Of course, anyone who regularly travels for business or works in the travel department of a company knows how much the airline carriers look for clever ways to jack up prices. Hotels are no different, and they are earning a staggering amount of money doing so.
According to an annual trend analysis report by Bjorn Hanson, a professor in hospitality and tourism at New York University’s School of Professional Studies, hotels in the United States took in a whopping $2.55 billion in fees and surcharges in 2016. That’s a 4 percent increase from the year before.
From early check-in to late checkout and even the coffee you prepare yourself in the room, hotels increasingly are finding ways to charge for amenities that previously were provided for free. This is why business travelers and travel managers alike need to pay extra-close attention to the fine print before reservations are made.
To help in the meantime, read more on the eight hidden fees to be on the lookout for and how you may be able to work around them. The hints are brought to you by SMT's owner, American Express Global Business Travel: 8 Hidden Hotel Fees And How Business Travelers Can Avoid Them.