If you hate finding an unexpected resort fee added to your hotel bill at checkout, you are not alone.

A national survey found that 80 percent of Americans believe that mandatory resort fees should be included in the daily room rate that is advertised to potential guests.

The survey findings should be no surprise. Resort fees have become one of the biggest frustrations for hotel guests, after expensive or unreliable Wi-Fi.

Undisclosed resort fees have become so prevalent that the Federal Trade Commission sent a letter to 22 hotel companies in 2012, warning that their online reservation sites “may violate the law by providing a deceptively low estimate of what consumers can expect to pay for their hotel rooms.” But the agency has yet to take any action on the fees.

American Hotel and Lodging Association spokeswoman Rosanna Maietta defended the industry, saying hotels and resorts are “transparent” about fees.

Ranging from about $20 to more than $100 a night, resort fees are meant to cover hotel extras such as swimming pools or fitness centers. But guests are often charged the fees even if they don’t use them.

“If the fee is required, it must be included in the nightly rate,” said Charlie Leocha, co-founder and chairman of Travelers United, the nonprofit group that commissioned the survey of 1,100 registered voters.

Airlines urged not to raise bag fees

A U.S. senator from Florida is asking airlines not to act like a Scrooge during the holidays.

Sen. Bill Nelson, top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, has called on all U.S. carriers to halt plans to increase checked bag fees during the holidays. He hinted that he might propose legislation next year forcing airlines to show a connection between the fees and the cost of air travel.

Florida-based Spirit will increase bag fees $2 during the Christmas travel season, Dec. 16 through Jan. 4.

Denver-based Frontier is raising bag fees $5 to $10 from Thursday through Jan. 5.

“These increased surcharges fly in the face of declining fuel costs and appear focused on increasing profitability on the backs of American families,” Nelson said in a letter to the chief executives of the nation’s major airlines.

Representatives for Spirit and Frontier defended their tactics, saying they may be raising bag fees, but they are keeping fares low.

“During times of peak travel, such as the summer months and holidays, there is much more demand for checked bags,” bringing on added costs for baggage handling and adding weight to airplanes that burn more jet fuel, Spirit spokesman Paul Berry said.

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Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times