Travel Deal of the Day (March 11, 2008)

When you are checking out of a hotel room, many people do not look over each charge on the final bill and assume the accuracy of the charges. Even if you do review the charges, you can often miss small surcharges that are added to your hotel bill. Because small surcharges are becoming increasingly commonplace, it is more important than ever to check your hotel bill very closely before checking out of your room.

The Deal:
When you check out of a hotel room, review each charge on your hotel bill. Many hotels will now try to add surcharges to your hotel bill – from resort fees to energy surcharges to activity fees. While the hotel may state that some charges are “mandatory,” you should at least question each charge at check-out to obtain more information about the charge. Better yet, question when such charges exist at check-in and decline the amenities associated with the “resort fee” (or other similar fee) in exchange for not being charged that fee.