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Opinion on Resort fees

JoeH
Explorer III
Explorer III
What's your take on a RV park that charges over $100/night, has only a pool for an amenity (nothing else other than an empty clubhouse and
a couple corn hole games) , has no activities or entertainment and now wants to add a resort fee on top of the rate ?
Joe
2013 Dutch Star 4338- all electric
Toad is 2015 F-150 with bikes,kayaks and Harley aboard
41 REPLIES 41

DrewE
Explorer
Explorer
spoon059 wrote:
afidel wrote:
Yeah, I was talking about Liberty Harbor, I try not to call it out by name or it will be even more expensive next time we want to stay there ๐Ÿ˜ƒ
It's expensive but worth it due to the 20 minutes it takes to walk to the PATH station and ride into Manhattan.

Exactly. There isn't any real competition. The next closest RV park is about 45 minutes further away. I might save a couple dollars on the park, but by the time I've paid for the train or parking in the city, it'll cost the same AND take longer to go in and come out of the city. I don't got to NYC very often, so once a decade I'll pay too much for a place to park my camper.


Well, there is Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn on Jamaica Bay. It's a little longer to Manhattan (though technically closer to New York City taken as a whole, being in the city limits), and a lot less expensive per night. The downsides are also obvious and not insignificant: there are no hookups, few amenities, and getting there is an interesting experience in New York City driving in your RV.

None of which is to suggest that Liberty Harbor's pricing is out of line for their location, nor that for many people it's the best place to camp and see New York City.

spoon059
Explorer II
Explorer II
afidel wrote:
Yeah, I was talking about Liberty Harbor, I try not to call it out by name or it will be even more expensive next time we want to stay there ๐Ÿ˜ƒ
It's expensive but worth it due to the 20 minutes it takes to walk to the PATH station and ride into Manhattan.

Exactly. There isn't any real competition. The next closest RV park is about 45 minutes further away. I might save a couple dollars on the park, but by the time I've paid for the train or parking in the city, it'll cost the same AND take longer to go in and come out of the city. I don't got to NYC very often, so once a decade I'll pay too much for a place to park my camper.
2015 Ram CTD
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qtla9111
Nomad
Nomad
After paying $50 a night with one night free for a one week stay in Florida, never again. We were literally packed in like sardines. Because we had a small 18ft TT at the time, we were lodged into a small triangular space where the tip of our hitch was touching the edge of the road. The pool was dominated by a specific group of people after 3:30 who splashed us with water until the discovered we spoke French (true French).

That's why we boondock whenever possible.
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rhagfo
Explorer
Explorer
JoeH wrote:
What's your take on a RV park that charges over $100/night, has only a pool for an amenity (nothing else other than an empty clubhouse and
a couple corn hole games) , has no activities or entertainment and now wants to add a resort fee on top of the rate ?


Based on your location, can I assume that the park in in the Keys??
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afidel
Explorer II
Explorer II
Yeah, I was talking about Liberty Harbor, I try not to call it out by name or it will be even more expensive next time we want to stay there ๐Ÿ˜ƒ
It's expensive but worth it due to the 20 minutes it takes to walk to the PATH station and ride into Manhattan.
2019 Dutchman Kodiak 293RLSL
2015 GMC 1500 Sierra 4x4 5.3 3.42 full bed
Equalizer 10k WDH

spoon059
Explorer II
Explorer II
I've paid over $100 a night for a last minute trip to Florida in a beautiful campground very close to the Gulf that our site backed to a canal view. That was worth it, once, for the location and very well put together park.

I've also paid just over $100 a night for Liberty Harbor, just outside of DC. It was very overpriced for what it was... but for convenience to NYC it was worth it. I'll likely go back to that campground, even though its overpriced. Far cheaper than a hotel for a family of 5 with pets.

I'm sure that at some point we will go to Camp Wilderness and pay over $100 a night.

Other than that, I don't envision spending that much money for a campground. But if they can get people to pay those fees, why shouldn't they charge them? If enough people are willing to pay that kind of money, there must be some reason. They likely won't see MY money though.

We have enough places around us that we like to frequent that are less money. We have a lake that we go to a couple times a year. On holiday weekends we'll pay about $85 a night... but that is literally for a lake front site that puts our camper 30 feet from the water. Its pricey, but we love that lake and have several friends with boats that camp there with us.
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afidel
Explorer II
Explorer II
Guy Roan wrote:
I don't understand the "resort Fee" and never heard of it.
Our park here in the Keys charges over a hundred a night, (like all the others) but along with what you said we have a free boat ramp for renters and each spot is on a canal and each has a tiki hut dock. We also have two small sandy beaches.
The things that you said were closed are probably the same as ours -closed due to the Covid.

If you don't like the cost, you should use another place, but along the coast and the farther south you head you'll have trouble finding any thing less expensive

Guy

I only payed $88/night for my Keys stay this year, and that was the out the door price. I guess I did well ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

The only time I've payed over $100/night was staying directly across from Battery Park a few blocks from a PATH station so that was location, location, location.

Stayed at Bass Harbor campground, less crowded than Bar Harbor and under $50/night during peak season. Still got to do everything we wanted in Acadia including first sunrise ๐Ÿ˜ƒ
2019 Dutchman Kodiak 293RLSL
2015 GMC 1500 Sierra 4x4 5.3 3.42 full bed
Equalizer 10k WDH

donkeydew
Explorer
Explorer
why all the whine? you have wheels on your rig if you don't like it just "keep on trucking"

mdcamping
Explorer
Explorer
JoeH wrote:
What's your take on a RV park that charges over $100/night, has only a pool for an amenity (nothing else other than an empty clubhouse and
a couple corn hole games) , has no activities or entertainment and now wants to add a resort fee on top of the rate ?


it's brazen, but if they can get away with it, supply & demand.

We had one similar rebooking for next year where they had a premium site fee and added a site lock fee on top of peak season prices, this will push my fee well over $100 per night, clean campground, gorgeous views they will still get the business, including me.

years ago remember staying at one "resort" campground, had a beach, pond for amenities and that was it, not even a dump station LOL

Mike
2022 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost 4X4 Supercrew GCWR 19,500 157WB
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mkc
Explorer
Explorer
time2roll wrote:
Just a ploy to list a low competitive price on the travel websites to make you click to see the real cost.
Resort fee is nothing more than part of the cost to stay at the venue.

Possibly they may not pay fees to the booking website on the resort fee. Similar to charging excessive shipping on ebay to avoid seller ebay fees.



^ This ^

May also be that the state charges hotel and/or sales tax on just the rack rate, not the additional fees. But the primary reason would be to mask the true nightly fee.
2017 LTV Unity

Veebyes
Explorer II
Explorer II
The DW has her price point set at about $35. Anything above the grumbling starts. Anything above $45 produces screaming.

Pools don't tempt us at all. This is our idea of somewhere to swim.


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Crowe
Explorer
Explorer
Bumpyroad wrote:
what is the location? missing a vital fact here. is it in the Keys? next door to disney world? as said, if they can get that much a night, must be something good there.
bumpy


Bar Harbor KOA-over $100/night. Sites are cramped in most areas. BUT they can get it due to its proximity to Bar Harbor, awesome sunsets, activities, etc. We used to go there regularly. Expense is in the eye of the beholder.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be

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Bumpyroad
Explorer
Explorer
what is the location? missing a vital fact here. is it in the Keys? next door to disney world? as said, if they can get that much a night, must be something good there.
bumpy

Guy_Roan
Explorer
Explorer
Bird Freak wrote:
Guy Roan wrote:
I don't understand the "resort Fee" and never heard of it.
Our park here in the Keys charges over a hundred a night, (like all the others) but along with what you said we have a free boat ramp for renters and each spot is on a canal and each has a tiki hut dock. We also have two small sandy beaches.
The things that you said were closed are probably the same as ours -closed due to the Covid.

If you don't like the cost, you should use another place, but along the coast and the farther south you head you'll have trouble finding any thing less expensive

Guy
Sounds like you may be at Bluewater Key.


Nope !
"Key Largo Kampground and Marina" -We have been all over the Keys and like this one the best. Check us out on line.
If you are a kayaker, canoer or paddleboard paddler there are fifty miles of protected water ways in the mangrove gardens including the John Pennekamp state park canoe trails or you can paddle out to one of the reefs, (like "Mosquitoe Banks) for superb under sea viewing.
If you are a power boater, the canal leads you right into the Atlantic or Largo sound

Not only that, but we are only 40 minutes from The Everglades National Park.

Guy

We used to do the state parks; jumping from one to the other every two weeks, but now it is here in for the winter months