The 5 Most Ridiculous Fees To Turn Up On A Hotel Bill, According To Guests

Outside of a plane ticket, a hotel can be the most expensive part of your trip. That may be expected if you pick a luxury place to stay, but even if you search for and book an affordable hotel, you may be surprised when you check out and see your bill. There can sometimes be fees that you didn't expect. You may be charged a resort fee, for instance, or a fee for an extra person in your room. According to the FTC's Trade Regulation Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, which was instituted in mid-May 2025, hotels now have to disclose any fees before you pay. However, there have been quite a few ridiculous fees that have ended up on people's bills anyway. 

The new rule doesn't mean that all the fees are gone. It just means that you have to know about them beforehand. We checked out reports about some of the wilder ones from guests on Reddit, flying forums, and a few reports that were followed up on by websites to bring you some of the most ridiculous fees some hotel guests have been charged. Since these fees do have to be disclosed now, this is a good reminder to make sure you've read everything before you do things like order room service, ask for any room extras, or pay your hotel bill.  

It's no surprise that you may be charged some crazy fees in Las Vegas. However, one famous hotel has really gone above and beyond in this department. According to a 2025 post Casino.com's Vital Vegas, the Bellagio, an MGM Resorts property, is charging a fee when you order room service that is calculated depending on how it's served. While you often see a service charge for room service, this one feels like a money grab. The hotel charges you a $25 "operation charge" (which is clearly displayed at the top of their room service menu here) to have your food delivered on linens with glasses and silverware. This is called their "Classic Service." If you don't want to pay $25 extra on top of your $25 chicken tenders or your $38 spaghetti and meatballs, that's pretty understandable. 

However, you do have another option that is slightly better. You can also get your room service delivered in "eco-friendly containers." Basically, you're getting your food in to-go cartons. For this convenience, you'll pay an extra $10 operation charge. You can take this food out with you, but it's still considered room service. While this may seem way over the top, it's a little reminiscent of the "coperto" in Italy, which is a fee to sit at a table to offset the cost of linens and utensils. Still, it's clearly disclosed, so you have a choice about whether to pay it or not. There are certainly plenty of places to eat in Las Vegas if you decide to go out instead.

In 2020, travel website The Gate with Brian Cohen reported an unusual charge after a stay at Sleep Inn Beaver Beckley in West Virginia. Despite a quoted price and estimated total beforehand, the bill was higher than expected. In addition to the usual charges for the room, there was a fee of $1.50 for "Safe w/ltd Warranty." The poster called the hotel and was told that it was a fee for having a safe in the room. He disputed the charge, saying the safe was not only unused, but the fee wasn't disclosed beforehand. 

Despite some resistance from the hotel, the charge was removed. Inc.com later contacted Choice Hotels (the parent company) about the fee. They confirmed the removal, but said that its franchises do permit this charge. However, it must be disclosed and removed if requested.

On Reddit's r/hotels, another past Choice Hotel guest reported being billed for a $2.50 safe fee. A second Reddit user replied, saying they received a similar charge for $1.50 at a Red Roof Inn. "I was told it could be refunded at checkout," the commenter wrote, "and I asked for it to be refunded at checkout. (It was not.)"

In July of 2025, View from the Wing writer Gary Leff reported on a ridiculous hotel fee at Paris Las Vegas. As the article explains, a guest "set up her laptop on the desk and looked for an outlet. There was one right above the desk, but it was full, so she unplugged one of the cords and plugged in the computer." For this, the guest was charged $50 plus tax. Upon disputing the fee, the customer was informed of a "very small sign with even smaller print that says Please refrain from unplugging the tray. If this occurs, a fee of $50 will be applied." The sign was, according to the room's occupant, not next to the outlet. It was on the mini-bar tray on the desk.

The sign is definitely small, but it is there. In the end, the guest was told the fee was a third-party charge and it couldn't be removed. While this expense was disclosed, it's not one guests may know to look for or expect. Again, this example is a good reminder to read not just your bill but also any signage in your room.

In a 2024 Flyertalk forum post, one user said they found a charge on their bill for electricity, something that one would assume was included in the room price. Writing about a Holiday Inn Express in Elko, Nevada, the poster wrote: "they are saying there is a 12.95 energy recovery fee plus 3% credit card surcharge." A later reply by the original user mentioned that, after going through old records, they realized they'd received an "energy recovery fee" (ERF) at a Choice hotel in the past. They said the charge was listed as "12.95usd Erf Not Included In Rate Per Night." 

The websites View from the Wing and One Mile at a Time reported on this, with the latter confirming that the fee isn't part of the listed room charge but appears in the "additional charges" section. While it's important to pull out your calculator and examine everything on the bill before you pay, it's interesting to note that an ERF is something you may find on rental car bills as well. 

Parking fees at hotels can be rather pricey. However, what you may not expect is to get a parking fee if you aren't actually parking your car. A guest at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Plano, Texas told View from the Wing that they were charged $2.87 per night for something called a "City Fee." They also noticed that it just happens to be the exact same amount that the hotel charges people to park. However, this person didn't have a car. The guest told the site, "I stopped by the front desk and the agent happily removed it. But had my brain not connected the same numbers, I'd have had no idea." 

It's easy to forget to look for extra charges on your hotel bill. That's especially true if you're someone who just leaves the key card on the front desk and heads right out after a stay. However, it's worth taking some time to examine your bill, both when you book it, and when you check out. A few minutes could save you both money and a headache later. 

Hotel costs are a large part of vacation expenses, and when travelers find unexpected fees on their bills, they tend to post about it. To that end, we searched for traveler stories and experiences with these sorts of fees on social media, in Reddit's r/hotels community, and on travel forums such as Flyertalk to find the ones that upset people the most. We also looked at websites and travel sites that could back up the claims, like Inc.com's follow-up on the hotel safe charge from The Gate With Brian Cohen, as well as View from the Wing and One Mile at a Time. Casino.com's Vital Vegas coverage on resort charges also helped inform this list, though it was confirmed by the Bellagio's room service menu, which is available online.