A driver said she noticed a $25 daily charge on her hotel bill WTNH Parking fees are increasing across the US in hotel chains, an expert said Getty
Lauren Wolfe, the founder of killresortfees.com, spoke to Connecticut -based ABC affiliate WTNH about the extra cost she found on a recent hotel bill.
Wolfe said she recently stayed at a hotel during a vacation.
A car service dropped her off at the hotel’s front door, and she never touched foot in the parking lot.
But when she left, she noticed the $25 daily fee tacked onto her bill in the itemized receipt.
“It was really surprising to see this on the bill,” she told the station.
Wolfe, a hotel resort fee expert, said she immediately asked employees to remove the charge.
She reported they took the fee off her bill. But she said the added cost indicates a broader movement in the hotel industry.
“A parking fee of maybe like $10 a day five years ago, now we’re seeing some at like $40 a day,” she told the publication.
“And this isn’t in Manhattan. This is a suburban hotel.”
Wolfe said hotels are under greater regulatory scrutiny after the federal government announced new anti-hidden fee rules .
The federal government has proposed new rules requiring hotels to include all mandatory fees in the initial price you see when booking a room.
This move aims to crack down on “drip pricing,” where unexpected charges like resort fees are tacked on at checkout.
She also added the price of hotel maintenance has skyrocketed with inflation, narrowing profit margins for hotel chains.
To offset both pressures, Wolfe said the hotels have moved toward other pricing options that may fall out of the scope of a regulator’s view, like her automatic parking fee.
She advised hotel guests to check their receipts and asked for itemized lists with all fees.
How to fight a parking ticket
You can avoid being ticketed by following all posted laws and ordinances, but sometimes mistakes are made
Like any form of citation, parking tickets are preventable by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes are made.
Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket is a surprise to you, there are a few things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.
Carefully read the ticket. Look for errors like incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would then make the ticket invalid.
Take photos. Of the vehicle in the parking space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that weren’t cited for performing the same parking job. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with the time and date are accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or are on bent posts, or aren’t “obvious” are great things to photograph, too.
Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If not listed, the ticket is not valid.
Promptly follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have directions for appeal. Waiting until the very last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
“I didn’t know the law.”
“I was on my way to move my car.”
“I can’t afford this ticket.”
“I’ve been doing this for years.”
“I checked with the parking officer, who said it was OK.”
Contact a lawyer. If you’re running into roadblocks and feel stuck, it may be best to reach out to a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.
in the beginning fees were like a dollar or two and slowly kept rising so people would get used to it. it's like the frog being put in hot water it will jump out and stay out but start out with Luke warm water the frog will be comfy with it as the heat slowly gets hotter the frog stays with it tills it boils itself to death this is the same way they fee you to death and tax a little at a time so you get used to it so it becomes the norm . so pay up suckers don't like it MOVE on down the road.!
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