The Short Answer
The safest method is to classify every item according to the booking terms, not the promotional description. An included benefit must be expressly attached to the specific booking; a conditional benefit applies only when its stated requirements are met; and an optional extra requires a separate choice. An excluded charge is not automatically optional: the cited room-rate terms exclude service charges, mandatory resort fees, applicable taxes and other incidental expenses, so an exclusion may indicate an additional required cost rather than a discretionary upgrade.
A Four-Part Booking Check
| Item | Working classification | What the booking should confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Room rate | The stated rate basis, not necessarily the total stay cost | The cited terms describe it as per room, per night and based on double occupancy |
| Service charges, mandatory resort fees and applicable taxes | Outside the stated room rate; not automatically optional | Which amounts are payable and how they appear in the booking total |
| Other incidental expenses | Potentially outside the room rate | Whether an expense applies and whether it is compulsory or arises only if incurred |
| In-hotel benefits | Conditional rather than universally included | Some benefits are limited to eligible rates and award stays, so the selected rate and stay type must match the stated conditions |
| A separately offered add-on | Optional only when it requires a distinct selection | Whether separate booking is required and whether any charge applies |
This classification also prevents a common mistake: treating everything outside the room rate as an “optional extra.” A mandatory resort fee is excluded from the stated rate, but the word mandatory means it is not optional.
What Must Be Confirmed for the Specific Booking
The cited terms establish the basic distinction but do not provide a complete inventory of included benefits. Before treating any benefit as confirmed, the booking-specific wording should answer these questions:
- Is the benefit expressly included with this particular reservation?
- Does it depend on an eligible rate?
- Does it depend on the booking being an award stay?
- Are there any conditions or limitations attached to its use?
- Which service charges, mandatory fees, taxes or incidental expenses sit outside the room rate?
- Is an additional service genuinely optional and separately selectable?
If the booking wording does not clearly place an item in one of these categories, it should remain unclassified rather than being assumed to be included. The final inclusion list and total cost should come from the terms attached to the actual reservation, not from a general offer headline.