What to expect for hotel room servicing

What should be included in hotel room servicing?

For the last decade, many hotels have automatically charged “resort” fees to guests to cover amenities like daily newspapers, bottled water, and use of exercise facilities. Hotels believed these fees, often added after the initial price quote, were fair. Customers begged to differ. Some argued that they didn’t use all of the amenities. Others said the resort fees should have been disclosed sooner, and not at the end of the transaction, which made the room look cheaper than it was. Eventually, the government stepped in and ordered hotels to disclose the fees sooner. And, according to the law, the disclosure had to be made during the buying process.

The result: Now these fees must be included in the room rate initially quoted by the hotel. Experts believe hotels will shift to an à la carte pricing model to make up for revenue lost by quoting a higher rate. Which brings us to the debate about what should be included in a hotel room. And it’s a big question mark.

I stayed in a vacation rental in Hawaii a few years ago, where the air conditioner was locked down. For an extra fee, the owner said she would enable it. (I refused.) As I write this, I’m in an apartment in Sydney with no air conditioning, and it’s getting hot in here! Go to Europe this summer and you’ll find plenty of hotel rooms without A/C.

Here’s what every hotel should give you — no questions asked

Far from being an extraneous discussion, the question of what is — and isn’t — included in a room may prove to be the defining debate of 2025, at least in the travel industry.  

When you book a hotel room, there are certain things you should never have to pay extra for. I’m not including electricity, heat and running water (and also, hot water) since a vast majority of hotels already include these.

Here are the basics — the non-negotiables that make your stay comfortable and functional.

Reliable Wi-Fi  

In 2025, Wi-Fi isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. Whether you’re traveling for work or streaming a movie to unwind, a strong internet connection should be a given. “Charging for Wi-Fi feels like a money grab,” says Steve Torres, a travel advisor. “It’s especially frustrating when budget hotels include it for free, but higher-end properties don’t.” (Related: Should I help get a refund for a “disastrous” hotel stay?)

Daily housekeeping  

Post-pandemic, many hotels scaled back housekeeping to “on-demand” services. But let’s be real: most guests expect their rooms to be cleaned daily. It’s OK to incentivize guests to decline daily housekeeping by giving them points or an amenity, but charging them extra to clean the room is wrong. “Daily housekeeping is a must,” says Sylvia Lebovitch, a travel advisor with OvationNetwork. “For most of my clients, it is not about the actual dollar cost, but more about the feeling of being nickel and dimed.”

Potable water

You know, I thought this one was settled, but apparently not. Make sure your guests have drinkable water. It doesn’t have to be Fillico Jewelry Water, just clean water that you can drink. That’s especially important when the tap water is undrinkable. Ellen Flowers recently stayed in a Las Vegas resort with “over the top” amenities. But the bottled water cost extra. “I couldn’t help but feel frustrated when I found that water wasn’t included in the room rate,” says Flowers, the travel editor for a fashion website.

Basic toiletries and towels

Soap, shampoo, and towels should never cost extra. “Some things in a hotel room should just be a given,” says Darragh McGillicuddy, managing director of McGillicuddy Hospitality, a consulting firm. “They’re what I’d call the hygiene factors.”

What about the rest?

As you can probably imagine, that leaves a lot of things that hotels could charge you for. And some are likely to annoy you.

Like parking fees. Edward Winrow, a retired city worker from Calabasas, Calif., has noticed them pop up in all kinds of places, including some mid-range chain hotels. He thinks they’re wrong, especially when you have a disability. But repeated emails sent to the hotels have yielded the same response: We charge for parking whether you have a disability or not.

“There should be no charge for handicap spaces, or at least a discounted cost,” he says. “There is no extra charge for an accessible room, why then an accessible parking space?”

Then there’s tea and coffee, which has always been included in the room. But when Andy Ellis checked into a luxury hotel in Glasgow recently, it wasn’t.

“When I checked out, they handed me a bill for tea, coffee, milk, and sugar,” recalls Ellis, a managing director for a shower manufacturer in Morecambe, England. “I was absolutely shocked.”

Hotels are getting creative about their surcharges.

Parking and hot beverages are just two examples of what hotels could start charging for.  And some already are, which is why your hotel stay may feel like a real rip-off this summer.

The fix? Assume nothing is included in the hotel rate you pay, except the basics like electricity or running water. Always ask before you help yourself to the tea, coffee or the contents of the minibar. Check for a “Complimentary” sticker on the bottle of water to make sure it doesn’t cost extra.

During the summer, hotels try to make up for the revenue they lost when they had to reveal their true prices. And if you’re not careful, you could end up paying a high price for it.

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