Hotel Cost Calculator
Calculate the total cost of a hotel stay including nightly rate, number of nights, and taxes or fees.
Plan your travel budget easily.
Hotel total cost is consistently higher than the nightly room rate advertised. Taxes, resort fees, parking, and incidentals can add 25–50% to the base price. A proper trip budget must account for all of these.
The formula: Total Hotel Cost = (Nightly Rate + Daily Fees) × Number of Nights + Taxes + One-Time Fees
Common additional charges:
Taxes (vary by city/state):
- Room tax: typically 10–18% of room rate
- Occupancy tax: often separate, 4–8%
- City/tourism tax: $1–$8/night flat fee in some cities
Resort fees (mandatory daily charge, even if unused):
- Common in Las Vegas, Miami, NYC, Hawaii
- Range: $20–$50+/night — added AFTER booking in many cases
- Must be disclosed pre-booking (FTC cracking down on hidden fees)
Other fees:
- Parking: $20–$75/night in urban hotels
- Pet fee: $25–$150 (flat or per night)
- Early check-in / late check-out: $25–$50 each
- Wi-Fi: $10–$20/day at older business hotels (most now free)
Worked example: 3-night stay in Las Vegas:
- Nightly rate: $129 × 3 = $387
- Resort fee: $39 × 3 = $117
- Parking: $25 × 3 = $75
- Room tax (13%): $387 × 0.13 = $50.31
- Occupancy tax (5%): $387 × 0.05 = $19.35
- Total: $648.66 (vs. advertised $387)
Comparison tip: Always use the “total price” toggle on Booking.com or Hotels.com — this shows all taxes and fees. Resort fees appear only at checkout on many sites. Compare total cost, not nightly rate.
Loyalty program value: Free nights typically require 10,000–70,000 points at major chains (Marriott, Hilton, IHG). Points are typically worth 0.5–1.5 cents each.