How to use the resort fee total calculator
- Enter the number of nights, the room rate per night and the resort fee per night.
- Add parking per night if the hotel charges for it, and the tax rate from your booking. The tax rate starts at 0.
- Tick or clear whether tax also applies to the resort fee, as your booking states.
- Open More options to enter another hotel total to compare. Read the total and the real cost per night, then Copy, Print or export the CSV.
Formula
room = nights x room rate
fees = nights x resort fee
tax = tax rate x (room + fees, or room only)
total = room + fees + parking + tax
real cost per night = total / nights
Money is kept in whole cents and tax is rounded half up to the nearest cent. When you enter another hotel total, a difference in parentheses means this stay costs less.
Four nights at $189 with a $35 fee
Four nights at $189 is $756 and four resort fees of $35 are $140, so with no tax and no parking the total is $896, or $224 a night. The fee is 18.5% of the room rate.
Now add $20 a night for parking ($80) and 8.5% tax on the room and fee. Tax is 8.5% of $896 = $76.16 and the total becomes $1,052.16. A competing hotel at $1,000 with no resort fee would cost $52.16 less than this stay. If it were the other way around, the page shows the difference in parentheses.
Why the listed rate is not the whole price
Many hotels list a nightly room rate and add a mandatory fee for amenities at checkout. Because the fee is charged per night, it grows with the length of the stay. Comparing totals instead of room rates is the only fair way to choose between a hotel with a fee and one without.
The percent figure helps in the same way: a $35 fee on a $189 room adds 18.5%, so the room is not really $189. Parking, daily internet and other charges can also be listed separately.
Taxes and what to check
Whether tax applies to the resort fee depends on where the hotel is, and the rule is not built into this page. The tax rate starts at zero, so enter the rate and choose the option shown on your booking confirmation. If the numbers do not match your confirmation, trust the confirmation and ask the hotel.
For other travel costs, see the Airbnb vs hotel comparison, the trip budget planner and the trip cost splitter. The cruise gratuity calculator covers a similar per-night extra.
Assumptions and limits
- Nights are whole numbers from 1 to 365. Money amounts are in US dollars.
- The tax rate starts at 0 and is whatever you enter. No local rate is built in.
- Parking is charged per night. Other charges, deposits and incidentals are not modeled.
- Nothing is stored or uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
What is a resort fee?
A resort fee is a mandatory daily charge some hotels add on top of the room rate for amenities such as pools, internet or fitness access. It is often listed separately, so the room rate alone understates the cost.
How do I compare a hotel with a resort fee to one without?
Compare the total for the whole stay, including fees, parking and tax, not the nightly room rate. Enter the other hotel total under More options and the page shows the difference.
Is tax charged on the resort fee?
It depends on the location and the hotel, so no rule is built in. Use the tick box to match your booking confirmation, and enter the tax rate shown there.
Why does the real cost per night look so different?
Because it spreads the fee, parking and tax across every night. A fee that looks small each day can add a large share of the room rate over a stay.