How to Reclaim a Hotel Resort Fee in the US

Resort fees, destination fees, amenity fees: the names change but the trick is the same. A room is advertised at one price, then a mandatory fee gets tacked on at the desk or buried in checkout. As of May 2025 that practice is restricted by federal rule. Hotels now have to show the all-in price including mandatory fees up front. If you were quoted one total and charged a higher one because of an undisclosed resort fee, you have a solid case to get it refunded. This guide shows you how to push the hotel, escalate, and dispute the charge if needed. You do it yourself and keep the full amount.

Reviewed by Corey Musa, Founder·Last reviewed June 2026·LinkedIn

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Your rights

The FTC's Trade Regulation Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (the 'Junk Fees Rule'), effective May 12, 2025, requires hotels and short-term lodging to clearly and conspicuously display the total price including all mandatory fees, such as resort fees, whenever a price is advertised or offered. The total all-in price must be shown as prominently as, or more prominently than, other pricing. If a mandatory resort fee wasn't disclosed in the up-front total, that's a violation. Section 5 of the FTC Act separately bars deceptive pricing. Many states reinforce this: California's SB 478 (effective July 2024) and Minnesota's junk fee law (effective January 2025) both require advertised prices to include mandatory fees. State attorneys general have used broad unfair-and-deceptive-practices laws against hidden resort fees for years, including the Pennsylvania Attorney General's settlement with Marriott. If the fee wasn't in the price you agreed to, you can demand a refund and dispute the charge with your card issuer.

Step by step

1Document the advertised price. Pull up your booking confirmation, the original quoted total, and screenshots of the rate you were shown when you booked. Then compare it against your final folio showing the resort fee. The gap is your claim.
2Raise it at checkout or shortly after with the hotel. Tell the front desk or guest relations that the mandatory resort fee wasn't included in the total price you were quoted, which the FTC Junk Fees Rule requires, and ask them to remove or refund it.
3If the desk won't budge, escalate in writing to the hotel's management or the brand's customer care, and if you booked through a site like Expedia or Booking.com, raise it with them too. Reference the Junk Fees Rule and your state's pricing law, and ask for the fee back.
4If they still refuse, dispute the resort fee charge with your credit card issuer as a billing error, since you were charged more than the disclosed price. You can also report the hotel to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general.

What they'll say, and your comeback

“The resort fee was disclosed in the terms and conditions.”

Comeback, Disclosure in fine print or a separate terms page isn't enough. The FTC Junk Fees Rule requires the mandatory fee to be built into the total price shown up front, as prominently as the room rate. If it wasn't, the charge is improper and should be refunded.

“All guests pay the resort fee, it's standard.”

Comeback, If it's mandatory for every guest, that's exactly why it has to be in the advertised total price, not added later. A fee everyone must pay is part of the price under the rule. Please remove it or refund it.

“We can't refund it because it covers amenities like wifi and the pool.”

Comeback, What the fee supposedly covers doesn't change the disclosure requirement. If it's a mandatory charge, it belongs in the up-front total. Since it wasn't, I'm asking for a refund, and I'll dispute the charge and report the pricing if necessary.

FAQ

Does this apply if I booked through a third-party site?

Yes. The Junk Fees Rule covers how short-term lodging prices are displayed, including on booking platforms. If the total you were shown didn't include the mandatory resort fee, raise it with both the hotel and the booking site, and dispute the charge if needed.

What if the resort fee was shown but only at the very end of checkout?

Showing it only at the final step, after the headline price drew you in, is the drip-pricing pattern the rule targets. The all-in total including the fee is supposed to be displayed prominently from the start, so you still have grounds to ask for it back.

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A self-serve tool, not a law firm. General information, not legal advice.