Phê Vé
April 11, 2026 • 3 min read
The Hyatt Thompson San Antonio – Riverwalk has surprised guests with seemingly free bath products that actually come with a charge. This isn't the first time hotels have used such tactics.
Hidden Fees at Hyatt
Recently, the Hyatt Thompson San Antonio – Riverwalk left guests astonished when they discovered that bath products like soap and lotion, which appeared to be complimentary, actually incurred additional charges. One guest even recorded a video revealing a price list hidden behind these products, making it easy for users to unwittingly use them.
Why would we think otherwise? After all, they are bathroom amenities! In fact, the hotel’s FAQ mentions that soap, lotion, and other bathing items come with extra fees. Who would have ever thought that!
Additional Purchase Items in the Room
The hotel room is stocked with many items available for purchase, including a fully stocked minibar, two bathrobes, L’AVANT soap and lotion, and D.S. & Durga bath products. Has anyone else encountered charging for bathing products at other hotels? There really needs to be a clearer way to indicate which items incur extra fees.
Hotel Service Fees: Secretive and Frustrating
Unreasonable charges at hotels are often not the most expensive fees. Instead, they are charges that customers assume are included in the room rate, but in reality, they are not. For instance, the Thompson San Antonio Riverwalk has a service fee of $25 per night—this does not include the bathroom products!
Service fees and destination fees complicate matters because they are not included in the room rate. These fees are separated out to confuse customers, making it more challenging to compare prices between hotels, especially across different chains.
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Tax Issues and Sneaky Tactics
In some areas, hotels do not have to pay local taxes on resort and destination fees, leading to tax evasion. For example, in Texas, only the room rate is taxed, while other service packages are not. However, areas like Austin believe their travel taxes apply to destination and resort fees.
These fees often do not carry a commission since they are charged separately on the property and not as part of the room rate. Consequently, hotels frequently exclude them from payments to online travel agencies and travel consultants.
Hotel Issues and Loyalty
Hotels like Marriott even allow these fees to affect customers who use loyalty points for free bookings, while Hilton and Hyatt do not. This truly feels like a “tax” on loyal customers.
And if you think room rates are already high, the price of a bottle of water in a room reaching $26 at Aria Las Vegas will surely shock you. In fact, some minibar sensors charge guests even if they don’t consume anything, and layouts can lead to unintentional charges.
Who is Responsible?
While some hotels even mislead guests by charging for parking and claiming it's a requirement by authorities, or by adding seemingly legitimate fees that are actually just property tax fees.
The FTC refers to this as a “dark pattern” where the presentation tricks customers into spending more than they realize. For instance, hiding fees: placing charged items where free products are typically found, or marketing hidden prices: displaying the room rate and then adding mandatory fees later. Clearly, this behavior traps customers.
Conclusion
The Thompson San Antonio Riverwalk has strategically placed soap and lotion where customers expect complimentary items, but using them could lead to extra charges. This is a classic example of hotel tactics: making something appear free, hiding the price list, and hoping customers won’t realize until it's too late.
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