What the FTC Junk Fees Rule Changes for Resort Bookings
In the United States, federal regulators have addressed the issue directly. The Federal Trade Commission announced its final Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees on December 17, 2024, and the rule took effect on May 12, 2025. According to the FTC, it prohibits bait-and-switch pricing and other tactics used to hide total prices in the live-event ticketing and short-term lodging industries. The agency’s stated aim is to make comparison shopping easier by requiring prices to include fees.
Law firm summaries of the rule describe four prohibited practices: failing to disclose the total price inclusive of mandatory fees whenever a price is offered or advertised, failing to display that total more prominently than other pricing information, misstating the cost or fees of the lodging, and implying that fees are government-imposed or legally required when they are not. Britannica’s overview adds that some costs, such as taxes and shipping, can be provided at checkout, but they must be disclosed before the consumer enters payment information. The rule covers hotels, inns and vacation rentals, but not car rentals or airline tickets.
Legal analysts have emphasized the limits of the rule. Morgan Lewis described it as a disclosure rule rather than a substantive one, meaning it regulates how prices are displayed, not what prices may be charged. Barnes and Thornburg reported that civil penalties of up to $51,744 per violation may apply. Even with the rule in force, Fox News reported that a NerdWallet study found many resorts still add extra fees, which suggests that travelers still need to read the final price screen carefully.
Comparing the True Price of a Resort Stay Before You Book
Because published figures vary by destination, property and year, the most reliable comparison is the all-in total for the specific dates a traveler plans to stay. That means looking past the nightly rate and finding the mandatory fee, any tax applied to it and the number of nights, then multiplying through. On a five-night stay, a fee in the range reported for Las Vegas can add a few hundred dollars before any dining or other charges are counted.
Travelers can also check how a property describes what the fee includes, since hotels commonly say it covers amenities such as Wi-Fi, pool access and fitness centers. Whether those amenities are actually used is a personal judgment, but it helps to know whether a charge is unavoidable. Where a property advertises an all-in or no-fee rate, as Sahara Las Vegas did in 2025, the comparison should be made on the final total rather than the headline number. Reviewing restaurant and bar checks for automatic gratuities or service charges can also prevent paying twice for the same service.
Counting the Real Price of a Resort Stay
The documented picture is consistent: resort fees, taxes on those fees and automatic service charges can all push the final cost of a stay well above the rate first displayed. Reported averages range from about $33 to more than $42 per night depending on the sample, and Las Vegas Strip properties are cited at $45 to $55 or more before tax. A federal rule in effect since May 2025 requires lodging businesses to show the total price including mandatory fees, yet it regulates disclosure rather than the size of the charges, and reports indicate extra fees remain common. For travelers, the practical lesson from the available evidence is to compare resorts by the all-in total, check what a fee covers and read every line of the final bill.
