Hotels are breaking records this year by charging more fees than they ever have, according to a new study.
This year, hotels are charging more than $2.25 billion in fees and surcharges, according to a study by New York University professor Bjorn Hanson, reports Time.
"Vacationers are finding it harder to anticipate the true cost of their stay, especially because many of these charges vary from hotel to hotel, even within the same chain," reports The Associated Press.
Hanson found an increase in occupancy rates, charges for services, early departure fees, automatic gratuities and mini-bar restocking.
Most of the newly added fees are hidden in the fine print and easy to miss by travelers.
At the Liberty Hotel in Boston, a room service menu lists a can of Coke for $5. However, that's just the base price. The Coke actually costs the visitor $5.90 because of an additional 18 percent "administrative fee" in fine print because now the hotel must restock the bar, AP reports.
Other hotels charge extra for using safes, luggage storing or guaranteeing a king-sized bed, according to AP.
Since 2000, hotel fees have doubled, Time reports. Hotels collected $1.2 billion in fees in 2000, according to the magazine.
