Are Hotel Resort Fees Included in the Advertised Price? What Travelers Should Know

Compare the total hotel price, not just the nightly rate.

 You find a hotel room that looks like a great deal, click through to book it, and then notice a resort fee, destination fee, or another mandatory charge.

So does the hotel have to include that fee in the price you see upfront?

In the United States, the answer is generally yes for mandatory fees that the hotel or booking service knows about and can calculate upfront.

Under the Federal Trade Commission’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, businesses offering short-term lodging must display a total price that includes required fees rather than waiting until later in the booking process to reveal them.

That does not necessarily mean the first price you see includes taxes or every optional charge, though.

Here is what travelers should know before comparing hotel prices.

Do Hotel Prices Have to Include Resort Fees?

If a resort fee is mandatory, it generally must be included in the upfront total price displayed to consumers under the FTC rule.

The same principle applies even if the hotel uses another name for the charge, such as:

• resort fee
• destination fee
• amenity fee
• facility fee
• service fee

The name itself is not the important part.

The key question is whether you are required to pay the charge to book or use the lodging.

If you cannot reasonably avoid it, the fee should generally be reflected in the upfront total price.

The FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees took effect on May 12, 2025. It covers short-term lodging such as hotels, motels, inns, vacation rentals, and home-sharing accommodations.

It also applies to businesses offering or advertising those accommodations, including certain third-party booking platforms and travel agents.

The rule does not ban resort fees or other mandatory charges. Instead, it changes how those charges must be displayed.

The basic idea is simple: a low advertised price should not suddenly become much more expensive because unavoidable hotel fees appear later in the booking process.

What About Taxes, Cleaning Fees, and Optional Charges?

Mandatory fees can change the real cost of a hotel stay.

Taxes are an important exception.

Government taxes and certain other government-imposed charges may be excluded from the initially displayed total price. However, they still need to be disclosed before you are asked to pay.

That means there can be a difference between the upfront hotel price and the final payment amount.

A useful way to think about it is:

• the upfront total price should generally include mandatory hotel fees
• the final payment amount may be higher because of applicable taxes or optional extras you choose

Mandatory cleaning fees generally follow the same rule as resort fees.

If every guest has to pay a cleaning fee to complete a short-term lodging booking, that fee generally needs to be included in the total price displayed upfront.

This matters especially when comparing vacation rentals, where a low nightly rate can look attractive until a required cleaning charge is added.

Optional services are different.

A hotel or booking platform may still charge separately for something you voluntarily choose, such as optional trip protection or another add-on.

The important distinction is whether the charge is truly optional.

A fee does not become optional simply because it has a vague name or appears late in the checkout process.

How to Compare Hotel Prices Without Getting Misled

Check the total price before booking.

Even with stronger price-disclosure rules, it is still worth checking the details before booking.

1. Compare total prices, not just nightly rates

Suppose Hotel A appears to cost $180 per night and Hotel B appears to cost $195.

Hotel A is not automatically cheaper.

Look at the total required price for your actual stay before deciding.

This matters even more for multi-night bookings because daily mandatory charges can add up quickly.

2. Check what the displayed total actually includes

If you see a separate charge, determine whether it is:

• mandatory
• a government tax or charge
• an optional service you selected

That will help explain why the amount appears separately.

3. Review the final payment screen

Before confirming the reservation, compare the final amount with the price you saw earlier in the booking process.

If the difference is significant, check exactly what was added.

4. Watch for preselected extras

Pay particular attention to optional services that may already be selected during checkout.

In July 2026, the FTC announced a proposed $35 million settlement with the companies operating the Hopper travel apps over allegations that included hidden, preselected fees and misleading representations about certain services.

The case is a useful reminder that travelers should review the checkout screen instead of assuming every added service is required.

5. Save the price details

For an expensive or nonrefundable reservation, consider saving a screenshot or confirmation showing the price, included fees, cancellation terms, and final amount.

If a billing dispute occurs later, having a record of what was displayed when you booked can be useful.

What If a Mandatory Fee Appears Only at Checkout?

First, check whether the additional amount is a government tax, another permitted excluded charge, or something you voluntarily added.

If it is actually a mandatory hotel fee that could have been calculated earlier, that is different.

The FTC rule requires covered businesses to display the total price upfront with mandatory fees that are known and calculable, subject to the rule’s exceptions.

Consumers who believe a business is violating the rule can report the issue to the Federal Trade Commission.

The rule also applies beyond traditional hotels.

Covered short-term lodging can include vacation rentals and home-share accommodations as well as hotels, motels, and inns.

For example, if a vacation rental requires every guest to pay a cleaning fee, that mandatory charge generally should be included in the displayed total price.

Long-term residential rentals are different and are not covered by this particular short-term lodging rule.

Does This Mean Hidden Hotel Fees Are Gone?

Not exactly.

The rule changes how covered businesses must disclose mandatory charges. It does not prevent hotels from charging fees, and it does not mean every price shown during a hotel search will equal the final amount charged to your card.

Taxes may still be added, and optional purchases can increase the final price.

The practical improvement is that travelers should be able to compare lodging based on a more realistic upfront price instead of discovering unavoidable hotel fees only after moving through the booking process.

A Simple Hotel Price Checklist

Before confirming your next reservation, check:

• What is the total required price for the entire stay?
• Are any mandatory resort, destination, cleaning, or service fees listed separately?
• Which additional charges are taxes or government fees?
• Have any optional services been added?
• Does the final payment amount match what you expected?

A hotel with the lowest nightly rate is not always the hotel with the lowest total cost.

The number that matters most is what you will actually have to pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are resort fees illegal in the United States?

No.

The FTC rule does not generally prohibit hotels from charging resort fees. It focuses on how mandatory fees are disclosed.

Required fees that are known and calculable generally must be included in the upfront total price.

Can a hotel add taxes after showing its price?

Yes.

Government taxes and certain government charges may be excluded from the initially displayed total price, but they must be disclosed before payment and reflected in the final amount you are asked to pay.

Do mandatory cleaning fees have to be included?

For covered short-term lodging, a mandatory cleaning fee that every customer must pay generally must be included in the upfront total price.

Can optional hotel services cost extra?

Yes.

Genuinely optional products and services can be charged separately when you choose them.

Should I compare hotels by nightly rate or total price?

Use the total required price for your stay whenever possible.

It gives you a much more useful comparison than the base nightly rate alone.

The Bottom Line

When booking short-term lodging in the United States, mandatory resort fees and similar required charges generally should not suddenly appear at the end of checkout.

Under the FTC’s fee rule, required fees that are known and calculable generally need to be reflected in the upfront total price.

Taxes and genuinely optional extras can still change the final amount, so always review the full payment breakdown before confirming a reservation.

For travelers, the simplest rule is also the most useful:

Compare what you actually have to pay, not the cheapest-looking nightly rate.