How to Read a Monthly Hotel Folio: Room Rate, Taxes and Fees

The usual lines

• Room charge: the nightly or monthly rate you agreed.
• Taxes: state and city hotel taxes, usually on their own lines.
• Fees: any resort, parking or pet fee the hotel adds.
• Payments: what you have paid so far.

The Texas state tax line

Texas charges a 6 percent state hotel tax. Guests who stay at least 30 consecutive days are exempt from the state tax. Tell the hotel in writing that you plan to stay 30 days or more. Without written notice, you pay the state tax for the first 30 days and are exempt after that.

According to the Texas Comptroller, some hotels collect the tax even after written notice, and then give the guest a refund or credit later. Check your folio for this.

City taxes

Cities set and collect their own hotel taxes, and the rules can differ from the state rule. Ask the hotel how it treats the city tax after day 30. Our article on Texas hotel taxes after 30 days covers this in more detail.

What to do each week or month

• Compare the folio to your written rate quote.
• Check that the tax lines match what the hotel told you.
• If state tax is on a bill after you qualified, ask for a refund or a credit.
• Keep every folio.

What next

When you ask a hotel for a monthly rate on Monthly-Hotels.com, ask for the total with taxes on their own line. That makes the folio easy to check.