What We Actually Pay When Staying at the Hotel: Hidden Charges
Hotels are expensive—on many occasions, you have to shell out more money than what you charge in a day. Are there things you pay for that you do not know?
Yes, there are, and there are many. You see, hotels are not merely rooms that you pay for. There are many goings-on in hotel management that you, as the consumer, pay for.
Wi-Fi Fee
If you carefully review your bill, you will see that you paid for your internet. Now, not all hotels offer free Wi-Fi. Some will ask you if you want a room with internet access or not. All rooms have Wi-Fi access. However, the hotel concierge will not give you the password unless you pay for it.
Most of the time, this fee is a hidden charge. When you book a room, they automatically charge you this fee. If you are a wise traveller and you already have data on your phone, you may want to ask the hotel to remove this from your bill. This way, you can save up to $20 per night.
Early Check-In and Out
Hotels will charge you money if you get there early. Depending on the country, many hotels will typically ask you to check-in at noon and check out at the same time.
If you want to check in earlier, like in the morning, they will charge you money for it. Some will even charge as high as $50 for checking in early. Their reasoning is that they will have to clean up the room earlier than usual. This is usually a trick. The room is already prepared, and they only want to charge you more money because you are staying longer. This is really asinine if you think about it.
The late checkout fee is another matter. One could understand why hotels will charge you for it. It is because you are using the room when someone could have already been paying for it. The problem is that they will charge you a lot for it compared to the usual rate. The trick here is to hang around or play some online games on sites like VulkanBet in the hall before you check-in. Also, make sure you check out at the time they specified.
Safe Fee
Some hotels have a safe in them. If you have something that you want to protect, you have to pay extra if you want to use the safe. The problem here is that some hotels will charge you for it even if you did not use it. The fee is small, like $1.50. So, it doesn’t really matter if you think about it. However, you can imagine how small fees like this can pile up, right?
The sad thing is that you cannot contest its use. It is hard for hotel management to prove that you did not use it. Just pay up and avoid the hassle of arguing over it.
Pet Fee
Yes, some hotels will charge you extra for bringing your pet. Sure, there are pet-friendly hotels, but they come at an extra cost. Many hotels do not advertise this. You will see on their websites or on booking sites that pets are allowed. So, you book a room and when you get there, you get surprised that they will charge you $50 for the pet. Some will even charge up to $100.
The hotel’s reason for this is that pets make a mess. Even if your pet doesn’t do so, you will still get charged. Some hotels are more forgiving—they will only charge something like $10 per night that your pet is in there.
Housekeeping Fee
This is a real rip-off. Some hotels charge you for keeping your room in order. How does this happen?
You see, it is your option whether or not you want your room cleaned if you are not in it. For many hotels, this service is free. However, there are others that charge for housekeeping separately, and they charge at every instance that you ask for cleaning services for your room.
The next time you stay in a hotel, consider these things so you do not get surprised. If you do not want to pay for these things, you are better off staying at a smaller joint, like a hostel or a motel. Just take note that by paying for hotels, you get comfort and security. If what you only need is a room, then use platforms like Couchsurfing where you can get free service in exchange for something.
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