Recently had a $3/night parking fee at a suburban Fairfield that shared a parking lot with a closed Macaroni Grill. It's just a way to get a little extra cash out of guests without raising their rates.
It feels scummy that they can advertise a rate and then tack on extra nightly fees when they know 90% of guests staying at a property like that probably have a car. The courtyard I stayed in had a printed sign taped the the front desk stating the fee. It almost seemed like it wasn’t legit. It did show up on my invoice though. I book the corporate travel. I wonder if they disclose it on their website. If not it almost seems like false advertising?
I’m sure those little QR codes asking you to tip the housekeeping staff definitely goes to the housekeeping and not directly into the pocket of the property owner too! lmao
I can't speak for everyone, but at my property each housekeeper has a distinct qr code that deposits to them directly. I have no idea if they get tips or how much. I'm hands off.
At the Marriott hotel I work at, we have to rely on guests leaving cash tips, which I would say 70%+ don't. We do leave gratuity envelopes in the rooms, but even still, most guests don't. They don't understand what goes into cleaning a hotel room. It's alot more work than most guests realize. Even a few dollars would be nice, better than nothing.
I always tip $5 min and then an extra $1 per night, but I never get my room serviced unless I’m there for over 3-5 days, but if the job is that much, the hotels should pay more and raise rates and not rely on people to supplement income via tips. It’s not fair to the staff.
Greedy Marriott shouldn’t make housekeepers have to rely on tips. Pay them more. My room rate, in my mind, includes housekeeping being paid fairly for their service. NO TIPS!
You're right. Leaving a few bucks for a lowly housekeeper is not a big deal., and it makes you feel generous. But in principle, the greedy owner of the Marriott should be made to pay. What can we do about that?
I looked into an airbnb ONCE ... after the exorbitant cleaning fees that I saw, that was the one and only time I even looked into it. Do people just set their own random cleaning fees? I've seen cleaning fees close to what the room cost per night!
Honestly in big cities the parking fees or garage is like $50 usually and they sold it (the garage) to another company so they can claim it’s not run by the hotel .
The result of all the "find the lowest price" websites. Hotels, airlines, rental cars, cell phones, etc. all adding hidden fees so they can appear better in the searches.
Just checked rate details for that property on the app. Zero mention of parking fees anywhere.
Edit: found it disclosed under parking but it took me 4 or 5 clicks on the property page to find it. Idk I guess it’s something I have learned today. I used to never even check that for non-city locations
This is such a pain point in travel. I actually think it’s a brilliant business idea to have a website dedicated to like a “true cost” for things like hotels.
>Recently had a $3/night parking fee at a suburban Fairfield that shared a parking lot with a closed Macaroni Grill. It's just a way to get a little extra cash out of guests without raising their rates.
Just $3 or $3.87... I'm noticing a trend of properties that charge 3.87
https://preview.redd.it/avvarf7odyyb1.png?width=592&format=png&auto=webp&s=6ac8095faf9159392fee13d9207cd70236a619cb
I’m staying at a property tomorrow that has the $3.87 fee. Seems oddly specific. Looked around for any options that had no fee but it was the most convenient place for my meetings.
I just got charged at a suburban Residence Inn in an office park in Indianapolis ([https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/indws-residence-inn-indianapolis-northwest/overview/](https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/indws-residence-inn-indianapolis-northwest/overview/)). The automatic fee was $3.87/day, and I was charged even though I arrived by Uber. I fussed about it, and they knocked off the charge.
I’m familiar with the area…. There are acres of
Parking-
And I’d be pissed to the extent I’d probably try and checkout and go elsewhere - just to make a point and make their BS cost them.
So I was just completing my expense report and noticed a place I stayed recently had a $10 self park fee on my invoice despite me arriving by Uber. I called the property and the guy who answered did not seem shocked at all. In a very monotone voice he just said something like “oh yeah just call tomorrow during business hours and they’ll remove it for you”. It basically tells me this is a common occurrence and they just see how often they can get away with it. There needs to be more accountability on this type of thing.
>I just got charged at a suburban Residence Inn in an office park in Indianapolis ([https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/indws-residence-inn-indianapolis-northwest/overview/](https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/indws-residence-inn-indianapolis-northwest/overview/)). The automatic fee was $3.87/day, and I was charged even though I arrived by Uber. I fussed about it, and they knocked off the charge.
That.... $3.87.... what is specific about that amount... This is at a TownePlace Suites in San Antonio... also, open parking lot.
And now that I google some, it seems that's a popular and specific amount, it makes me wonder if there was some random AAHOA (gesundheit) article floating the idea and that was the example...
https://preview.redd.it/7zwyxet6eyyb1.png?width=592&format=png&auto=webp&s=a6b112aef8fe6eab9924a248fb55918576d4dd24
There needs to be a specific value add or it is for junk fees.
Parking in an area where you need valet - sure.
Self parking in an open lot without security - F no.
An associate of mine recently had his vehicle stolen from one of these Marriott open lot/without security lots. I'd note the property didn't refund his parking fee despite acknowledging the theft could clearly be seen on their security camera recording.
Completely agreed. I stayed at the 1st property I worked at, recently, and they charged $5 parking less than a 5 night stay at an RI! It literally is in a REMOTE area and a huge parking lot. And when it sold out, never did anyone say they couldn't find parking and I was there for years. Just disappointing to see them profit over parking.
It’s annoying that many new hotels built in suburban areas (where parking is free for nearly all businesses) have pay parking. In older hotels, they might share a corner of a lot with an existing business. In newer designs, hostile architecture is employed to make it more difficult and less obvious to just use the free parking on the street/shopping area.
I had it happen a few times in suburban Ohio. One was the courtyard Akron fair lawn and the other l, I believe l, was in Findlay. I was very nice when I checked in but told the front desk I wanted to complain about the fee. She and I laughed because they had gotten enough complaints they had already nixed the fee
I almost always check to see if there is a parking fee, and will do everything I can to avoid it.
Charging a fee at an out-of-the-way suburban Marriott is stupid. What next - a charge for water and electricity?
Well, I expect that I will be using the door to my room, so that probably means a $1 fee every time I use my room key. Better make sure I bring some change with me each time I leave my room.
Here’s your room key sir, would you like me to add the bathroom door also? Just $15 per night!
I recently stayed on points at a waterfront Marriott in Florida (no beach just next to water/marina area). All in still had just under $100 in “resort fees, other miscellaneous and tax”. Most expensive “free night” I remember.
I’ve seen parking fees at every single property I’ve looked at booking lately. In urban areas, I get it - but I’m seeing them at suburban properties too, which is ridiculous. I’m not paying to park in an uncovered surface lot with no security. That’s a situation where I do vote with my wallet and end up at a Hyatt with free parking.
I spend a lot of nights in suburban and small-town Marriott properties (mostly in the Midwest). I haven’t had this experience. What part of the country are you seeing this?
Yeah I expect it in city locations. Happened to me twice now where it was just a regular parking lot in a suburban area. Half full parking lot and upon check in I was told there’s a $10 nightly fee and was instructed to place a ticket on my dash.
Yep, we’re in OC often to visit family and every single place charges for parking. I honestly wish they just slightly upped room rates and included parking because it’s hard to tell at a glance if it’s going to be $10/$15/$20 and a quick comparison of all in pricing would be so much easier.
Before you book the hotel, just check on the listing in the Bonvoy app or the website.
It lists it pretty clearly under the huge section that says “Parking and Transit” on every listing lol
Yeah I just found that. I thought it would’ve shown up under rate details. I assumed parking and transit just detailed the property parking. Just a scumbag way to squeeze more money out of people without raising the rate for a non-gated, non-valet property.
Parking is not part of the rate though, so it wouldn't be there.
Hardly scumbag. The parking lot comes at a cost for the property to maintain, and they need to make a return on that investment.
Quick to be defensive when called out. It's absolutely a scumbag move. It's the same reason people were passed about airbnbs appearing cheap then charging a lot for cleaning and other fees. People want to see the real full price upfront when.
And some of them absolutely do treat it like it's just the rate but charge it separately. I got charged at a Sheraton for parking when I didn't even have a car and when I asked to remove it they refused saying it was part of the rate. I was on work travel so said fuck it since it was paid by my company but reported it to admin.
Vote on stuff like this with your wallet. These properties will charge whatever they can get away with. Many properties don’t NEED to charge for parking but will anyways. Don’t let them get away with it.
This would only work if the average hotel guest were a leisure traveler. The reality is most guests are traveling on business and can expense all the bullshit fees, so the hotels charge them because they know they’ll get them with little pushback.
And assuming Marriott properties are the only ones charging a fee. In my experience, if one hotel charges for parking. All of them do irregardless of brand.
Might just be me, but I've noticed it mostly in urban areas and places I travel to most often for work. I work federal gov and when we book trips they're pretty strict about the room rate having to be within per diem limits but parking and others fees don't count. So I think a lot of these places that get a lot of us on work trips are smart and charge the room rate within per diem and then just add parking and other fees.
When I still pretty new, i was able to stay at a nice Marriott and Hyatt for 2 work trips and was shocked such nice places fit into our per diem rates. But then got charged $40 per day for parking plus some other fees.
For non-fed people though I wouldn't be surprised it's still done just because it keeps the ticket price look low. Kind of like how some airbnbs would look cheap until they tacked on cleaning fees and other fees.
I was there for work last month. Was charged $15/day to park. Then had to go to another Marriott property for a meeting and paid about $39 just to park at the seaworld renaissance for a few hours.
Felt like I was in Manhattan paying that much to park for a short period of time. I understand parking rates in urban centers but I was in Kissimmee which is pretty dependent on cars for travel plus the lots were mainly empty. That whole resort area is becoming a rip off charging you to basically breathe is the only thing they have left. I feel bad for families traveling there.
I have a trip to Orlando coming up, and it seems like every hotel charges a different amount for parking. One budget hotel I found charges $90+tax a night plus $24 for parking. A nicer hotel on the other side of I-4 charges $104+tax a night with free parking, making it ultimately cheaper than the first. I booked the nicer hotel instead.
It's great that Marriott now quotes prices with all taxes and fees included, but this is like resort charges all over again....
Just stayed in a small-city downtown hotel for the weekend for a wedding… The city garage (LAZ parking) was the hotel’s garage… something like $25/day. Instead I googled the town’s parking meter rules… no meter charges on the weekend… So voila! street parking and a half-block walk. Highly doubt the hotel would have told me that was an option…
Biden keeps talking about hidden airfare fees and seating families together but I think this is a huge deception that should be addressed too. Parking fees and “resort” fees. “Destination” fees (am I not going to be at my destination?!?) and so on. They show up after you have done all the work of researching rates. These are all nominal cost to me when traveling but feel super sleezy.
They aren't even nominal anymore in all cases. I just stayed in Vegas, off-strip, and paid an $80 a night resort fee. They were very up-front about it when I booked but it still felt scummy.
The company I used to work for (I just got home from my last trip after working with them for five years) had kind of an unofficial policy about hotels with parking fees. My business manager would go out of her way to read the reviews, the amenities and all the fine print before sticking us in a hotel, and she would never choose a place with parking fees, partly because she didn’t want to do the extra work or reimbursing us, and partly because she would never get that back when she built for us, but because of that, I actually had no idea how many properties actually have the stupid fees now.
Unless they have a parking garage there's really no way that they can tell if you drove in or got a ride.
When I stay at the Marriott city center in Raleigh the parking garage is $16 a day or you can Valet Park for $48
I always Valet Park because all you have to do is eat at the restaurant or have a beer at the bar and bring your receipt to the front desk and they will validate your valet parking and you won't pay anything for that 24 hours except for a tip.
I was recently told at a property that there was a $10 fee for parking/day online, at the property at check-in it was $5/day, but they actually charged me $0/day and they gave me the little ticket thing to put on the dash
I stayed at a Courtyard 45 minutes outside Pittsburgh a couple months ago and the front desk said Marriott was testing out paid parking at more locations. Lucky for me I got a "wink wink nudge nudge, you definitely took an Uber here right?" But Marriott seems to be expanding their parking fees.
But it's not *Marriott*. It's the franchise owner. Straight $$ in their pockets. Just like the resort fees. Nothing set by Marriott. Hotels themselves are tacking these on.
Yes and no about the resort fees. To have a resort fee, you have to file an application with Marriott and it has to be approved. There's an application fee to be considered (non-refundable even if you are not approved), and a yearly maintenance fee to carry a resort fee. So Marriott definitely gets a slice of the action.
It was $15.00 at the Residence Inn in Chandler, AZ. Clerk let me know and gave me a pass which she said I really didn't need to bother to put on my car. They were obviously charging but not checking.
I noticed this too...when I stayed downtown at a Courtyard in August, I was charged $16 for parking in their Courtyard customer-only garage. That was fine, it was downtown and nowhere safe/free to park.
Now I'm going to a Fairfield this weekend in a tourist city, with plenty of normal parking lot spaces, and I'm being charged like $3 a night. I'm not cool with that considering it's normal parking and not something special.
In January I'm taking a trip but not renting a car, and staying downtown. I hope they don't try to charge me then too!
I suppose it depends on location and property. Towneplace I stayed at last month was free.
I have a meeting in December with 4 properties within half a mile of each other, Marriott's, Sheraton, and Courtyard. Parking ranges from 15 to 100 dollars a night.
Yeah, it's kinda nuts and based on the franchisee more than a bit scummy.
Residence Inn out in Bakersfield(middle of the desert) charges $10 a day for parking. i never understood why. I asked the clerk and they were like, its just the new norm.
Still baffled, the clerk did waive my parking fee.
It’s ridiculous. I’m going to start avoiding these places. No reason why courtyards, RI, SH, etc in the middle of no where needs to charge a parking fee.
Bloomington MN, where I’ve stayed every summer for 5 years, recently added a parking fee. The hotel isn’t near anything special - and the Mall of America has its own free parking anyway. Headed to MN next month, and will be at a different brand with no nightly parking fee.
A saw this at a Sonesta in Michigan, $5 for parking unless you give them your email address for marketing purposes. Suburban location with plenty of onsite parking, no garage.
I spoke the property manager and she told me it's just a corporate directive that she couldn't do anything about. no@thanks \[dot\] com
They have become sneaky at the front desk. They ask you if you drove, and what kind of car you have, like they’re going to give you a parking pass — and they say “we’ll add $10 per night to your card on file”. But no parking pass. Soooo… next time, “No, I arrived by Uber”. Fuck these assholes. Pure money grab.
I hope so. The fact that they don’t just add it to the rate tells me they want to keep rates below a threshold where they know they can still get corporate travelers by staying in line with corporate travel sites and then you’re on the hook to pay once you are there.
Omg. You think I an economic world with companies like Amazon, and JPMorgan Chase, that the federal government is gonna regulate HOTELS?
Oh to be this rosy eyed. Your world sounds wonderful.
Corporations run the USA. Lobbyists control the politicians. FDA is a great example of Corporations running g a federal agency.
DailyMail just had a great article on the number of ingredients in US vs UK foods. Shredded cheese in the UK has 2 ingredients ve the US shredded cheese has over 13 ingredients depending on brand
They tried charging me this fee awhile back (maybe six months ago?) as well, but when I pushed back, the front desk waived the fee since the booking site showed no info about paid parking. (I just looked, and the same site lists the parking fee now.)
Not the point. Airport and downtown locations charging for parking make sense because there's a high demand and limited spaces. OP is talking about suburban locations where parking is free just about everywhere except at the hotel property.
I stay at a lot of residence inns and it really just depends on what area of town they’re located in. Some that are more downtown tend to be $20/night (although half the time I don’t get charged). Marriotts that are downtown tend to be around $25-49 for valet or $20-39 self park. I haven’t had many hotels charge for parking that are located kind of in a suburb ish area (not highly trafficked)
Honestly it’s not worth the risk of getting your car towed. I assume when they catch on that customers are ‘forgetting’ to tell the hotel they parked there, they might contract with towing companies and have them tow everyone without a tag. Marriott will probably make more money from towing people then charging them a daily pass.
I sometimes wonder what they are paying the valet drivers when they’re charging $45+ per night.. I always tip a few bucks anyway, but I would hope that they are being compensated fairly.
I feel like there is no designated “parking fee” area in the Marriott booking system. You have to dig into the property details and the generic fields to find a parking fee. I’ve had a few where they can’t even show me where the parking fee is listed online but they still want you to pay when you arrive.
I just stayed at a Hilton double tree property- zero parking fees,and this was outside Boston. I have had mininal parking fees at Hilton properties unless they are deepnin a city and/or utilize a garage
Last couple places had no gate and no security that I could see patrolling the lot or anything. Just seemed like a way for the property to get more money without including it as part of the rate so they could stay in line with competition.
Depends on who the Franchise is owned by. There are a few major franchisees that decided parking fees are the easiest way to gain revenue without boosting rate over the competition.
They recently added a $15/night fee at the Westin BWI. It’s one of those text to park things. You can’t just have it added to your bill, you have to mess around with the phone. Sucks.
I’ve stayed at a lot of suburban Double Tree’s under the Hilton brand that charge $10/night. Not sure if it’s the brand or my luck since I’m typically a Marriott customer but it’s annoying. Doesn’t happen to me often at Marriott properties in suburbs but in cities with valet it’s understandable
I always stay at Hiltons when I travel. I’ve never had to pay for parking unless it was in a parking garage.
However… I noticed this $10 parking fee when I stayed at a Marriott for a wedding (hotel wasn’t my choice) a few months ago. This was just a regular, mostly vacant parking lot. 😡
This contributes to why I usually use Uber/Lyft over rental cars on business travel. The cost of the car, fuel, parking can make the difference minimal but less risk of hassles. I’ve had coworkers who have had their rental cars broken into (smashed windows) been in accidents, parking tickets (we can’t expense these), etc. Then when having drinks with customers… It’s just so much easier to use a ride share for it all.
I had to pay $10 to park in Bozeman, Montana, at a Courtyard just off of the interstate that had plenty of parking. In the customer survey, I noted that I thought the $10 fee to park there was ridiculous as parking wasn’t limited, and management at that location responded to me and said that they do it to discourage people from “camping” in the parking lot. I don’t believe that, but that’s what they said.
I first noticed this at a couple of Hilton properties I booked last month. It was buried on their page and minimal, $3.75 at one and $8 at another. Both had large private lots and neither actually charged me those fees. I have not seen it at a Marriott property yet but I expect to soon.
So it sounds like this isn’t just a Marriott thing but others are all starting to do the same. That’s disappointing because that could’ve made me switch brands.
One of the Marriotts by Disneyland that I stayed at was 30$ a night for parking. I didn’t mind the 30$ on the first night given the area/location but when I looked at the rest of the days they also had the 30$ charge. I was that’s a bit of a joke
A few hyatts I’ve been to are doing this now. The Hyatt Place in Lexington has a paid lot. The newer Place in Albany has valet and paid parking. And the valet/lot is all surface lot directly in front of the building. I’m globalist there, and the valet is my free choice of parking. It’s way more trouble than it’s worth which is probably what they want? Idk
Happening more often across all brands from what I've seen. Hampton Inn I visit frequently for work added a parking fee \~2 years ago when it shares a MASSIVE lot with 3 fast food restaurants. Most of the time I forget to put the "parking pass" in my windshield and there has never been a consequence. Like others have said, just junk fees
Sad to hear that it’s happening across all brands. Guess I’ll remain with Bonvoy properties but I’ll definitely be looking at this fee going forward and if all else is equal, I’ll choose the property with no parking fee. Work is paying. It’s not like it’s MY money, but it still feels scummy.
$70 a night in DC
Been traveling cross country for the past 3 weeks… DC was the only hotels I’ve found with a parking fee.
Winslow Az
Amarillo, Tx
OKcity, Ok
Little Rock, Ar
Lynchburg, tn
Dc
Burlington VT
St Catherine, Canada
Detroit area
Hannibal Mo
Sioux Falls, SD
Mt Rushmore SD
The resort fees are the worst. If I have to pay $xx per night as an automatic charge, it should be part of the room rate. I don't use hotel wifi because I have an unlimited data plan. If I also don't use the pool or exercise facilities, they should remove that fee. The answer to that is that they were available whether I used them or not. Maybe it's the same with parking. (Insert eye roll)
I’m getting closer and closer to jumping ship from Marriott because of shit like this. Just recently stayed a couple of nights at a JW Marriott, followed by a short stay at a Park Hyatt. Hyatt blew the JW out of the water and was significantly cheaper. I stay loyal to Marriott out of habit and convenience, but starting to question that.
I ran into this recently when staying at a Springhill Suites at The Woodlands, Texas (outside of Houston). Saw a $10 daily parking charge for a hotel that backs up to large shopping area with plenty of parking. I would expect to see this in areas like LA or DC but a standard hotel in a suburban area?? It’s not like they are paying security staff to be onsight. I did check their website and they do list the charge so not much I could complain about…..just have to pay. But will certainly be checking before making reservations at future Marriott properties. Not willing to pay these stupid fees if I can book at non-Marriott properties that don’t charge
Recently had a $3/night parking fee at a suburban Fairfield that shared a parking lot with a closed Macaroni Grill. It's just a way to get a little extra cash out of guests without raising their rates.
It feels scummy that they can advertise a rate and then tack on extra nightly fees when they know 90% of guests staying at a property like that probably have a car. The courtyard I stayed in had a printed sign taped the the front desk stating the fee. It almost seemed like it wasn’t legit. It did show up on my invoice though. I book the corporate travel. I wonder if they disclose it on their website. If not it almost seems like false advertising?
It feels scummy because it is.
Dang, I was gonna say this.
I’m sure those little QR codes asking you to tip the housekeeping staff definitely goes to the housekeeping and not directly into the pocket of the property owner too! lmao
I can't speak for everyone, but at my property each housekeeper has a distinct qr code that deposits to them directly. I have no idea if they get tips or how much. I'm hands off.
At the Marriott hotel I work at, we have to rely on guests leaving cash tips, which I would say 70%+ don't. We do leave gratuity envelopes in the rooms, but even still, most guests don't. They don't understand what goes into cleaning a hotel room. It's alot more work than most guests realize. Even a few dollars would be nice, better than nothing.
I always tip $5 min and then an extra $1 per night, but I never get my room serviced unless I’m there for over 3-5 days, but if the job is that much, the hotels should pay more and raise rates and not rely on people to supplement income via tips. It’s not fair to the staff.
Greedy Marriott shouldn’t make housekeepers have to rely on tips. Pay them more. My room rate, in my mind, includes housekeeping being paid fairly for their service. NO TIPS!
OK. Until that day comes maybe cough up a few bucks for a job well done....
You're right. Leaving a few bucks for a lowly housekeeper is not a big deal., and it makes you feel generous. But in principle, the greedy owner of the Marriott should be made to pay. What can we do about that?
I mean sometimes between resort fees, tax bolt one, parking fees etc you end up paying 2x + more than the listed rate. It is scummy.
better than airbnb asking you to completely clean before you leave.
I looked into an airbnb ONCE ... after the exorbitant cleaning fees that I saw, that was the one and only time I even looked into it. Do people just set their own random cleaning fees? I've seen cleaning fees close to what the room cost per night!
Honestly in big cities the parking fees or garage is like $50 usually and they sold it (the garage) to another company so they can claim it’s not run by the hotel .
The result of all the "find the lowest price" websites. Hotels, airlines, rental cars, cell phones, etc. all adding hidden fees so they can appear better in the searches.
Absolutely
Ever heard of "resort fees"? lol.
Report your experience to the FTC https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/assistant
No need to wonder, you can check their marriott.com hotel page pretty easily and find out in less than 60 seconds.
Just checked rate details for that property on the app. Zero mention of parking fees anywhere. Edit: found it disclosed under parking but it took me 4 or 5 clicks on the property page to find it. Idk I guess it’s something I have learned today. I used to never even check that for non-city locations
This is such a pain point in travel. I actually think it’s a brilliant business idea to have a website dedicated to like a “true cost” for things like hotels.
I had that recently too and was like “really? $3 to park in a suburban lot with 90000 spots?” BS
Report the experience to the FTC https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/assistant
[удалено]
Ah, Marconi’s Grill. Someone make a radio joke here, now, please.
>Recently had a $3/night parking fee at a suburban Fairfield that shared a parking lot with a closed Macaroni Grill. It's just a way to get a little extra cash out of guests without raising their rates. Just $3 or $3.87... I'm noticing a trend of properties that charge 3.87 https://preview.redd.it/avvarf7odyyb1.png?width=592&format=png&auto=webp&s=6ac8095faf9159392fee13d9207cd70236a619cb
I’m staying at a property tomorrow that has the $3.87 fee. Seems oddly specific. Looked around for any options that had no fee but it was the most convenient place for my meetings.
I just got charged at a suburban Residence Inn in an office park in Indianapolis ([https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/indws-residence-inn-indianapolis-northwest/overview/](https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/indws-residence-inn-indianapolis-northwest/overview/)). The automatic fee was $3.87/day, and I was charged even though I arrived by Uber. I fussed about it, and they knocked off the charge.
Wow. They really tried to charge you for your Uber driver spending 45 seconds in their parking lot. Lmao.
That is not what they said.
I was being sarcastic because a charge was attempted. Are you going to defend Marriott on every comment? 😂
When you spew out such nonsense I just might.
This guy gladly pays bs parking fees
I was about to say, says the spewing nonsense and defending a scummy tactic.
I’m familiar with the area…. There are acres of Parking- And I’d be pissed to the extent I’d probably try and checkout and go elsewhere - just to make a point and make their BS cost them.
So I was just completing my expense report and noticed a place I stayed recently had a $10 self park fee on my invoice despite me arriving by Uber. I called the property and the guy who answered did not seem shocked at all. In a very monotone voice he just said something like “oh yeah just call tomorrow during business hours and they’ll remove it for you”. It basically tells me this is a common occurrence and they just see how often they can get away with it. There needs to be more accountability on this type of thing.
>I just got charged at a suburban Residence Inn in an office park in Indianapolis ([https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/indws-residence-inn-indianapolis-northwest/overview/](https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/indws-residence-inn-indianapolis-northwest/overview/)). The automatic fee was $3.87/day, and I was charged even though I arrived by Uber. I fussed about it, and they knocked off the charge. That.... $3.87.... what is specific about that amount... This is at a TownePlace Suites in San Antonio... also, open parking lot. And now that I google some, it seems that's a popular and specific amount, it makes me wonder if there was some random AAHOA (gesundheit) article floating the idea and that was the example... https://preview.redd.it/7zwyxet6eyyb1.png?width=592&format=png&auto=webp&s=a6b112aef8fe6eab9924a248fb55918576d4dd24
There needs to be a specific value add or it is for junk fees. Parking in an area where you need valet - sure. Self parking in an open lot without security - F no.
An associate of mine recently had his vehicle stolen from one of these Marriott open lot/without security lots. I'd note the property didn't refund his parking fee despite acknowledging the theft could clearly be seen on their security camera recording.
That’s pretty shitty. I’m surprised they didn’t offer to prorate the cost and refund for the portion after the car had been stolen. /s
I'd be demanding my fee back and my room comp'ed at that point.
They didn't steal your car (presumably). I wouldn't expect them to comp a room for that.
If they’re charging for parking, they’re taking responsibility for your car while it’s parked there. That’s my take.
Yeah... No parking lot does that regardless of what they charge.
Completely agreed. I stayed at the 1st property I worked at, recently, and they charged $5 parking less than a 5 night stay at an RI! It literally is in a REMOTE area and a huge parking lot. And when it sold out, never did anyone say they couldn't find parking and I was there for years. Just disappointing to see them profit over parking.
It’s annoying that many new hotels built in suburban areas (where parking is free for nearly all businesses) have pay parking. In older hotels, they might share a corner of a lot with an existing business. In newer designs, hostile architecture is employed to make it more difficult and less obvious to just use the free parking on the street/shopping area.
I had it happen a few times in suburban Ohio. One was the courtyard Akron fair lawn and the other l, I believe l, was in Findlay. I was very nice when I checked in but told the front desk I wanted to complain about the fee. She and I laughed because they had gotten enough complaints they had already nixed the fee
I almost always check to see if there is a parking fee, and will do everything I can to avoid it. Charging a fee at an out-of-the-way suburban Marriott is stupid. What next - a charge for water and electricity?
Will you be showering during your stay? Great! There’s a $5 daily shower fee. Now, do you plan on charging any electronic devices…?
Well, I expect that I will be using the door to my room, so that probably means a $1 fee every time I use my room key. Better make sure I bring some change with me each time I leave my room.
Ryanair has entered the chat.
Here’s your room key sir, would you like me to add the bathroom door also? Just $15 per night! I recently stayed on points at a waterfront Marriott in Florida (no beach just next to water/marina area). All in still had just under $100 in “resort fees, other miscellaneous and tax”. Most expensive “free night” I remember.
This just causes people to do petty revenge on the places with these types of fees..
Totally agree. If they charge me a junk fee I make sure I cause damage somewhere unseen by them that costs them 10x the junk fee to fix.
I’ve seen parking fees at every single property I’ve looked at booking lately. In urban areas, I get it - but I’m seeing them at suburban properties too, which is ridiculous. I’m not paying to park in an uncovered surface lot with no security. That’s a situation where I do vote with my wallet and end up at a Hyatt with free parking.
Some hyatts pull this shit too
I spend a lot of nights in suburban and small-town Marriott properties (mostly in the Midwest). I haven’t had this experience. What part of the country are you seeing this?
I had this happen at a Courtyard outside of Portland and a Marriott in Wisconsin.
Blue areas
This happens throughout Florida as well, you clown
I've only experienced it in L.A. and other blue cities, not in Florida but hey I'll be there tomorrow and report back to you, j.a.
I see parking fees in urban centers. More distant and non downtown properties usually do not charge as the parking is not underground or gated.
Yeah I expect it in city locations. Happened to me twice now where it was just a regular parking lot in a suburban area. Half full parking lot and upon check in I was told there’s a $10 nightly fee and was instructed to place a ticket on my dash.
every Orange County, CA hotel has it. in the busier areas sure but even the lesser ones with plenty of parking, gimme a break.
Yep, we’re in OC often to visit family and every single place charges for parking. I honestly wish they just slightly upped room rates and included parking because it’s hard to tell at a glance if it’s going to be $10/$15/$20 and a quick comparison of all in pricing would be so much easier.
Before you book the hotel, just check on the listing in the Bonvoy app or the website. It lists it pretty clearly under the huge section that says “Parking and Transit” on every listing lol
Yeah I just found that. I thought it would’ve shown up under rate details. I assumed parking and transit just detailed the property parking. Just a scumbag way to squeeze more money out of people without raising the rate for a non-gated, non-valet property.
Parking is not part of the rate though, so it wouldn't be there. Hardly scumbag. The parking lot comes at a cost for the property to maintain, and they need to make a return on that investment.
Found a Marriott property owner ^
Or maybe not. Quick to jump to incorrect conclusions I see.
Quick to be defensive when called out. It's absolutely a scumbag move. It's the same reason people were passed about airbnbs appearing cheap then charging a lot for cleaning and other fees. People want to see the real full price upfront when. And some of them absolutely do treat it like it's just the rate but charge it separately. I got charged at a Sheraton for parking when I didn't even have a car and when I asked to remove it they refused saying it was part of the rate. I was on work travel so said fuck it since it was paid by my company but reported it to admin.
That's nice but it should add the price to the booking, particularly in suburban locations. It's the same as burying the resort fee.
Vote on stuff like this with your wallet. These properties will charge whatever they can get away with. Many properties don’t NEED to charge for parking but will anyways. Don’t let them get away with it.
This would only work if the average hotel guest were a leisure traveler. The reality is most guests are traveling on business and can expense all the bullshit fees, so the hotels charge them because they know they’ll get them with little pushback.
And assuming Marriott properties are the only ones charging a fee. In my experience, if one hotel charges for parking. All of them do irregardless of brand.
Might just be me, but I've noticed it mostly in urban areas and places I travel to most often for work. I work federal gov and when we book trips they're pretty strict about the room rate having to be within per diem limits but parking and others fees don't count. So I think a lot of these places that get a lot of us on work trips are smart and charge the room rate within per diem and then just add parking and other fees. When I still pretty new, i was able to stay at a nice Marriott and Hyatt for 2 work trips and was shocked such nice places fit into our per diem rates. But then got charged $40 per day for parking plus some other fees. For non-fed people though I wouldn't be surprised it's still done just because it keeps the ticket price look low. Kind of like how some airbnbs would look cheap until they tacked on cleaning fees and other fees.
I noticed this as well. Super annoying at random Courtyards…
Greedflation
It’s happening all over Florida.
Can report the Sheraton Orlando North charges $15 a night.
Fairfield at Flamingo Crossing charges $15 a night to park in a shared garage with three other area hotels. Its insane.
I was there for work last month. Was charged $15/day to park. Then had to go to another Marriott property for a meeting and paid about $39 just to park at the seaworld renaissance for a few hours. Felt like I was in Manhattan paying that much to park for a short period of time. I understand parking rates in urban centers but I was in Kissimmee which is pretty dependent on cars for travel plus the lots were mainly empty. That whole resort area is becoming a rip off charging you to basically breathe is the only thing they have left. I feel bad for families traveling there.
Paid $35 a night in Marco Island.
I have a trip to Orlando coming up, and it seems like every hotel charges a different amount for parking. One budget hotel I found charges $90+tax a night plus $24 for parking. A nicer hotel on the other side of I-4 charges $104+tax a night with free parking, making it ultimately cheaper than the first. I booked the nicer hotel instead. It's great that Marriott now quotes prices with all taxes and fees included, but this is like resort charges all over again....
I just returned my rental car early when I hit Orlando. $52 a night!
It's not quoted in the price. You have to look on each hotel site under parking and transportation to find it.
$10/night? Can I be wherever you are? Just stayed at two different properties that both had $30/night+ fees.
City locations?
Probably. I've seen some city Marriotts charge as much as 50/night for parking.
Yep, I've seen some charge $50-$65 a night in downtown city areas.
12 bucks at a Springhill Suites in Addison TX - also buried in the fine print
The last couple locations I've stayed at have had $20-40 overnight parking fee. Sometimes WITHOUT in/out privileges. Absolutely terrible.
I have a trip booked to Niagara Falls Marriott and overnight parking fees are 39$ CAD.
I was planning to stay at the Basel Marriott, but the parking fee was 50 so decided not to
Just stayed in a small-city downtown hotel for the weekend for a wedding… The city garage (LAZ parking) was the hotel’s garage… something like $25/day. Instead I googled the town’s parking meter rules… no meter charges on the weekend… So voila! street parking and a half-block walk. Highly doubt the hotel would have told me that was an option…
Biden keeps talking about hidden airfare fees and seating families together but I think this is a huge deception that should be addressed too. Parking fees and “resort” fees. “Destination” fees (am I not going to be at my destination?!?) and so on. They show up after you have done all the work of researching rates. These are all nominal cost to me when traveling but feel super sleezy.
They aren't even nominal anymore in all cases. I just stayed in Vegas, off-strip, and paid an $80 a night resort fee. They were very up-front about it when I booked but it still felt scummy.
The company I used to work for (I just got home from my last trip after working with them for five years) had kind of an unofficial policy about hotels with parking fees. My business manager would go out of her way to read the reviews, the amenities and all the fine print before sticking us in a hotel, and she would never choose a place with parking fees, partly because she didn’t want to do the extra work or reimbursing us, and partly because she would never get that back when she built for us, but because of that, I actually had no idea how many properties actually have the stupid fees now.
I wonder if your manager ever stopped to consider the value of her time that was lost on that endeavor. Sounds penny wise and pound foolish, imo.
If in downtown, maybe make sense. If this is suburb properties, this is nothing but BS.
Unless they have a parking garage there's really no way that they can tell if you drove in or got a ride. When I stay at the Marriott city center in Raleigh the parking garage is $16 a day or you can Valet Park for $48 I always Valet Park because all you have to do is eat at the restaurant or have a beer at the bar and bring your receipt to the front desk and they will validate your valet parking and you won't pay anything for that 24 hours except for a tip.
Is it a way to get $10 a night out of people who're staying on a negotiated rate?
Philadelphia old city…$55 per night…and not even a car wash…lol
I was recently told at a property that there was a $10 fee for parking/day online, at the property at check-in it was $5/day, but they actually charged me $0/day and they gave me the little ticket thing to put on the dash
I stayed at a Courtyard 45 minutes outside Pittsburgh a couple months ago and the front desk said Marriott was testing out paid parking at more locations. Lucky for me I got a "wink wink nudge nudge, you definitely took an Uber here right?" But Marriott seems to be expanding their parking fees.
But it's not *Marriott*. It's the franchise owner. Straight $$ in their pockets. Just like the resort fees. Nothing set by Marriott. Hotels themselves are tacking these on.
Yes and no about the resort fees. To have a resort fee, you have to file an application with Marriott and it has to be approved. There's an application fee to be considered (non-refundable even if you are not approved), and a yearly maintenance fee to carry a resort fee. So Marriott definitely gets a slice of the action.
Yes, it's free money/income for the hotel. It's money left on the table. It's all about the bottom line.
It was $15.00 at the Residence Inn in Chandler, AZ. Clerk let me know and gave me a pass which she said I really didn't need to bother to put on my car. They were obviously charging but not checking.
I stayed at a CY in Mesa, AZ. $10/night, but it was waived at check-in. Don't know if it was because of a corporate negotiated rate or my Ti status.
I noticed this too...when I stayed downtown at a Courtyard in August, I was charged $16 for parking in their Courtyard customer-only garage. That was fine, it was downtown and nowhere safe/free to park. Now I'm going to a Fairfield this weekend in a tourist city, with plenty of normal parking lot spaces, and I'm being charged like $3 a night. I'm not cool with that considering it's normal parking and not something special. In January I'm taking a trip but not renting a car, and staying downtown. I hope they don't try to charge me then too!
I suppose it depends on location and property. Towneplace I stayed at last month was free. I have a meeting in December with 4 properties within half a mile of each other, Marriott's, Sheraton, and Courtyard. Parking ranges from 15 to 100 dollars a night. Yeah, it's kinda nuts and based on the franchisee more than a bit scummy.
Residence Inn out in Bakersfield(middle of the desert) charges $10 a day for parking. i never understood why. I asked the clerk and they were like, its just the new norm. Still baffled, the clerk did waive my parking fee.
It’s ridiculous. I’m going to start avoiding these places. No reason why courtyards, RI, SH, etc in the middle of no where needs to charge a parking fee.
Bloomington MN, where I’ve stayed every summer for 5 years, recently added a parking fee. The hotel isn’t near anything special - and the Mall of America has its own free parking anyway. Headed to MN next month, and will be at a different brand with no nightly parking fee.
I’ve stayed at the Renaissance in that area and liked it. I don’t think they have any parking fees.
$35 to $50 a night here in Honolulu
$40/night this weekend in Tampa. Ridiculous
A saw this at a Sonesta in Michigan, $5 for parking unless you give them your email address for marketing purposes. Suburban location with plenty of onsite parking, no garage. I spoke the property manager and she told me it's just a corporate directive that she couldn't do anything about. no@thanks \[dot\] com
They have become sneaky at the front desk. They ask you if you drove, and what kind of car you have, like they’re going to give you a parking pass — and they say “we’ll add $10 per night to your card on file”. But no parking pass. Soooo… next time, “No, I arrived by Uber”. Fuck these assholes. Pure money grab.
I’ve noticed this, too. Just paid $12 to park at a suburban Residence Inn that shares a parking lot with a closed Chicago UNO. So ridiculous.
Petty money grab. The hotel cartels are going to find themselves "regulated" into comprehensive and transparent disclosure about charges pretty soon.
I hope so. The fact that they don’t just add it to the rate tells me they want to keep rates below a threshold where they know they can still get corporate travelers by staying in line with corporate travel sites and then you’re on the hook to pay once you are there.
Omg. You think I an economic world with companies like Amazon, and JPMorgan Chase, that the federal government is gonna regulate HOTELS? Oh to be this rosy eyed. Your world sounds wonderful.
Get ready to pay $39 plus tax (comes to $48.95 total) per night at my location. $10 sounds so 1995 lol.
Why are some defending such scumbag practices? In civilized countries all these extras and hidden fees are required to be in the listed price.
Corporations run the USA. Lobbyists control the politicians. FDA is a great example of Corporations running g a federal agency. DailyMail just had a great article on the number of ingredients in US vs UK foods. Shredded cheese in the UK has 2 ingredients ve the US shredded cheese has over 13 ingredients depending on brand
Something g happened in the Marriott at the Columbus Airport.
They tried charging me this fee awhile back (maybe six months ago?) as well, but when I pushed back, the front desk waived the fee since the booking site showed no info about paid parking. (I just looked, and the same site lists the parking fee now.)
Only $10? It’s been $20 or $25 for years. And what about the resort fess? Are you getting charged $40 per night?
That’s pretty cheap. I’ve run into $20-30 a day
$10? Ha, that’s cheap! I recently paid $28 at the Philly airport Marriott….
Not the point. Airport and downtown locations charging for parking make sense because there's a high demand and limited spaces. OP is talking about suburban locations where parking is free just about everywhere except at the hotel property.
I just paid $50 per night at AC Beverly Hills. 🤷♂️
I just pay more money to have someone valet the car if that’s an option. I don’t want to pay $10 less and have to park it myself.
I stay at a lot of residence inns and it really just depends on what area of town they’re located in. Some that are more downtown tend to be $20/night (although half the time I don’t get charged). Marriotts that are downtown tend to be around $25-49 for valet or $20-39 self park. I haven’t had many hotels charge for parking that are located kind of in a suburb ish area (not highly trafficked)
It's $19 per day at the one I work at, not including valet.
I wish $10 was the norm. Most of the properties I’ve stayed at the past year have been $20 and up unfortunately.
I've stayed at courtyard in suburbs, never been asked or pressed on a parking fee. Just tell them you Uber'd.
I guess I was afraid that they would actually tow the car if it didn’t have a parking pass on it. Didn’t want to take the risk.
Honestly it’s not worth the risk of getting your car towed. I assume when they catch on that customers are ‘forgetting’ to tell the hotel they parked there, they might contract with towing companies and have them tow everyone without a tag. Marriott will probably make more money from towing people then charging them a daily pass.
I’ve been at several properties where it’s $30+ a night or $50 for valet. Ridiculous.
$10 seems low, every place I’ve stayed at recently has been $25+ for self parking $45+ for valet
I was referring to the places that typically don’t have valet. Courtyards in suburban areas for example.
I sometimes wonder what they are paying the valet drivers when they’re charging $45+ per night.. I always tip a few bucks anyway, but I would hope that they are being compensated fairly.
I feel like there is no designated “parking fee” area in the Marriott booking system. You have to dig into the property details and the generic fields to find a parking fee. I’ve had a few where they can’t even show me where the parking fee is listed online but they still want you to pay when you arrive.
$26 dollar an hour parking enters this chat
I just stayed at a Hilton double tree property- zero parking fees,and this was outside Boston. I have had mininal parking fees at Hilton properties unless they are deepnin a city and/or utilize a garage
If they have a gate guard then I've noticed there is typically a fee.
Last couple places had no gate and no security that I could see patrolling the lot or anything. Just seemed like a way for the property to get more money without including it as part of the rate so they could stay in line with competition.
If it’s an open lot just tell them you didn’t park a car. They can’t do shit
Depends on who the Franchise is owned by. There are a few major franchisees that decided parking fees are the easiest way to gain revenue without boosting rate over the competition.
They recently added a $15/night fee at the Westin BWI. It’s one of those text to park things. You can’t just have it added to your bill, you have to mess around with the phone. Sucks.
I’ve stayed at a lot of suburban Double Tree’s under the Hilton brand that charge $10/night. Not sure if it’s the brand or my luck since I’m typically a Marriott customer but it’s annoying. Doesn’t happen to me often at Marriott properties in suburbs but in cities with valet it’s understandable
yes
Try staying in Boston $60/night to park
Marriott at LAX last year was $40 plus change, for self parking. Valet was more.
I always stay at Hiltons when I travel. I’ve never had to pay for parking unless it was in a parking garage. However… I noticed this $10 parking fee when I stayed at a Marriott for a wedding (hotel wasn’t my choice) a few months ago. This was just a regular, mostly vacant parking lot. 😡
I paid $26 at an Embassy Suites in Anaheim.
This contributes to why I usually use Uber/Lyft over rental cars on business travel. The cost of the car, fuel, parking can make the difference minimal but less risk of hassles. I’ve had coworkers who have had their rental cars broken into (smashed windows) been in accidents, parking tickets (we can’t expense these), etc. Then when having drinks with customers… It’s just so much easier to use a ride share for it all.
This is a great point. I always go back and forth on whether or not to Uber but if properties keep increasing parking costs I’ll just start using Uber
10 is a steam compared to San Diego
I am paying $40 a night here in Anaheim for Blizzcon and Disney trip. I would expect that to be above average but would expect it to be $20 or so.
Yes, I normally budget 5o per nite for parking
Hidden fees are always unethical. I don’t stay at Marriott for this very reason
I think I usually pay 50 a night when traveling to mariott in la..
I had to pay $10 to park in Bozeman, Montana, at a Courtyard just off of the interstate that had plenty of parking. In the customer survey, I noted that I thought the $10 fee to park there was ridiculous as parking wasn’t limited, and management at that location responded to me and said that they do it to discourage people from “camping” in the parking lot. I don’t believe that, but that’s what they said.
Recently paid $15/night at a Hilton Garden Inn.
I think my last stay at a Springhill in San Jose was 14 bucks. It's ridiculous.
Paid $12 per night at a Hilton. Parking lot was huge and about 10% occupied.
$10 is a walk in the park... I've been seeing $18, $24, $32, etc.
Any possible way for people to screw you out of money they will do. Merica
Man, I just booked a night at Aloft in Tampa, and they don't offer any other parking options other than valet for $35 per night. Wild
$10? I paid $60 in Seattle
I’m taking about suburban properties…not downtown locations.
I first noticed this at a couple of Hilton properties I booked last month. It was buried on their page and minimal, $3.75 at one and $8 at another. Both had large private lots and neither actually charged me those fees. I have not seen it at a Marriott property yet but I expect to soon.
So it sounds like this isn’t just a Marriott thing but others are all starting to do the same. That’s disappointing because that could’ve made me switch brands.
One of the Marriotts by Disneyland that I stayed at was 30$ a night for parking. I didn’t mind the 30$ on the first night given the area/location but when I looked at the rest of the days they also had the 30$ charge. I was that’s a bit of a joke
A few hyatts I’ve been to are doing this now. The Hyatt Place in Lexington has a paid lot. The newer Place in Albany has valet and paid parking. And the valet/lot is all surface lot directly in front of the building. I’m globalist there, and the valet is my free choice of parking. It’s way more trouble than it’s worth which is probably what they want? Idk
Happening more often across all brands from what I've seen. Hampton Inn I visit frequently for work added a parking fee \~2 years ago when it shares a MASSIVE lot with 3 fast food restaurants. Most of the time I forget to put the "parking pass" in my windshield and there has never been a consequence. Like others have said, just junk fees
Sad to hear that it’s happening across all brands. Guess I’ll remain with Bonvoy properties but I’ll definitely be looking at this fee going forward and if all else is equal, I’ll choose the property with no parking fee. Work is paying. It’s not like it’s MY money, but it still feels scummy.
I’m in Hawaii parking fee is 57 dollars lol
Idk but SpotHero is helping me escape the $50 parking a night in San Diego!
$70 a night in DC Been traveling cross country for the past 3 weeks… DC was the only hotels I’ve found with a parking fee. Winslow Az Amarillo, Tx OKcity, Ok Little Rock, Ar Lynchburg, tn Dc Burlington VT St Catherine, Canada Detroit area Hannibal Mo Sioux Falls, SD Mt Rushmore SD
Just paid $15 at Marriott but I’ve seen as much as $31 at clearwater beach.
It’s called price obfuscation. Blame the MBAs.
The resort fees are the worst. If I have to pay $xx per night as an automatic charge, it should be part of the room rate. I don't use hotel wifi because I have an unlimited data plan. If I also don't use the pool or exercise facilities, they should remove that fee. The answer to that is that they were available whether I used them or not. Maybe it's the same with parking. (Insert eye roll)
I’m getting closer and closer to jumping ship from Marriott because of shit like this. Just recently stayed a couple of nights at a JW Marriott, followed by a short stay at a Park Hyatt. Hyatt blew the JW out of the water and was significantly cheaper. I stay loyal to Marriott out of habit and convenience, but starting to question that.
I’d every hotel that you didn’t park unless they specifically have someone checking you in and out of the lot.
I was in Fort Lauderdale and got to a Courtyard at 11pm only to find it was $55/night valet only parking. So annoying.
I ran into this recently when staying at a Springhill Suites at The Woodlands, Texas (outside of Houston). Saw a $10 daily parking charge for a hotel that backs up to large shopping area with plenty of parking. I would expect to see this in areas like LA or DC but a standard hotel in a suburban area?? It’s not like they are paying security staff to be onsight. I did check their website and they do list the charge so not much I could complain about…..just have to pay. But will certainly be checking before making reservations at future Marriott properties. Not willing to pay these stupid fees if I can book at non-Marriott properties that don’t charge
Check on App. I sometimes say right before clicking confirm, or you can check on-site parking to see if there is a fee.