Hotel guests charge mandatory parking fees, even though they do not have a car

When a man checked out of a hotel, he was shocked to see a parking fee, even though he didn’t have a car.

Assuming this was a mistake, he called the front desk. To his surprise, he was told that this charge was not an error, but a mandatory fee for all guests, regardless of whether or not they parked at the resort.

The hotel guest had to pay a mandatory parking fee of $75 despite not having a car.

When conference organizer Robert Kraus checked into a newly opened Hyatt Place in North Florida for an “educational conference aimed at meeting planners,” everything seemed as it should. He was given his room key and information about the WiFi and free breakfast.

Hotel guest check in at reception Friends stock | Shutterstock

During check-in, Kraus was also asked if he was parking at the hotel. “I said no because I took an expensive van from the airport to the property,” he says explained on LinkedIn.

The man attended his conference as planned and checked out of the hotel three days later.

“(Upon) checking out, like many people, I simply handed over the key as I rushed to get my van back to the airport an hour away,” he recalls. “Once at the gate, I checked my emails, including the hotel’s final bill.”

Then he noticed he had been charged $25 per day for valet parking despite not even having a car with him.

“Imagine my eyes literally popping out of my head!” he wrote. “Mind you, this added about 18% to the cost of my hotel room, so it was no small thing.”

The man contacted the hotel reception in an attempt to resolve this issue.

After being put on hold for what seemed like an eternity, Kraus was told that during check-in he was given a piece of paper that listed the hotel’s rules and regulations, with the charge at the bottom.

Man at the airport disputes hotel charges Dean Drobot | Shutterstock

“I admit I didn’t read the entire list — which, by the way, was a page long,” Kraus wrote of the aforementioned article. “The front desk didn’t encourage me to read this either.”

The newspaper explained that each guest would be charged a “mandatory parking fee” of $25 per day, regardless of whether he or she parked on site or not.

When Kraus heard this information, he asked to speak to a manager, who – after putting him on hold several times – assured Kraus that they would grant a “waiver” and credit him the $75. As of his LinkedIn post on September 18, he was still waiting for a refund.

This isn’t the first time hotels have charged Kraus these so-called “junk fees.” While staying at a hotel with his staff, he was charged $20 a night for a “daily destination charge” – for each of the 50 rooms he booked.

Junk fees are hidden or unnecessary charges that companies add to the cost of goods or services, often without providing a valid explanation.

Unwanted charges may appear on your hotel bills for amenities such as gyms, pools or WiFi. even if the guest hasn’t used them not at all.

These costs make it difficult for customers to budget and understand the full costs as these are often not disclosed in advance.

In 2023, a nonprofit consumer protection group came calling “Travelers United” has filed a lawsuit against the Hyatt company, alleging that the chain defrauded customers of millions of dollars by falsely advertising hotel room rates.

“Rather than disclosing the full cost of its hotel rooms upfront, Hyatt instead adds last-minute ‘destination fees,’ ‘resort fees,’ and other similar charges that are actually part of the daily room rate,” the filing said.

According to Lauren Wolfe, Chief Legal Officer of Travelers’ United, junk fees in the hotel industry amount to more than $2 billion per year.

“Junk fees are not just greedy and deceptive. They are illegal,” Wolfe told The Street. “This lawsuit will show that hotels are breaking the law when they charge resort fees without including them in the advertised price.”

In October 2023, the Biden administration cracked down on junk fees to protect American consumers.

No one should have to pay a fee for services they do not use. If you notice extra and unnecessary charges on your bill, don’t be afraid to dispute them!

Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango covering entertainment and news, self, love and relationships.