US woman’s honeymoon ruined by hidden resort fees, she calls it ‘corporate greed’

A US-based content creator shared a video on Instagram expressing her frustration over what she called “corporate greed” in the travel industry, after being hit with hidden resort fees during her honeymoon stay in Honolulu.

In her now-viral video, Nancy said, “Travel in the US is dead and it’s all because of corporate greed,” while explaining how she was baffled to see a $500 charge added to her bill at checkout.

According to her, the resort stacked on a daily resort fee of $52 plus tax per room per day, which bundled together several services she never used.

Amongst the Marriott Bonvoy membership “amenities” listed were a fresh flower greeting, daily yoga classes, banana bread muffins, meditation sessions, refillable logo water bottles, and cultural activities.

Nancy pointed out that the only thing she actually received was a flower lei, which she found uncomfortable. “We didn’t ask for it because the flower was itching my neck. But that was the one thing that we got,” she said, criticising the absurdity of being charged for add-ons she had no interest in.

What upset her even more was that basic resort essentials weren’t included in the membership. “Guess what was not included? The actual beach chairs,” she said. Guests were expected to pay $200 to reserve a chair with an umbrella in the sun, or $70 per chair on the actual beach if booked a day in advance.

Instead, non-paying guests were left with what she described as “lousier beach chairs placed in the back.”

“Why would I pay $200 as a guest on top of what I’m already paying, that too for a beach chair,” she vented.

Nancy concluded her video by urging others to consider destinations outside the US for their holidays, suggesting they save their hard-earned money for places that offer more value and a genuinely better experience.

She summed up her experience as being stuck in a rigged system: “Every single thing that you don’t want to pay for, you have to pay for. And then every single thing that you actually want, you have to pay for on the top of that.”

Watch the video here:

People on social media agreed with Nancy’s opinions, flooding her comments section with their own stories of hidden fees, overpriced add-ons, and disappointing travel experiences.

See the comments here:

Several users also dropped recommendations for countries like Thailand, Mexico, and Greece, where they said hospitality felt genuine and value for money was much better.

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