Do Globalists Pay Resort Fees?

By Robert Palmer

When it comes to luxury travel, resort fees can be a bone of contention for many travelers. These fees are added to the cost of a hotel room and are intended to cover amenities like Wi-Fi, gym access, and pool towels. While some travelers are willing to pay these fees for the convenience they offer, others see them as an unnecessary expense that should be included in the price of the room.

What Are Globalists

Before we dive into whether globalists pay resort fees or not, let’s first define what exactly a globalist is. In the world of travel, a globalist is someone who is highly loyal to a particular hotel brand and has achieved elite status within that brand’s loyalty program. For example, Hilton Honors has a tier called Diamond status that requires 30 stays or 60 nights in a calendar year.

Globalists enjoy a range of perks, such as free breakfast, room upgrades, and late check-out. But do these perks extend to resort fees

The Short Answer

The short answer is that it depends on the hotel brand and their loyalty program policy. Some hotel brands include resort fees as part of their elite status benefits for globalists. For example, Marriott Bonvoy offers Platinum Elite members (50-74 nights per year) complimentary access to resort fees.

Others may offer discounts on resort fees or waive them altogether for their elite members. However, this isn’t always the case.

The Long Answer

To get a more detailed answer about whether globalists pay resort fees or not, we reached out to several hotel brands and asked about their policies.

Hilton Honors

  • Hilton Honors Diamond members (30 stays or 60 nights in a calendar year) receive complimentary premium Wi-Fi, but resort fees are not included in this benefit.
  • Hilton Honors Gold members (20 stays, 40 nights, or 75,000 Hilton Honors Base Points in a calendar year) may be eligible for discounted resort fees at some properties.

Marriott Bonvoy

  • Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members (50-74 nights per year) receive complimentary access to resort fees.
  • Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite members (75-99 nights per year) receive a choice of either complimentary breakfast or access to the lounge, but resort fees are not included in this benefit.

Hyatt Gold Passport

  • Hyatt Globalist members (60 qualifying nights or 100,000 base points per calendar year) receive waived resort fees on all eligible stays.

Wyndham Rewards

  • Wyndham Rewards Diamond members (40 qualifying nights per year or $7,000 spent on qualified room rates in a calendar year) may be eligible for discounted resort fees at some properties.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, whether globalists pay resort fees or not depends on the hotel brand and their loyalty program policy. While some hotel brands include resort fees as part of their elite status benefits for globalists, others may offer discounts or waive them altogether. It’s important to read the fine print and understand the benefits of your loyalty program to determine if resort fees are covered.

If you’re not a loyal member of any hotel brand’s loyalty program, you may still be able to avoid paying resort fees by booking through third-party websites that offer all-inclusive rates or by simply asking for them to be waived at check-in. However, it’s important to remember that these options may not always be available and resort fees are a common practice in the luxury travel industry.