If you're escaping to a warm vacation spot this winter, watch for hidden resort fees.
These are fees—typically $5 to $30 per night—that some hotels charge on top of the nightly room rate. But the extra costs may not be apparent when you book your room, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which recently sent a warning letter to some hotels, telling them to disclose the fees in the total price.
And they're not just for all-inclusive resorts. Hotels with amenities like a pool, spa,
sauna or bottled water may charge resort fees, regardless of whether you actually use any of the services, says Joe McInerney, president and chief executive of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
If your hotel has such amenities or an online reservation comes with a general disclosure like "additional fees may apply," that could mean resort fees await, says Annette Soberats, staff attorney in the FTC's division of advertising practices and lead attorney on the investigation that led to the warning letter.
You can typically find out about resort fees by calling the hotel or looking on its website, says Mr. McInerney. Then double-check when you arrive.
The FTC found that resort fees weren't always included in the total price of a room when booking through a hotel's site, says Ms. Soberats. The fees were disclosed in fine print or there was a general disclosure that other fees may apply.
Hotel websites typically disclose fees, says Mr. McInerney, but third-party booking sites may not.