Check resort fee impact on stay cost.
A resort fee is a mandatory nightly charge excluded from the advertised rate, which makes it a pricing device rather than a service charge — the wifi, pool towels and gym access it nominally covers are things you would expect included. The uplift percentage is the number that matters when comparing properties, because it exposes how much of the real price is hidden. Tax usually applies to the fee as well, so the effective uplift runs above the fee's face value, and it compounds across every night of the stay.
Resort fee impact
Fee with tax = resort fee x (1 + tax rate); uplift % = fee with tax / advertised rate x 100; true nightly = advertised + fee with tax
Rarely. They are mandatory regardless of which facilities you use, and disputing them at checkout almost never succeeds. Filtering searches for properties without them is the only reliable approach.
Above about 20% the advertised rate has stopped being informative, and above 30% a nominally cheaper property is frequently the more expensive one. Compare true nightly rates rather than advertised ones in that range.
Usually not — most chains charge resort fees on award stays as well, which is a significant hidden cost on a points redemption. A few programmes waive them for elite members, so check the specific rule.