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Six Tips For Avoiding Hidden Hotel Fees

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The revenue hotels earn from telephone calls, internet fees, fitness centers, the business center and other charges have tripled over the years. Recently an investigation conducted regarding four Wyndham establishments by Florida’s attorney general led to a settlement of $2.3 million and a new requirement that all hotel fees be disclosed straight up. Wyndham has agreed to now make this part of their system across the country. The rest of the hotels however, could be slow on the uptake, so here are a few tips to avoid hidden fees at hotels:

Avoid top business hotels. These hotels cater exclusively to business travelers and are quite intent on helping them on spending their per diem.
Choose hotels that are against hidden fees. Take for example Omni and Kimpton who now have free Wi-Fi in the lobby.

If you are booking a hotel online, do it directly on the hotel sites. If you find a great deal online, it would be best if you compare the rates on the third party website with the hotel website.

It is always wiser to ask the hotel to prepare your bill the night before you check out. This way you have time to scrutinize the bill and check on charges you were unaware of, etc. If you get caught up in the rush at the time of checking out, chances are, you would not go into the details of the bill and then, hidden charges will go unnoticed.

Do not be ashamed to haggle. If you are a frequent guest or a member of a loyalty club, feel free to ask for a daily ‘best’ rate on phone calls and other services.

The obvious must never be overlooked. Always ask if there is a service charge before tipping, bring in your own bottled water so you do not have to use the mini bar and so on and so forth.

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