What Exactly Did We Pay $47 For at This Hotel? I’m Still Not Sure

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I think we can all agree: no one likes paying additional fees. We’ve covered hotel fees in the past—why hotels charge them, and whether you can get around paying them.

You Can’t Escape the Fees — Even on Free Nights

Thanks to increasing legal pressure, hotels have gotten better about disclosing these fees upfront, even if they’re not included in the price you initially see when searching. Still annoying, but at least you know what you’re getting into.

As much as I hate them, I’ve accepted that these fees are part of the deal when staying at a hotel. Whether they call it a destination fee, resort fee, or something else entirely, I factor it into the overall cost when comparing properties. Sometimes, even with the added fee, a hotel is cheaper than others. It’s just not as good of a deal as it might first appear.

One of the more frustrating things about these fees is that unless you stay at a Hilton or Hyatt property, you’re often stuck paying these fees even when redeeming points or free night certificates. For example, when we used free night certs at the Aloft San Juan, we still had to pay the $35 nightly fee. But at least that included a food and beverage credit, a welcome drink, and a casino match play credit. It’s not ideal, but at least you got something for the money.

The Most Useless Destination Fee We’ve Ever Paid

But then we stayed at the Kimpton Hotel Theta in Midtown Manhattan. That’s where we found what might be the most useless “Destination Fee” we’ve ever seen.

The hotel charges a $41 daily fee (which comes out to $47 after taxes). Here’s what you get for that:

• Upgraded Wi-Fi
• Unlimited local and long-distance calls
• Brand new fitness center and Peloton bikes
• Kimpton Press Reader access for the latest news
• $20 Dry cleaning and laundry credit
• 2 Bottles of Water

Now, I know what you’re thinking—$47 a day? That’s gotta come with some decent perks, right?

Well, here’s the “brand-new” fitness center. Yes, it had two Peloton bikes. But that was the highlight.

These were, hands down, the most useless set of amenities I’ve ever seen bundled into a hotel fee. “Upgraded Wi-Fi”? All IHG One Rewards members already get free Wi-Fi. The PressReader app isn’t exactly a premium offering. And let’s be honest—two bottles of water don’t make up for $47 in added charges.

I’m past the stage of being mad about paying above the listed price—most hotels at least try to offer some value to soften the blow. But Kimpton Theta didn’t even bother. And yes, we had to pay this fee even when using IHG points for a free night.

Have You Seen Anything Worse?

If you’ve traveled to New York City or Las Vegas, you already know these places are notorious for tacking on destination or resort fees—sometimes even at hotels that offer nothing close to “resort” amenities. This one from Kimpton Theta might take the cake, but we’re always on the lookout for worse.

Have you ever seen a more ridiculous hotel fee? Drop it in the comments—we’d love to hear your “you won’t believe this” stories.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary