I love clam chowder, but is it worth $28.75? (photo care of Unsplash)
Let’s face it, we all dislike hotel destination fees and resort fees, commonly referred to as destination ransoms. Many feel that this is a less than honest way to manipulate a hotel rate without realistically offering any additional enhancements to the hotel guests.
Last year, the Hyatt Regency Boston moved from a category 4 to 5. Many World of Hyatt members were unhappy as they could no longer use free night certificates and free nights were now 20,000 points rather than 15,000 points.
The other day I was making a reservation to stay at the Hyatt Regency Boston and I noticed this on the website:
Please note: Beginning 12/1/2019, a destination fee of $25 ($28.75 with tax) will apply to each night of your stay. The fee includes: complimentary bottled water (2), $10 food credit for lunch and dinner periods, complimentary cup of Boston Clam chowder in Avenue One, Premium Wi-Fi upgrade, keepsake Boston magnet and more.
I clicked on more, and this came up:
Destination Fee Policy
Beginning 12/1/2019 a destination fee of $25 ($28.75 with tax) will apply to each night of your stay (Courtesy Card Holders & Globalists Excluded) and includes:
Premium Wi-Fi
Local, Access and Long Distance Domestic Calls
$10 daily food credit (excludes alcohol, tax, service charge, and gratuity) for lunch or dinner periods only at Avenue One, Restaurant & Bar, and IRD
Weekly morning yoga classes
Special Boston Keepsake magnet upon departure
Guided Runs – Tues/Thurs AM
20% Macy’s Discount Coupon
Package handling/storage
Luggage handling/storage
Rollaway bed & Microwave (upon request)
In-room Refrigerator
Access to press reader
Daily newspapers in the lobby
24-hour access/health club & pool
Business Center (Including notary, printing, copy, fax services)
Boarding Pass / Printing / Make Space
Daily fresh fruit in lobby
Local Zoo Discount for Franklin and Stone Zoos
Cup of Boston Clam Chowder
10% discount off laundry/dry cleaning
Seasonal Welcome Beverage upon Arrival
Exhale Back Bay – $10 off a Fitness Class or $25 off a Spa Therapy Session
Old Town Trolly Ticket – Boston Tour – $2 discount/tix from listed price
Exclusive 15% discount off food at Taste Wine Bar & Kitchen | Local Favorite
Alrighty. To be honest, there’s a lot of crapola in there that most guests would never use (a magnet??). And there’s a lot in there which a World of Hyatt member might already be entitled to (such as use of the hotel fitness center, free bottled water and premium wi-fi, to name a few).
Now, the $10 food credit and a nice cup of Boston clam chowder are nice additions (and what is a seasonal welcome beverage anyway?), but all in all I would think that any guest, if given the choice of paying a destination fee or not paying a destination fee would happily forego these benefits. And speaking of clam chowder, is that one cup of clam chowder per room or one for each guest in the room? And is that one cup of clam chowder per day or per stay? (I admit that I’m a little obsessed with the chowder).
In summary, if you are visiting the Hyatt Regency Boston on or after December 1, 2019 be prepared for your bill to be about $29 more per night.
Will Globalists Receive these Benefits?
Globalists (World of Hyatt elite members) do not have to pay Destination Fees – they are waived. But will Globalist members nevertheless receive the benefits of this new Destination Fee at the Hyatt Regency Boston, such as the $10 credit and the clam chowder?
I reached out to the World of Hyatt’s Associate Manager of Global Communications, Glennie Janssen, with this question. Here was her response:
The hotel confirmed that even though Globalists have waived destination fees, they still receive the standard World of Hyatt benefits and a complimentary Appetizer at Avenue One or the Bar with a max value of $20.
The answer is yes. Globalists will receive these benefits notwithstanding the fact that the Destination Fee is waived.
So, Globalists, the answer is not NO SOUP FOR YOU!
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
Horribly stingy property. Stayed there once. Never again.
Beat them at their own game, Everyone should request the microwave and rollaway bed, which they will not have enough. Empty the fruit basket in the lobby every time you walk by it. Go to the business center and print a 5000 page file. Complain about every little thing you find wrong with your room.
Even though I am Globalist so these fees actually help me get more free benefits , they still piss me off. As much as I don’t like government intervention in business , mandatory Hotel fees should be illegal. That’s what the room rate is for.
Super frustrating. I’ve stayed at that hotel, and it’s already pretty pricey! Nice place, but this is a pretty faux list of services to justify it. So, if I stay there 3 nights, that’s an extra $90, but I get a free magnet, 3 apples, and three bowls of soup? (Who goes to the bar, gets a soup, pays the $5 tip and leaves? it certainly won’t be nightly, and it will probably be never).
Just raise your prices. Don’t hide the increase in resort fees. 🙁