I was so excited. My Business Platinum Card® from American Express offers a $50 Hilton statement credit per quarter for purchases at any Hilton property. Even better, Rob and I each have the Business Platinum, meaning we had a cool $100 to spend on something fun. Naturally, I pictured us sitting at the gorgeous hotel bar, sipping on some fantastic wine, and toasting to our brilliant use of credit card perks.
The plan was foolproof. We were staying at The Oceana, a beautiful Hilton property, for free using our Hilton Free Night Awards. Everything was lining up perfectly—until check-in.
That’s when reality hit me like a resort fee I forgot to check for.
The price for parking at this fancy hotel? $70 per night. With tax? $78. PER NIGHT. And we were there for two nights. A grand total of $156 just to park the car. Suddenly, my dreams of a complimentary wine-fueled evening swirled down the drain. Instead of applying our $100 Hilton credit toward fun, it went toward parking. Instead of toasting at the bar, we were begrudgingly handing over our credits just to keep our car stationary.
This, my friends, is the hidden cost of “free” luxury hotel stays. Sure, the room was free, but the amenities—parking, resort fees, overpriced bottled water—can sneak up on you and evaporate those well-earned travel perks.
Lesson learned: Next time, I’ll enjoy my wine at a Hilton where I don’t have to park a car! 🍷
So, before you check in to your next luxury stay, take a moment to check those “extra” costs. And if you ever find yourself choosing between free wine or not-so-free parking, well… let’s just say, next time, I’ll Uber.
Cheers (hopefully) to smarter planning next time! 🥂
Selfies are always better-
When Your Vacation is Free!
