Over the years, we’ve see the increasing trend of hotels charging junk fees. We’re not just talking about luxury properties charging resort or destination fees, but even things like security fees, electricity fees, and more. Well, OMAAT reader Susan just shared a fee situation she faced at a Marriott affiliated property, which I’d consider to be particularly egregious, given how dishonestly it’s presented.
In this post:
Marriott charges all guests $2.87 “city fee,” for parking?
Susan reached out after recently staying at the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Dallas Plano/Frisco. The property is in a suburban area, right next to a huge shopping center, with an endless amount of parking. So it’s not a hotel where you’d expect to find a charge for parking.
When booking the reservation, the guest made note of how the hotel now has a $2.87 parking fee, which wasn’t the case when the hotel opened, when parking was free. That’s fine, because she wasn’t parking a car at the property, and she says she would’ve stayed elsewhere if she had been (presumably on principle).
However, at check-out, she noticed a $2.87 per night “City Fee” on the folio, as it was described. Note that she works for the state of Texas, so she’s tax exempt, and also pays attention to the details on folios.
As she explains:
When I received my bill the morning of checkout–first shot–I happened to connect the $2.87 “city fee” (making it look like Plano has a tax) because it was what I thought I had seen the parking fee. I stopped by the front desk and the agent happily and apologetically removed it. But had my brain not connected the same numbers from “CITY FEE” meant to the numbers I saw under “PARKING FEE,” I would have had no idea. That’s what I expect is happening to every other guest at both hotels–whether one has a car or not.
It’s sad that deceiving customers has become the goal
In an ideal world, hotels wouldn’t have junk fees, and would try to be transparent with their pricing. But I realize that’s a big ask, and unlikely to happen.
At a minimum, could they try to not actively mislead consumers? So let’s recap:
- The hotel recently decided to add a $2.87 fee for parking, which was previously free; okay, I guess that’s their prerogative…
- The hotel then automatically charges guests that $2.87 fee, regardless of whether or not they’re parking, hoping that people won’t notice
- The hotel then claims this is a “city fee” rather than a parking fee, which can’t be described as an honest mistake; obviously the hope is that people won’t notice this, since people are much less likely to question government taxes and fees
What always intrigues me in these situations is what process caused things to be the way they are. Does the general manager come up with the idea, the owners, or what? And is there an explicit discussion about “hey, let’s put this on the folio as a city fee rather than a parking fee?” And then the other person is like “yep, sounds good,” rather than “but wait, that’s a lie?”
Bottom line
A Fairfield by Marriott recently started charging $2.87 per night for parking. Okay, that seems a little greedy, but fair enough. The issue is that the hotel seemingly just adds this to all folios, regardless of whether or not guests park, and then claims that this is a “city fee,” rather than a parking fee. I don’t think I need to explain why that’s wrong, but I do think it’s important to call hotels out for this.
What do you make of this Marriott property’s parking scheme?
American voted for deregulation (and the consequencial grifting).
Now live with the consequences of your voting and stop whining about it.
This could actually be a really clever move by the hotels: it's making the conversation more about what it's labelled as/potential fraud, and perhaps away from the loss of free parking.
I live in Dallas and thought I would just call the hotel to ask about the "parking fee". I just got off the phone with the front desk who responded that the charge still applies which she described as a "city fee". When asked what statute or ordinance the hotel is relying on to support the "city fee", the agent had no response. Marriott needs to step up and control this type of behavior. Its...
I live in Dallas and thought I would just call the hotel to ask about the "parking fee". I just got off the phone with the front desk who responded that the charge still applies which she described as a "city fee". When asked what statute or ordinance the hotel is relying on to support the "city fee", the agent had no response. Marriott needs to step up and control this type of behavior. Its outright fraud to being calling it a "city fee" when the city has no such fee structure in place.
Please also call the City of Plano and let them know that the hotel might not be remitting to them the "city fees" being collected in their name.
Probably time for the city to come collect the taxes paid to them.
If this report is accurate, labeling a private parking charge as a “City Fee” is not just misleading marketing — it borders on a violation of basic accounting and disclosure principles. Any charge that implies a public tax or municipal fee, when in reality it’s an internal revenue item, misrepresents the nature of the transaction.
From a compliance and financial reporting standpoint, this raises serious red flags. Under U.S. GAAP, IFRS, and even basic consumer...
If this report is accurate, labeling a private parking charge as a “City Fee” is not just misleading marketing — it borders on a violation of basic accounting and disclosure principles. Any charge that implies a public tax or municipal fee, when in reality it’s an internal revenue item, misrepresents the nature of the transaction.
From a compliance and financial reporting standpoint, this raises serious red flags. Under U.S. GAAP, IFRS, and even basic consumer protection laws, transparency and truth in billing are non-negotiable. Misstating an internal fee as a government tax could be construed as deceptive, potentially breaching both local tax regulations and corporate integrity standards.
Forget that. It allows the property to cheat Marriott on revenue. It has 99 rooms. The average hotel occupancy in Dallas is 65%. So, that's at least $171,798 a year in revenue the owner is making. Marriott operates based on a franchisee fee and a fixed percent of revenue. Revenue disguised as taxes goes right into the owner's pocket.
And yet again, Marriott corporate will do nothing...
How is this not fraud? Seriously. I'm sure by passing it off as a "fee" they don't have to give Marriott a slice of the revenue. So they're not only cheating customers but they're cheating Marriott.
Sure it’s fraudulent. Think Marriott cares?
The late economist Donald Shoup explained “free” parking is actually quite expensive. https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/02/13/donald-shoup-knew-how-to-get-cities-going
I agree that parking should have an up-front cost, but that's very different from a hotel passing off parking as a "tax" that every customer has to pay regardless of whether they're parking a car, as is happening here.
A class action lawsuit is needed. The lawyers would get a $5 fee and every would get a 1 cent coupon that expires in 90 days. Don't laugh. Once I got a check for 2 cents.
I think all too often, liars and cheaters don't go to prison. When individuals lie and cheat others, they get charged with felonies. When big businesses do it and get caught, it might or might not result in some bad attention or maybe a lawsuit (which may get sent to arbitration). As soon as we start holding actual people responsible for all the cheating lying scoundrel company actions out there, they'll shape up. Hey, how...
I think all too often, liars and cheaters don't go to prison. When individuals lie and cheat others, they get charged with felonies. When big businesses do it and get caught, it might or might not result in some bad attention or maybe a lawsuit (which may get sent to arbitration). As soon as we start holding actual people responsible for all the cheating lying scoundrel company actions out there, they'll shape up. Hey, how about start with this hotel? A prosecutor should make an example out of em to deter others.
Feels like this calls for a class action.
At this point, Hotels are terrible. All of them. Scams, the whole lot of them.
That's why I refuse to pay more than $90 per night, no matter where I go. If they're going to rake me over the coals, then at least they won't get $1000+ per night out of me.
The Holiday Inn Express Charlotte Airport is doing the same thing. They are in a suburban area with a large surface lot close to a huge shopping area, and not close to the airport (3 miles). But they're charging every guest $10/night to park.