Detroit, Resort Fee City?!?

When you think of hotels that should have something called a "resort fee" do you ever think of the city of Detroit? No. You don't. That of course does not stop the hotels from adding second hidden room rates aka resort fees as standard in the way they operate in Detroit. This is offensive for two reasons. 1) Detroit is an awesome city, but it is not a resort city 2) No one in Detroit appreciates their hard earned money being driven into scams

There are not that many hotel rooms in Detroit. That is changing quickly but there are currently only about 3,500 hotel rooms in the City of Detroit. So why are 507 rooms in the city subject to a scam resort fee? That's about 15% of the hotel rooms in Detroit. Seems pretty steep for a city that values honest hard work. 

WHAT DETROIT HOTELS ARE BOLD ENOUGH TO CHARGE SCAM HOTEL RESORT FEES?

THE MGM DETROIT at 1777 3rd Ave, Detroit, MI 48226
     
ROBERT'S RIVERWALK HOTEL at 1000 River Place Drive, Detroit, MI 48207

Is there a tax issue in the City of Detroit? 
No. Hotels have the option of taxing the resort fee / second hidden room rate at the sales tax rate or the hotel occupancy tax rate. They say that the resort fee is an exchange of service (it is not since it is mandatory) so sometimes they tax only the sales tax. Other times, hotels realize themselves this is a lie and tax it as they would a second hotel room, at the hotel occupancy tax. Both the MGM Detroit and the Robert's Riverwalk Hotel tax their resort fee / hidden second room rate at the Detroit hotel occupancy tax. Though they say this is an exchange of service for the use of the Keurig (no joke, that's in the MGM Detroit's alleged resort fee services) we all know it is not. At least the MGM Detroit and the Robert's Riverwalk Hotel recognize that they are charging a scam second hotel room and it is being taxed according to the City of Detroit hotel occupancy tax of 15%. 

Is there an honesty issue with hotels charging resort fees in the City of Detroit? 
Yes. Detroiters work hard to earn money and when they spend their money, they want to spend it at businesses that are as honest and hardworking as they are. There should be one advertised price for hotel rooms in the City of Detroit - not one advertised and one hidden price. 

What issues are resort fees causing that are unique to Detroit?
Detroit is about to have a hotel boom. If 15% of the hotel rooms already charge scam resort fees, what is stopping all of the new hotels that are going up from charging similar mandatory hidden fees? Nothing. Hotels in Detroit are currently free to advertise $1 rooms and have a $100 resort fee. Resort fees confuse tourists and leave them feeling like they were scammed. Is that something the burgeoning Detroit travel scene wants to have its' travelers experience? No.