How to Get a Surprise Hotel Resort Fee Removed With a Calm Front‑Desk Script

You’re not “bad at money.” You’re under-practiced at one specific conversation: the calm, in-the-moment request that turns a surprise hotel resort/destination/amenity fee into a waived fee, an adjusted bill, or a manager-authorized credit.

Here’s the reality the sources support: regulators are mainly cracking down on how prices are shown—the “drip pricing” problem where mandatory fees appear late—rather than promising you can always opt out of a properly disclosed mandatory fee. The most defensible angle isn’t “I didn’t use the pool.” It’s: “This mandatory fee wasn’t clearly disclosed in the total price before I booked, and I need my bill aligned with the price I was shown.” (FTC announcements and guidance; state AG actions; California’s SB 478 materials.)

Below is a front-desk mini-play you can use at check-in or checkout, with branches for pushback, manager escalation, and “we can’t remove it” outcomes—plus a one-screen call map and a printable fill-in script.

The One‑Screen Call Map (Front Desk Edition)

OPEN  →  ASK  →  PAUSE  →  COUNTER  →  MANAGER  →  CONFIRM IN WRITING  →  GOODBYE

OPEN: Warm + specific.
ASK: One clear request (remove/waive/adjust).
PAUSE: Let them work.
COUNTER: Repeat the basis (not clearly disclosed in total price).
MANAGER: “Who can authorize a waiver/adjustment?”
CONFIRM IN WRITING: Updated folio + email note.
GOODBYE: Close politely; keep your paper trail.

Before You Say a Word: Your 90‑Second Prep (Quietly, Phone in Hand)

You’re building calm leverage. Not drama.

Pull up what you saw when you booked. Confirmation email, booking page screenshot, or the final “total” you budgeted for.
Find the exact label. Is it called a “resort fee,” “destination fee,” “amenity fee,” or “facilities fee”? Use their wording.
Know your one sentence.
“I wasn’t shown this mandatory fee in the total price before I booked.”

Why this works: The FTC has announced a rule aimed at stopping bait-and-switch “junk fees” and requiring the true total price, including mandatory fees, to be clearly and conspicuously disclosed whenever a price is displayed for short-term lodging. The rule targets drip pricing—not the existence of the fee itself—so your strongest request is about what you were shown upfront. (FTC press release and business guidance.)

If you’re in California: SB 478 (the “Hidden Fees” / “Honest Pricing” law) is explicitly about advertising/listing prices that omit required fees, with limited exceptions, and the state DOJ materials emphasize that later disclosures don’t cure an initially misleading price. That can sharpen your phrasing. (California DOJ SB 478 page; California AG press release.)

Mini Play #1: Check‑In “Catch It Early” Script (Best Timing)

Cast: Guest (you), Front Desk Agent, Manager (optional)
Scene: You’re checking in. You just heard the fee mentioned—or you spotted it on the registration screen.

Guest: Hi—thanks. Before I sign, can we review the total? I’m seeing a [fee name] I wasn’t expecting.

Agent: That’s our resort/destination/amenity fee. It’s mandatory.

Guest (ASK): I understand. I booked based on the total price I was shown, and this mandatory fee wasn’t clearly included upfront. Can you remove it from my folio—or adjust the bill so the total matches what I was shown?

Agent: We can’t remove it.

Guest (PAUSE): Okay. Who can authorize an adjustment or waiver on mandatory fees—your manager on duty?

If they say “Everyone pays it” → use Line B

Guest (Line B): I hear you. My concern is disclosure: I wasn’t shown the true total price including mandatory fees before I booked. I’m not asking for a special experience—just the bill aligned with the price that was displayed to me when I committed.

If they say “It’s in the fine print” → use Line C

Guest (Line C): Thanks—can you point me to exactly where it was shown before booking as part of the total price? If it wasn’t clear and conspicuous upfront, I’d like a manager-authorized adjustment.

If they offer an alternative (“We can give a credit”) → take it, then confirm

Agent: We can’t waive it, but we can offer a credit.

Guest: That works—thank you. Can we put that in writing on the folio or in an email so I have a clean record at checkout?

If they bring a manager → your calm escalation

Manager: How can I help?

Guest: Thank you. I booked based on the total price shown, and this [fee name] wasn’t clearly disclosed as part of that total. I’m requesting a waiver or an equivalent adjustment so my final total matches the price I was shown. What can you authorize today?

Manager: We’ll waive it / apply a credit.

Guest (CONFIRM IN WRITING): I appreciate it. Could you email the updated confirmation/folio showing the adjustment, and note the reason as “mandatory fee not disclosed upfront”?

Guest (GOODBYE): Thanks for helping me resolve it calmly.

Mini Play #2: Checkout “I Just Found It” Script (Still Works)

Cast: Guest (you), Front Desk Agent, Manager (optional)
Scene: You’re checking out. The folio shows the fee and you didn’t catch it earlier.

Guest: Hi—quick question before I pay. I’m seeing a [fee name] on my folio that I didn’t see in the total price before I booked.

Agent: That fee is mandatory.

Guest (ASK): Understood. Because it wasn’t clearly included in the total price shown to me when I booked, I’m requesting it be removed or adjusted so the final total matches what I was shown.

Agent: The system adds it automatically.

Guest (COUNTER): That makes sense. I’m not asking you to change the system—just to apply a manager-authorized waiver or equivalent adjustment. Who can approve that?

If they push you toward “call corporate later” → use Line B

Guest (Line B): I can follow up later if needed, but I’d like to resolve it here while you can document the adjustment on the folio. Could we involve the manager on duty?

If they say “You should’ve noticed” → use Line C

Guest (Line C): I hear that. The issue is that the mandatory fee wasn’t clearly disclosed in the upfront total price. I’m asking for a fair correction, and I’m staying respectful—I’d appreciate your help.

If the manager says “We disclosed it” → ask for the exact proof

Manager: It was disclosed.

Guest: Thanks—could you show me where it appeared as part of the total price before booking? If the total displayed to me didn’t include mandatory fees, I’m requesting an adjustment today.

What Leverage You Actually Have (And What You Don’t)

You do have leverage when the fee was not clearly disclosed upfront

The FTC has announced a rule focused on requiring the true total price (including mandatory fees) to be disclosed clearly and conspicuously when a price is displayed for short-term lodging, aimed at drip pricing and bait-and-switch tactics. Your script is built to be consistent with that: “Align my bill with the total price I was shown.” (FTC press release; FTC business guidance; FTC effective-date announcement and FAQs.)

State enforcers have also treated hidden mandatory hotel fees as a transparency problem. For example, Texas and Colorado attorneys general announced agreements with Marriott centered on clearer, prominent disclosure of resort fees and total price presentation (including prominence and sorting by total price), along with related compliance steps. You’re not threatening anyone; you’re calmly pointing to a recognized consumer-protection concern: the total should be clear upfront. (Texas AG release; Colorado AG release.)

If you’re in California, the SB 478 materials are especially direct: the state DOJ’s guidance describes honest pricing expectations for including required fees in advertised/listed prices (with limited exceptions) and emphasizes that later disclosure doesn’t fix an initially misleading price. That gives you a clean, location-specific phrasing: “The listed price should include required fees.” (California DOJ SB 478 page; California AG press release.)

You don’t have a guaranteed opt‑out when the fee was properly disclosed

The sources consistently frame the regulatory direction as price disclosure rather than banning the fee itself. So if the hotel can show the mandatory fee was clearly included in the upfront total price you saw, your “remove it” request becomes more of a goodwill ask than a disclosure correction. (FTC materials; state AG materials’ focus on transparency.)

That’s why your best posture is:

First: “I wasn’t shown the total price including mandatory fees.”
Second: “Can you waive it or adjust as goodwill?”
Third: “If not, please document in writing what this fee is and how it was disclosed.”

The Calm Documentation Moves That Win (Without Raising Your Blood Pressure)

Think of documentation as your “quiet superpower,” not a threat.

Ask for itemization in writing

Guest: Could you provide an itemized folio that shows the [fee name] separately, and email it to me?

This aligns with the transparency emphasis found in enforcement actions and guidance around clear disclosure and fee presentation. (FTC materials; Texas and Colorado AG releases.)

Confirm the resolution in writing before you leave the desk

Guest: Great—can you email the updated folio showing the fee waived/credited, and include the adjustment reason?

If they refuse to change anything: ask for a written statement

Guest: Understood. Please note on my folio that I disputed the fee because it wasn’t clearly disclosed in the total price before booking, and email me the final folio today.

You’re building a clean record—useful if you later choose to complain to a regulator or state consumer protection office about deceptive price presentation. (FTC materials; state AG actions; California DOJ guidance for CA stays.)

Mini Play #3: “Goodwill Credit” Negotiation (When They Won’t Remove the Fee)

Sometimes the path of least stress is: accept a manager-authorized credit or equivalent adjustment, then move on.

Agent: We can’t waive it, but we can offer a credit.

Guest: Thank you—that’s acceptable. To confirm, will the credit offset the [fee name] so my out-of-pocket total is in line with what I was shown?

Agent: Yes.

Guest (CONFIRM): Great. Please email the updated folio showing the fee and the credit, and note that the adjustment was because the mandatory fee wasn’t clearly included in the upfront total price.

If they offer something vague → tighten it

Guest: I appreciate the help. I’m happy with any equivalent adjustment, as long as it’s clearly reflected on the final folio.

Mini Play #4: “This Is California” Branch (Use Only If It’s True)

If the stay is in California (or your booking was marketed to California consumers), keep it simple and non-performative.

Guest: I want to flag something specific: I booked based on the listed price, and the mandatory [fee name] wasn’t included in the price shown upfront. My understanding is that in California, required fees generally need to be included in advertised/listed prices. Can we correct this by removing the fee or adjusting the total to match the listed price?

(You’re grounding the request in California’s official SB 478 guidance and the AG’s public messaging on hidden fees, without turning the desk into a courtroom.) (California DOJ SB 478 page; California AG press release.)

If They Still Say No: A Calm Escalation Path (No Threats, Just Steps)

The goal here is not to “win an argument.” It’s to leave with:

the best outcome you can get today, and
a clean record if you choose to escalate later.

Step 1: Ask for the decision-maker

Guest: Thank you. Who is the highest-level person available right now who can authorize a waiver or adjustment?

Step 2: Ask for the disclosure proof

Guest: Can you show me where this mandatory fee was included in the total price before booking, and can you email that to me?

Step 3: Ask for corporate contact + written summary

Guest: Please email me the final folio and the name/contact for the department that handles billing disputes, and note that I’m disputing the fee due to lack of clear upfront disclosure.

Step 4: Consider a complaint if the fee presentation appears deceptive

The sources point to regulator and attorney general attention on hidden mandatory hotel fees and “junk fee” drip pricing, with the FTC’s rule and state actions emphasizing clear, conspicuous total price disclosure. If your documentation shows the total price you were shown excluded a mandatory fee, that’s the kind of fact pattern these efforts target. (FTC press release; FTC guidance; FTC effective-date announcement; Texas AG release; Colorado AG release; California DOJ SB 478 page; California AG press release.)

A practical note from the reporting: Reuters flagged that enforcement and implementation can face uncertainty (including political/legal efforts). That doesn’t change what you experienced at the desk, but it helps explain why pricing displays can still be inconsistent across booking flows. (Reuters.)

Plan B (Often More Reliable Than Arguing About Amenities)

If the property won’t budge, your next-best leverage—according to consumer travel guidance in the sources—is often structural, not emotional:

Choose properties without these fees next time (avoidance beats conflict). (NerdWallet.)
Use points/award stays where the program’s policy waives resort fees (where applicable). (NerdWallet; CNN Underscored.)
Leverage top-tier status waivers where the brand offers them (where applicable). (NerdWallet.)

These aren’t guaranteed across every brand and booking situation, but the sources frame them as more reliable “mechanics” than trying to debate whether you used the amenities. (NerdWallet; CNN Underscored.)

Printable Script (Fill‑In‑The‑Blanks, Front Desk Ready)

Print this or keep it as a note. Read it slowly.

OPEN
Hello—thanks for your help. Before I finalize, I’m seeing a [fee name] on my reservation/folio.

ASK (one sentence)
I booked based on the total price shown to me on [booking channel/site] on [date], and this mandatory fee wasn’t clearly included upfront. Please waive/remove it or adjust the bill so my total matches what I was shown.

PAUSE
(Stop talking. Let them type.)

IF PUSHBACK: “It’s mandatory.”
I understand it’s mandatory. My concern is disclosure: I wasn’t shown the true total price including mandatory fees before I booked. Who can authorize a waiver or equivalent adjustment?

IF PUSHBACK: “It was disclosed.”
Thank you—please show me where it appeared in the total price before booking, and email that to me along with the updated folio.

IF THEY OFFER A CREDIT
That works—thank you. Please confirm the credit amount [amount] on my folio so my out-of-pocket total aligns with what I was shown.

MANAGER ASK
Could we involve the manager on duty? I’m requesting a manager-authorized waiver/adjustment due to lack of clear upfront total price disclosure.

CONFIRM IN WRITING
Please email me the updated folio to [your email] and note: “Adjusted due to mandatory fee not disclosed upfront.”

GOODBYE
Thanks again—I appreciate you helping me resolve this calmly.

One Tiny Money-Tracking Note (Optional, Practical Only)

Once the folio is corrected, tag the updated lodging charge in your budget tracker (for example, Monee) with a short note like “fee waived/credit applied,” so your lodging category reflects the true total.