The Slow Death of Resort Fees: Why 2026 Is the Year the Hidden Hotel Charge Finally Cracks
The FTC's all-in pricing rule, the Marriott settlement, and three state AG lawsuits have changed how resort fees are disclosed. They're not gone — but the days of finding them at checkout are over.
The FTC's "Junk Fees" rule went into effect May 2024 and now requires upfront disclosure of resort fees in the headline price. Marriott settled a multi-state AG case in 2019 for $220M. Hilton followed. The fees themselves haven't disappeared — Vegas Strip resort fees average $45/night in 2026 — but they must now be shown in the search-result price, not buried at checkout. Two states (Texas, California) have filed new lawsuits arguing the disclosures are still inadequate.
The resort fee is one of the great consumer scams of modern travel. A $179 hotel room becomes a $224 hotel room at checkout because of a "resort fee" that covers things — pool access, gym, Wi-Fi — that used to be free.
For 25 years it was a one-way ratchet: the fees only ever went up. In 2026 that's finally cracking.
How resort fees got invented
The first documented resort fee was charged by the Doral Resort & Spa in Florida in the 1990s. By 2010 the practice had spread to most Vegas Strip properties. By 2019 the average Vegas resort fee was $32/night. By 2024 it was $45/night.
The economics were irresistible to operators: resort fees aren't subject to travel-agency commissions, aren't included in OTA price comparisons, and are taxed at lower rates than room revenue in some jurisdictions.
The 2019 Marriott settlement and the FTC rule
In 2019 the Nebraska AG sued Marriott alleging deceptive disclosure of resort fees. The case eventually expanded into a multi-state action. Other state AGs (DC, Pennsylvania, Texas) followed.
Then the FTC, under Chair Lina Khan, opened a "junk fees" rulemaking in 2022. The final rule — the "Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees" — went into effect May 2024. It requires upfront disclosure of all mandatory fees in the price you see when you search.
The rule's enforcement mechanism: hotels can be fined per violation. After May 2024, every major hotel chain rolled out new search interfaces showing the all-in price.
Where resort fees actually stand in 2026
The fees are not going away. But the disclosure has shifted: when you search for a Vegas hotel on Booking.com, Expedia, or the property's own site, the price displayed now includes the resort fee. The fee still appears as a line item on your folio — but you knew about it before you booked.
The properties that actually waive resort fees
A small but growing list of properties advertise "no resort fees" as a competitive feature. Most are off-Strip or boutique:
- Off-Strip Vegas: Tuscany Suites, Orleans (Boyd), Suncoast (Boyd), Gold Coast
- Some Caesars properties: Diamond+ Caesars Rewards members get the fee waived at most properties
- Most tribal casinos: Pechanga, Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, Yaamava' do not charge resort fees
- Most regional casinos: Mississippi, Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania casinos largely don't charge them
The resort fee is increasingly a Strip-only phenomenon. If you go to a tribal casino in California, a regional casino in Pennsylvania, or a riverboat in Mississippi, you usually pay the room rate and nothing else.
How to avoid them
Three reliable methods:
- Use loyalty status. Caesars Rewards Diamond, MGM Rewards Pearl, Wyndham Diamond all waive resort fees at participating properties. Status-match into one of these (see our status match guide) and the fees disappear.
- Book casino comps with the room rate AND fees comped. Always confirm with the host that "resort fees are included in the comp." Most hosts will say yes if you ask. Some won't unless you ask.
- Choose properties that don't charge them. Our live resort-fees tracker ranks every property we cover by current fee. If you're flexible on property, this saves real money.
Where this is headed
Texas filed a new lawsuit against Hyatt in October 2025 arguing that the all-in disclosures at the search step are still misleading because the breakdown happens at checkout. California has hinted at follow-on rulemaking. The next phase of consumer pressure will likely target the underlying fees themselves rather than just the disclosure.
In the meantime, the practical advice for 2026 is unchanged: assume $30-50/night in resort fees on the Strip, plan around it, and use loyalty or comps to make it disappear when you can.
Topics
- resort-fees
- consumer
- vegas
- regulation