Apparently Canaan Valley Lodge management instituted a $12 resort use fee, on top of the room and taxes. This began last July. I can understanding a true first class resort such as The Homestead or Greenbrier doing such a thing. These resorts offer a multitude of first class meneities, but Canaan? I mean you go there to use the amenities! If they are not being utilized sufficiently, then either correct their deficiencies or raise the specific current fee for those amenities with such a fee(golf, skiing, ice skating, etc).
The Colonel

How are they going to enforce that? Are they going to put a gate at the entrance to the State Park? I could kind of agree with doing this for day users, but are they going to charge people who are already paying for a room? WV being WV, it wouldn't surprise me if it took some time before they implement this.

Letter writing campaign? Now that the Governor purchased a home there, who knows? Maybe his office should be the recipient of the complaints?

I assume you are not talking about an entry gate fee Colonel. Was this added to your room costs? I recall they were considering adding resort fees to Timberline and Canaan to cover the increasing costs of EMT from Oakland and Elkins. I can't recall if these fees went through or not.

Think snow!

Tom

No, they actually add the $12 to the cost of your room per day of stay.

The Tucker County Commission increased the hotel/motel tax from 3% to 6%, and IIRC they said they will use (most of) it to fund EMS. That plus the 6% state sales tax brings the tax alone to 12%.

As to a resort fee beyond that, their website says it's about $6 per night. Maybe that's per person. Anyway, I have no idea what you get for that fee...maybe free use of xc trails? (If you're not a resort guest, I believe there is a day-use fee for xc trails, like Whitegrass). Free ice skating? (Not likely).

Unless you get something for free that is normally charged, it sounds like a straight gouge. Six dollars per night per person for leaf peeping?

I like the Blackwater Falls lodge much better. Quieter, better scenery, and a bit cheaper. Is this fee being applied there as well?

As to the tax increase being used for EMT costs I have no problem with that. I rolled a jeep into the woods on a snowy wind blasted Rt. 93 once and was very grateful for the ambulance ride to Oakland and the fine treatment I received enroute and after getting there. That was St. Pat's Day in 2001 and no I had not been drinking. I was driving out on a Sat. night to stay at Blackwater Lodge and ski the next day. I escaped with nothing more than a busted finger and a scraped up forehead. My wife was out of country at the time but good friends from Whitegrass picked me up after overnight surveillance at Oakland Hosp. and brought me home.

My original post was in error. Yes, Canaan Valley Lodge is now charging a general resort amenities fee, but the amount per room is $7 per room per night, not the $12 per night I first posted.
Still, it is a ripoff. Why not just charge $7 per night more for the room vice getting customers mad.
The Colonel

OK, so the numbers were off but are now straightened out...but I still don't know what you GET for the $7 that you didn't get before they instituted this. I assume the answer is: you get NOTHING that you didn't get before.
If true, then agreed: a straight gouge and complete ripoff that does nothing more than inflame people.

A few weeks back I was looking at staying at CVR on Saturday night and the nightly rate was $109/nite (Website price as well as I called CVR). If you checked Orbitz, Expedia, etc. the rate was $84/nite. I would assume that Orbitz/Expedia/etc. had the resort fee included in their price.

Denis, How much is Blackwater Falls lodge?

Because if they added it to the room price, they couldn't advertise a $35 room rate. They'd have to advertise $42 and that might put them at a competitive disadvantage.

Haven't you ever heard 'Taxes and fees not included"

I suspect the "resort" fee is actually the hotel/motel tax and because of that you will see it on you Blackwater Falls Lodge bill as well. I may be wrong though, you should have been charged 6% WV state sales tax, 6% hotel/motel tax, and then any other applicable fees. Is that what your bill shows or does it list the H/M Tax and the "Resort Fee"? At any rate, I believe the new H/M tax increase helps, at least in part, to support Tucker Co EMS and local FD's.

Actually after looking into this a bit more it seems that they are just adding in an extra $6.36/night for their "resort fee". It shows up when you reserve a room online in addition to 12% state and county taxes. So who knows what its for. I couldn't find anything about it on Blackwater's website but they arent' run by Guest Services so that probably makes a difference.