Gaylord Palms-Ridiculous

[kandb]

I was going to book a few night stay before our stay at embassy suites but the add ons are ridiculous. OK, I can understand parking fee, resort fee, tax but if we want a roll-away, it's $30 per night extra. Come on, after a while it just feels like price gouging(?). With the "extra add-ons" it comes to around $100 a night extra. It just aggrevated me with the roll-away that I decided we won't stay there.

[maxiesmom]

If I'm not mistaken Disney has started to charge for roll-aways as well. I know many places do. I do agree thought that the whole "fee" thing is out of hand. I hate having to read all of the fine print to see if there is a parking fee or a shuttle fee or whatever fee they can think of.

[tripplanner2]

I think you answered my question. I was curious what type of fees they charged. Like if they charged for parking and a resort fee. Surprised that the parking fee is not included in the resort fee.

[pigletto]

It bugs me too. Just tell me what I'm paying darn it.

[Dsnyfireman]

Ok what the hell is a resort fee? Isn't that what you pay for when you pay the nightly rate? Then the added fee for everything else, why not just charge a little more per night and stop all the extra fees?!? We went by that place on the magical express bus and wondered how much it cost, now I know! And people say staying on site is expensive! LOL!!

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Originally Posted by Dsnyfireman

Ok what the hell is a resort fee? Isn't that what you pay for when you pay the nightly rate? Then the added fee for everything else, why not just charge a little more per night and stop all the extra fees?!? We went by that place on the magical express bus and wondered how much it cost, now I know! And people say staying on site is expensive! LOL!!

Disclaimer: I am no fan of resort fees. They annoy me to no end.

That said, Gaylord Palms is not even on the same platform as a Disney resort. Have you ever seen their atrium? Its incredible. Their facilities make those at the Disney values and moderates look paltry in comparison (and even far exceed the Disney deluxes, IMHO). Yes, Disney properties have their draw, but Gaylord Palms is much, much more upscale. Its a beautiful property and I would stay there in a heartbeat, resort fee or not. After visiting there this past Christmas for ICE! and the Shrek Feast, we tried to get a room reservation for our August trip but they were sold out during our dates for a conference.

[tripplanner2]

My problem is I want to know what the room costs. They are advertising $144 per night but if I have to add $25 per night resort fee and another $10 per night for parking, it puts me into another bracket. I just don't like surprises. But I have heard it is an amazing property.

[tarheelmjfan]

Originally Posted by tripplanner2

I think you answered my question. I was curious what type of fees they charged. Like if they charged for parking and a resort fee. Surprised that the parking fee is not included in the resort fee.

I actually prefer most fees be broken down into separate categories. It would make more sense for basic resort fees to be included in the room rate. Other fees such as parking, shuttle, etc. should only be charged to those who use them. If the base rate is low for the type of hotel, I don't mind them charging fees. I would prefer WDW do they same thing. I prefer to not pay for services I don't use.

[4kids4karen]

Originally Posted by tripplanner2

My problem is I want to know what the room costs. They are advertising $144 per night but if I have to add $25 per night resort fee and another $10 per night for parking, it puts me into another bracket. I just don't like surprises. But I have heard it is an amazing property.

Every time we have stayed at the Gaylord Palms, we have paid less than $100 per night with the military discount. Gaylord Palms is not charging anything that other hotels do not charge. When we stay at Shades of Green, we also had to pay a parking garage fee to park in their garage. When I stayed in New Orleans, I had to pay the public parking garage fee next door to our hotel. The hotel only offered valet parking. I understand that not all hotels charge parking fees, but depending on the hotel and location, it is not uncommon. I have learned how to ask the right questions in advance to ensure I understand all of the additional fees.

Sidenote: I have four kids, and not once have we asked for a roll-away bed. I guess I didn't even consider that an option. We always booked rooms with enough beds for all of us, even if that means two rooms. Now that you mention it, one of my friends did stay on Disney property once at one of the deluxe resort and asked for a roll-away bed. She posted on FB that it came covered in ants!