NerdWallet’s analysis of major hotel brands, Hilton resorts levy the highest resort fees: 4.6%, or an average of $40 per night on top of the base rate. After Hilton is IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), whose resort fees averaged 3% of the base rate, followed by Hyatt (2.7%) and Marriott (1.9%). The best was Wyndham, which charged an average of 0.7% of the room rate, six times less than Hilton’s 4.6%.

NerdWallet primarily analyzed large brands, which means it wasn’t all-encompassing. For example, there are dozens of independent Las Vegas-based hotels that impose substantial resort fees, too. NerdWallet notes how, in December 2024, the Luxor Hotel & Casino offered rooms for $25 a night with a $45 mandatory resort fee. In general, the fees in Vegas have jumped 11% from 2024 to 2025, so don’t be surprised if you end up paying an extra $50 to $55 per night at top-tier hotels such as the Aria or Bellagio.

How To Avoid Resort Fees

The simplest way to avoid resort fees, of course, is to book a hotel that doesn’t charge them. Luckily, there are chains that forgo charging resort fees altogether. Some, such as Best Western and Choice Hotels, offer limited amenities in return. Others — such as Drury, Disney, and Ovolo — offer a high-end experience without any junk fees. 

If those hotels aren’t an option, there are a few other strategies you can employ. First, if you belong to a hotel chain’s loyalty program, consider booking with your points. Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt, for example, waive these fees completely on reward bookings. That’s not the case for all programs, though, so be sure to comb the checkout page carefully.

There’s also a chance you may be able to have the resort fee waived upon arrival. Speak to a hotel employee and (kindly) explain how you won’t be using any of their amenities. In some cases, the employee may be authorized to waive the fees. However, this is far more often the exception than the norm. If all else fails, it’s always worth your while to do a little research on what the resort fee covers and take advantage of those amenities — and hopefully feel a bit more that you’re getting your money’s worth.