Can we expect these shenanigans?
I think many of us have observed the airline industry finding a myriad of ways to charge new fees for many things that used to be included in the ticket price. Now hotels (according to the nightly ...
Forum Discussion
I'm not sure we should use the word shenanigans, since that implies wrong-doing. What we are experiencing is a consumer-induced paradigm shift in marketing and pricing. Much of this can be traced to the internet; specifically the plethora of price-comparison websites driven by the consumer's demand for the lowest price no matter what. Companies know that most consumers will buy based on price alone, whether it be airline tickets, hotel rooms, or RVs. Businesses hit hardest by price comparisons brought their prices down to the point where they could no longer be profitable, and were driven to sacrifice quality and deliver the cheapest product possible, or nickel and dime for every item beyond the basic product.
The easier it is to compare prices side-by-side, like airfares between the same cities, the more susceptible they are to this pricing scheme. Hotels are a little more difficult to compare side-by-side, but we do see certain areas, like the Walt Disney World area falling into this. It's hard to find a hotel there now that does not have a resort fee. I paid my first resort fee there in 2002.
Fortunately, RV parks are much more difficult to compare and price side-by-side, so hopefully we will not see them joining in en mass.
The easier it is to compare prices side-by-side, like airfares between the same cities, the more susceptible they are to this pricing scheme. Hotels are a little more difficult to compare side-by-side, but we do see certain areas, like the Walt Disney World area falling into this. It's hard to find a hotel there now that does not have a resort fee. I paid my first resort fee there in 2002.
Fortunately, RV parks are much more difficult to compare and price side-by-side, so hopefully we will not see them joining in en mass.
