Back in the fall I wrote about the Holiday Inn Express in Elko, Nevada charging $12.95 extra per night in addition to the room rate for electricity. They were also charging an extra 3% for guests who wanted to pay with a Chase IHG One Rewards credit card. I would not stay in a hotel that does not consider its room rate to include electricity.
After I wrote about it, One Mile at a Time covered the charges as well. And the property went into damage control mode, appearing to flood TripAdvisor with fake reviews. What they didn’t do is stop being a bad actor.
Instead they keep changing what the $12.95 pseudo-resort fee is for. As a reader shared,
I was browsing hotels in the Elko area and recalled the October 2024 VFTW Blog Posting. Back then it was an “ERF,” energy recovery fee.
Earlier this week, it was a FOOD & BEVERAGE Fee. I called, spoke with a desk clerk who…said it covers the Tuesday and Wednesday evening Happy Hour. She literally said, “FOOD AND BEVERAGE FEE.” I neglected to ask what it covers the other five days of the week.
Today, I called again.. [and] it’s an AMENITY FEE! According to person on other line, “We offer more amenities compared to most Holiday Inn Express properties. IHG allows us to collect this fee as compensation. We offer more breakfast options, two different egg choices instead of own. We also have a propane grill outside, and offer SLEEP WELL BAGS.”
Me “what does a sleep well bag entail?” “It contains Sleepytime tea, and a bottle of water.”
The tea runs 36 cents per bag so $12.95 checks out.