Motel Boat Charging Fee

Has anyone ever experienced this fee? I am staying at Quality Inn, in Corsicana near Richland Chambers. I made my reservations online and checked in at the motel. While at my room, a gentleman walked up to me and told me there is a boat charging fee. I was never told about it before, and not when I checked in either. I don't think I am obligated to pay the fee. Has anyone else experienced this?

No, absolutely not. Tell them to f off

Sounds like bs to me

they probably don't want you there or any boats for that matter

I have never seen that. I am willing to bet if you don't pay it then your charging cord will mysteriously get pulled out after you go to bed.

This^^^^

What?!

Absolutely not. Lady at Best Western at Fork tried to charge me $10 one time. I told her we have stayed there multiple times and never had to pay and that we would not stay if they charged us... She said “oh that’s ok I’ll just waive the fee. Not that big of a deal!” She was more than likely going to just pocket that money...

I've never heard of it. But I'm sure it will catch on just like park, wifi, and resort fees. I've literally seen resort fees in Vegas cost more than the room.

Nope never heard of that before. Check your paperwork and/or their website and see if there is a fee in writing. If it's not in writing them you don't have to pay. If it's in writing and now a policy of theirs then you're stuck paying it.

I figure that like the ramp fees. Someone is going to pay for that electricity, and if it's not included in their room charges they need to re-coup that money. I do think that $10 is a bit much, but I'd gladly pay $5 for the ability to charge my batteries at night.

I would go to the front desk and ask to see it in your agreement, they should have some sort of printed notice, like a pet fee would be.

offer to call the bbb while they look it up, the chains hate bad press.

and no, I would not pay as an extra fee, it should be absorbed in the room cost.

How much did they want? I don't know how much wattage your charger pulls, but it can't be much. I think you'd have to work pretty hard at it to use more than a dollar or two of electricity.

had this happen years ago at motel in nashville,tn....one of our guys pointed out to them that charging your batteries uses about as much electricity as turning the TV on...they didn't charge us....
I wouldn't mind paying a security charge if they would hire a security guard to patrol the parking lot at night...

Never

Unplug the tv and plug your cord into that outlet. That plug should be included in the room price!

Stayed in many hotels, in many states with our boat. Never heard of such a thing. Sounds like someone has been getting pointers from airlines. They want to charge you for anything and give you nothing.

BTW - how much did they want and did you pay?

Never have been asked to pay for that

They said 7 dollars a night, and I have not paid.

We include it with your $1,000 per night fee.

I've never heard of motels doing that, but I could see it coming.

Even knowing that your charger probably uses less than 50 cents in power if charging overnight? Remember, a 10A bank @ 12V may use ONE AMP of power @ 120V - and for only a portion of the night, at that!

Exactly. Over 2 nights I may use a dollar or 2 of electricity.

So the "Convenience Factor" doesn't come into play ?

id tell them the fee better include a nakid lady dancing on a pole all night, too! if not, no fee!

Better close your eyes if she's only worth $10 ..........

very true

Tell them no. And ask them to bring extra boat towels while their trying to figure out who’s tight and who’s wrong.

They also have to pay to have the outlets installed and maintained. It is their business and their choice to charge or not. You aren't just entitled. I know the hotel I usually stay at near Fork have a row of charging plugs for boats and every big tournament boaters seem to damage them and then no one has power until they can have them repaired. I will remember that logic next time I go to whataburger and they charge $3 for fries that cost them 50 cents. I will tell them no thanks I will take them for free

So the tons and tons of recreational anglers that stay at these places do not damage them as well? Only tournament anglers?

Most places I run the cord from inside the room.

That is the problem. You are willing to pay a fee for charging your boat. Others will get on this band wagon and start doing the same and everyone has to pay more. It should come with the room. What if you watch TV all night long. is there an extra charge for that since you used more electricity???

Or brought a computer and ran it? Or turned the AC as cold as it goes?

My point was about the actual incremental cost. There is no significant incremental cost incurred for 50 cents in power usage on a room that costs $100+ per night. That $100 would allow you to plug something into every receptacle socket in the room. But to plug one in outside would be an additional $5 or $7, or more? It's just another "hidden fee" tactic. I've never broken a 16 cent receptacle (bulk cost) in all the years I've plugged my charger into an AC outlet.

I have a confession to make- sometimes I leave a lamp on at night or a bathroom light. I also charge my phone.

Pretty much. The hotel is a little far from the lake and only seems to get boaters when the large tournaments arr going on and all the closer hotels are full. My point isnt about it beibg a certain type of angler but rather they just tear stuff up and someone has to pay for the repairs

So I don’t suppose you’ve never paid for parking at a hotel or other facility either? After all the asphalt is already there. Right? What about tolls? I didn’t ask the to build those roads so why should I pay? Which of these bandwagons are YOU contributing to? Should I send you my next parking receipt?

And I used toilet paper, guilty.

I hope you're aware that the prescribed allocation is 10 squares of TP. Any beyond that will cost $0.50 for each square - or you can use the extra towels (after you buff your boat with them).

A parking lot is a substantial investment with many 0's attached to the price-tag for installation and maintenance with a ROI period many times longer than a few receptacles, so I'm not quite sure how those compare. The cost of every receptacle in the room seems to be built into the price of the room. I'd venture to guess there are at least 5. I can plug something into every one of those with no additional charge, but I don't typically use one beyond charging a cell phone. I guess another charge is looming for that cell phone? I rarely plug anything else in, nor turn on the TV, nor use a coffee-maker if it's there. I'll take the 50 cents in power to charge my batteries and call it an even trade on what I don't use in the room.

I'm not sure how tolls for toll roads play into your comparison scenario; there are always optional roadways so one can still get from point A to point B at no added cost. Unless you imply the receptacle inside my window is an alternative?

If I run the air-conditioning at max cold, that will use 10X or more the power of my charger, and maintenance on HVAC is one of the highest items a motel has I would imagine. I would also imagine most operators would tell you that you are using 10 amps of power for each 10A bank on your charger, thinking they are being sucked dry and need to be reimbursed! (due to ignorance of how electrical watts are measured) That "10 amps" at 12V doesn't draw 10A all night, typically just a short while before it tapers off - sometimes to 1 amp or less. The catch is the "@12V" part. Ten amps (often the max bank output) at 12V is very near ONE AMP at 120V - and that's 1A for a short period. Some people probably burn more power drying their hair with a 1500w hair dryer after a shower than their charger will consume overnight.

Free enterprise. Owners/management have the right to charge fees for whatever they want and I have the right not agree with nor pay their fees by not frequenting their establishment(supporting their business). There have been hotels that started charging for WiFi that used to be “included” and we literally decided we would never go back based on what we decided were frivolous charges. Don’t want to pay a luggage fee? Don’t fly that airlines. Don’t want to pay to charge your boat batteries? Don’t support that hotel. That’s how free enterprise works. Now to the OP’s original question: “NO, I have never experienced a hotel charging a fee for charging my boat batteries”. I would consider it frivolous and would not support their business.

its really pretty simple if you dont like the way a company runs its business go somewhere else and spend your money with them.

Stayed at a hotel in Arkansas where the outlets were on the light poles. Plugged in after pre-fishing and had no power... asked the clerk what the deal was and was told that the plugs only were hot when the lights were on - and they were on a dusk/daylight timer. Luckily, we spoke with the maintenance guy who bypassed the timer so the 30 odd boats could charge.
Fast forward to the La Quinta in Florence, Alabama where the staff went to the store and bought stake outlets with 4 plugs to a stake and ran (seemed like) miles of extension cords so that all the boats could hook up to recharge. They also walked the lot all night (for 6 nights) so that the boats would be secure and the anglers wouldn't have to worry too much.
2 hotels, same chain - different managers.

No I have never had to pay for parking at any hotel I have stayed at. Keep your parking receipts,,,you seem to be willing to throw your money away for stuff that should not cost extra. Use common sense and stay somewhere else that doesn't charge you these fees.
Simple as that.

Exactly. Plenty of others out there wanting the business.

Pickwick pays the bills and they know it there.

Well, forgive me that I prefer to stay at the better hotels that do charge for parking. And that's a choice that I make. I'm certain that you spend money on things that I would consider "throwing your money away". Life is a constant parade of choices. We all don't choose the same and that's fine.

What hotels near a lake charge you for parking? I can see hotels in big cities charging you for parking because it is limited there and they might have their own parking space but ones at a lake?? But if you enjoy paying for parking lots go for it if it makes you happy.
There are plenty of very fine hotels that do not charge for parking.
I think it is funny, you say that you choose to stay at better hotels that charge you parking but in another thread you aren't sure if you should change breaker in your boat and from the picture you posted, it is totally junk, but hey its like you said it is up to you to decide what to spend your money on.

Jeez Man ...... You're grabbing at straws for the sole sake of an argument.

If you go back and actually READ the thread about the breaker you will see (if you can open your eyes long enough) that there is a laughing emoticon there. Any person could figure out that it was posted in jest.

And when exactly did I say I paid for parking at the lake? You're once again simply reading what you want to see. Just because I prefer to stay with my family at upscale hotels and you don't is no reason to get all wadded up.

Back away from the keyboard and calm down before you strain yourself ................

Calm down their chief, you might just trip a breaker if it works...LOL (laughing emotion there). You were exactly right when you said that you are sure that I spend money on things that you would think were a waste of money. Correct. I would rather waste my money on quality fishing equipment than paying for parking at upscale hotels ANY DAY. There are plenty of fancy hotels all over the place that do not charge for parking, but hey it is up to you to spend your money on whatever you choose, whatever makes you happy, so don't go blow a gasket just because I don't share your viewpoint. Maybe you should check into one of those fancy hotels so you can relax, have room service bring you something. You are too worked up. While you do that, I will head to the tackle shop. Both of us will be relaxed.

Who's blowing a gasket? I'm actually laughing so hard it hurts ......

I have lots of things in my life that concern me or are troublesome. You ain't one of them.

I gota jump in here, According to the internet a 3 ton AC 3 s, uses 30 KWH a day on the average, X 13 cents a kwh = $ 3.90 a day, someone please correct me if i'm wrong. A 4 bank battery charger has to use , what, a 1/4 of this at best or less, I'm a motel owner, please come park your boat and charge your boat for FREE.

Exactly. Less than a dollar per night.

A 10 amp bank on a battery charger has an efficiency loss of less than 10% on any decent "smart" charger. If I allow 10% wattage loss for that, assume 4 banks, and assume all four banks run a full 6 hours at the full 10A rate (they won't, typically), I come up with 3.5 kwH. At $0.13/kwH, that's a robust FORTY-SIX CENTS! Even if it ran 12 hours, that's 92 cents. So, you're guesses were correct.

Maybe some of you guys should start going around to the lakes and convincing them that they should not be charging a launch fee since it costs virtually nothing once the ramp is put in. Doesn't matter if it uses 5 cents in electricity or $500. They have the right to charge a fee if they decide to and you have a right to stay somewhere else.

True, we can stay somewhere else. I would make sure from now on to ask before booking a room if they are going to charge any stupid fees to charge a boat.

Two totally different things. If i stay in a hotel i expect electricity to be included. If i just pull in and ask if i can plug my boat in. I expect to get charged for it. If i stay at a lakeside hotel that has a ramp. The use of that ramp is always free while staying there. If i just show up to use the ramp. I expect to get charged

some motel owners/managers (like Applebees restaurant managers) simply can't see the big picture....couple examples I've seen over the years,in early years of bass tournements,we had a club tournament on a lake in northeast Louisiana (I think it was Lake Bruin)...we reserved rooms at a mom and pop motel on the lake that also had some wooden docks sticking out in the lake...we started checking in the motel and woman that owned motel insisted we could not park our boats in front or beside the rooms,we had to launch and tie our boats up to the docks they had provided...this was probably first bass club that had ever booked rooms at her motel....we tried to explain to this woman about our need to charge batteries and our fear of a sudden storm damaging or sinking our boats....there were about 10 of us fixing to leave and go elsewhere and would have except we had a Doctor in the club who happened to know one of the woman's friends and he went back to the office and managed to convince the woman that she was going to lose a lot of business that night and in the future if she didn't change her rule about no parking boats next to rooms...

another instance was when I was practice fishing on Lake Martin the night before one of the few night time Redman tournaments they had back in the 80's...I fished all friday night,took my boat out 7:00 a.m. and stopped at Heart of Dixie motel in Dadeville,Al....for club tournaments,we had stayed at this motel for several years...I checked in about 8;00 a.m. and told the woman that I just needed to take a shower and sleep about 6 hours and she immediately told me I would have to pay for two nights because their check out time was 11;00 a.m..I told her in a nice way that I and my bass club had stayed at her motel for years and i didn't want to but if she insisted on charging me two nights,I would go someplace else..don't remember her exact uncordial words but it was similar to "the rules are the rules and I'm not changing them"...the stupid part was the town had built a by-pass around the town and this motel was hurting for business..... (I did go to another motel and they were glad to only charge me for only one night and as a club we never stayed at that motel in Dadeville again)..

A boat ramp could cost $1M or more to construct, along with parking and facilities. It takes a long time to recoup such an investment. An outside 110V receptacle to connect a lodger's device (whether a battery charger or block heater) costs very little in additional construction fees. They seem to include five to seven of these in a room without feeling the need to add a special fee. What's so special (construction cost investment perspective) about one more? There is no electrical code limit to the actual number of receptacles on a circuit, so a 20A breaker could support close to 10 outlets - even if every receptacle slot on the circuit was occupied. The incremental cost of the provision and its maintenance is minuscule in absolute and percentage as compared to something like a launch ramp. If an operator is charging only for that receptacle, he's missing an opportunity - why not charge a fee for each of the other 5 to 7 receptacles in the room too?

Yea and once they start that they might also charge you for how much toilet paper you use because of the shortage.

Why would you charge extra for plugging in a battery charger when you can just include the small cost in the price of the room and instead of irritating your customers with a dinky charge,include it in the cost of the room and let them think you have charging outlets for the convenience of their customers....most motels now offer a free breakfast and free wi-fi but it's really not free,it's included in cost of your room....always remember first law of economics...."there is no such thing as a free lunch".....

That was my drift considering the operator's "additional construction cost and overhead" is minimal. If it were covered slips on the water, I could understand "not included" in the competitive room pricing due to the much higher expense of providing a more expensive feature/convenience.