People Are Booking Hotel Rooms They'll Never Sleep In

Some theme park fans are booking "ghost rooms" - hotel rooms they pay for but never use. Eve Chen from USA TODAY says she'll never do it, and after looking at the math, neither should you.

Here's what's happening: People book rooms at certain Universal Orlando hotels just to get the free Express passes, with no intention of actually staying there. Sounds clever until you think about it for five seconds.

Why Anyone Would Do This

Universal Orlando gives free Unlimited Express passes to guests at three hotels: Loews Royal Pacific, Portofino Bay, and Hard Rock Hotel. These passes let you skip lines at two parks and normally cost $150+ per person per day.

The math seems tempting. Chen found a family of four could book Royal Pacific for $562 and get two days of Express passes (they work on check-in and check-out days). Buying those same passes separately? Almost $1,160. That's a $600 difference.

So, some people - mostly Orlando locals who don't need a hotel - book the room just for the passes. They check in, grab their Express passes, and go home to their own beds.

Other reasons may include:

Groups who need multiple rooms to fit everyone, so they stay at a cheaper hotel where they can afford multiple rooms.

People who already booked elsewhere or are staying with friends/family, but realize last-minute that buying a hotel room is cheaper than buying Express passes separately.

Why This Is Financially Ignorant

Even if you're local and "saving" $600 on Express passes, you're still paying $562 for nothing. That's not saving money. That's spending money on an empty room.

Chen makes the obvious point: if you're already paying for it, why not use it? Take a midday break from the parks. Use the pool. Take a shower. Get some room service. Take a nap. You're paying for a nice hotel room either way.

For locals especially - make it a staycation. You live in Orlando. You probably never do the touristy stuff. Here's your excuse.

The Actual Problem

This whole ghost room thing shows how insane theme park pricing has become. Express passes are so expensive that paying for an entire hotel room you won't use seems like a bargain.

Universal knows exactly what they're doing. They've priced Express passes high enough that their premium hotels look like deals. It's not a loophole - it's the plan.

Other parks do this too. Disney gives resort guests extra hours and free water park access. Dollywood includes TimeSaver passes. HersheyPark offers extra park time. But Universal's Express passes are the most valuable, which is why people pull this stunt there.

What You're Really Paying For

Those three hotels with Express passes aren't cheap. They're Universal's premium properties. You're already paying luxury prices even with the "free" passes.

All Universal hotel guests also get early park entry, free transportation, charging privileges, and delivery of park purchases. If you ghost the room, you're throwing away half these benefits.

Chen's stayed at every Universal hotel level and says she'd return to any of them. These are nice hotels. If you're paying premium prices, you might as well enjoy premium amenities.

The Math for Non-Locals

If you're traveling to Orlando and need a hotel anyway, this whole discussion is pointless. Stay at the Universal hotel, use the Express passes, enjoy your vacation.

If you're trying to do Universal cheap, ghost rooms aren't the answer. You're still paying $562+. That's not cheap. That's just expensive with extra steps.

Universal's Position

There's nothing in Universal's terms explicitly banning ghost rooms. USA TODAY asked for comment but hasn't heard back.

They probably don't care. Empty room, full room - they get paid either way. Your weird financial gymnastics are your business.

The Bottom Line

Ghost rooms are what happen when people think they're outsmarting theme park pricing. You're not. You're playing exactly into their pricing strategy.

If you're local and really want those Express passes, at least use the room you're paying for. Take a break. Bring a friend. Roll around in a king size bed. Something.

If you're visiting Orlando, just pick: stay at the nice hotel with perks, or stay somewhere cheap and wait in lines. Paying for a room you won't use isn't clever. It's throwing money at Universal because their Express pass pricing worked exactly as intended.

Chen's never booking a ghost room, and after doing the math, neither should you. Either use what you pay for or admit you're just bad with money.