U.S. hotels this year will collect a record $2.25 billion in fees and surcharges,

according to research by New York University hospitality clinical professor Bjorn Hanson. That figure is about 6 percent higher than last year's level and is the result of a combination of higher occupancy, more hotels adding fees and surcharges and hotels increasing the amount of those charges, according to Hanson. Group business in particular has seen an increase in charges this year, including charges for bartenders and other staff at events, master folio billing fees and charges related to meeting room set-up and breakdown.