The hotel industry may be getting ready to take a leaf from the airline playbook with added charges for things that have up to now generally been part of the price of the room.
Or, maybe they’re playing around with a different way to collect the increasingly unpopular ‘resort fees’ that even some non-resort hotels tack on to every guest bill.
At any rate, a Singapore hotel belonging to Hyatt’s Andaz brand, is trying it out. The five-star luxury hotel with views over Marina Bay, is now offering what amounts to ‘basic economy’ for hotels: a ‘room-only’ rate. Here’s how the hotel describes it:
Room Only Package: Kindly note that this package is only entitled to a 1-Night Stay in a King Bed / Twin Bed Room with in-room minibar, once per stay and all day refreshments at Sunroom on Level 25. This package does not include Breakfast, Swimming Pool Access and Gym Access
During booking, guests have the option to ‘upgrade’ by making gym or pool reservations at added cost. Who knows what’s next: separate charges for little shampoo bottles? A towel charge? Pardon the joke: The sky’s the limit.
It’s not clear how widespread the plan is or if Hyatt plans to expand it; The Points Guy website asked Hyatt for comment, but has not had a reply yet.
I like this idea. Most of us are just interested in a comfortable room. Most don’t have the time or interest to use the pool, spa, gym, etc. while traveling. So a basic room rate makes sense. If I’m renting a room for small kids to use the pool all weekend, I wouldn’t mind paying a little extra for that.
I do like a nice breakfast with a room, but since CoVid, these generally come in the form of snacks packed in a paper bag, so even that no longer has appeal.
I’m inclined to think this is a better idea than charging ‘resort fees!’