What will this hotel actually cost?
Enter the nightly rate you were quoted plus any resort fee, parking and tax, and we’ll show the real total, how much of it is fees rather than room, and whether the hotel was legally required to show it up front.
How this tool works
A hotel quote hides three different kinds of money, and only one of them is the room.
- The room rate — the number in the search results.
- Mandatory fees — resort, destination, facility, amenity or urban fees. You cannot decline them, and you pay them per night whether or not you use the pool.
- Taxes and optional extras — occupancy tax is charged on top, and parking is usually separate again.
What changed, and what did not. The FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (16 C.F.R. Part 464) took effect on 12 May 2025. It requires the total price, including every mandatory fee, to be shown clearly wherever short-term lodging is advertised. California went further and earlier: SB 478 and AB 537 have required an all-in advertised rate since 1 July 2024, with civil penalties up to $10,000.
But neither law bans or caps resort fees. They are disclosure rules. The fee still lands on your bill — it just has to be visible sooner. That distinction is the single most misunderstood thing about this subject, and it is why a calculator is still worth having.
Government taxes are legitimately excluded from the advertised total under both rules, so even a compliant headline price is not the number you pay.
We deliberately publish no per-hotel fee amounts. Resort fees vary by property and by date, and a made-up figure would be worse than asking you for the one you were actually quoted.
What hotels call the fee, and whether the law makes them show it
| Charge | Can you decline it? | What it usually covers | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resort fee | No — mandatory | Wi-Fi, pool and gym access, local phone calls, sometimes a drink or printing credit | Charged per night, per room, whether or not you use a single thing it covers. |
| Destination fee | No — mandatory | The same idea rebranded for city hotels with no resort facilities — often a credit at the bar or a walking-tour voucher | Identical in effect to a resort fee. The name change does not make it optional. |
| Facility or amenity fee | No — mandatory | Gym, business centre, pool | Another rename. If you cannot decline it, it is mandatory and must be in the advertised total. |
| Urban fee | No — mandatory | City-centre equivalent of a resort fee | Same again. |
| Parking | Yes — optional | Self-park or valet, per night | Genuinely optional if you have no car, so it sits OUTSIDE the mandatory total — and it is often the single biggest add-on, especially at city and resort properties. |
| Government taxes and lodging levies | No — mandatory | State and city occupancy tax, tourism levies | Legitimately excluded from the advertised price by both the FTC rule and California law, so the number you see is still not the number you pay. |
| Early check-in / late check-out | Yes — optional | A flat charge for arriving early or leaving late | Optional, and often waived on request or with status. |
| Pet fee | Yes — optional | Per stay or per night, sometimes with a deposit | Optional in the sense that it depends on you, but non-negotiable once you bring the animal. |
FAQ
Are resort fees illegal now?
No. The FTC's fee rule, effective 12 May 2025, and California's SB 478 and AB 537, effective 1 July 2024, require the mandatory fee to be included in the advertised total price. Neither bans the fee or limits how large it can be. You still pay it — you just have to be shown it earlier.
Can I refuse to pay a resort fee?
Not if it was disclosed. It is part of the contract you agreed to when booking. The realistic options are to pick a hotel that does not charge one, or to raise it with the hotel if the fee was never disclosed before payment — which is precisely what the rules now prohibit.
Do resort fees get taxed?
Usually yes. Occupancy tax is generally applied to the mandatory fee as well as the room rate, so a $45 resort fee can cost more than $45. This calculator applies your tax rate to the room and the mandatory fee together.
What is a destination fee?
The same charge as a resort fee, renamed for city hotels that have no resort facilities to point at. Facility fee, amenity fee and urban fee are further variations. If you cannot decline it, it is mandatory whatever it is called.
Is parking included in the resort fee?
Rarely. Parking is normally charged separately and is often the largest single add-on, especially in cities and at resorts. Because it is avoidable if you have no car, it sits outside the mandatory total that must be advertised.
Why do you not list the fee for my specific hotel?
Because resort fees vary by property and by date, and publishing a figure we could not stand behind would be worse than useless — you would budget against a number that was never yours. Enter the fee you were quoted and this works out the real total from it.