This is a big win for consumers! Marriott will show resort fees when booking The concept of hotels charging resort fees or destination fees has become increasingly common in recent years, and this is frustrating for consumers: With this practice, hotels generally bundle some amenities for a fixed nightly fee, in order to generate more…
Continue reading: Finally: Marriott Agrees To Prominently Disclose Resort Fees
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I would rather the settlement forces the hotels to fully disclose what the resort fee includes. Sometimes it just says "internet, etc." or "bicycles, etc." And what about a class-action lawsuit against Marriott for charging resort fees that include internet and failing to deliver the replacement benefit since internet is free for all Bonvoy members, not just elites? We're talking hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of defrauded customers.
About. Damn. Time.
Hopefully this is the beginning of the end. Let’s require hotels to all-in pricing (average per night) across all platforms just like airlines do. This is a major win for consumers.
Marriott can just add them into the price and blame inflation for the price increase.
#LGB
“One almost has to wonder if we could eventually see these fees eliminated”
I wonder about many things, but not this.
There’s no chance these fees get eliminated unless a law/government entity eliminates them. There’s no chance the hotels do it on their own.
Who'd have thought conservatives would become such advocates for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals? It really is a turning point for them.
Seems like a nothing burger. Most channels will still list the fake lower rate and it doesn't stop games like a $10 base cost and the moving the rest of the cost to fees that are non-commissionable, non-taxable, and (from our point of view anyway, worst of all) not covered by the points used to redeem for a room.
Unbundled pricing is a little complex since there are cases in which it might actually make sense. Drawing the line between sensible unbundling and deceptive pricing might not be easy in every situation. But in this situation, yeah, it's pretty straightforward.
Mandatory fees have been taxable almost everywhere for years. Local taxing authorities wised up to the practice pretty early on.
Some hotels will undoubtedly jump to 200,000 points per night with Bonvoy eliminating award charts. Since non-Marriott managed properties determine their own rates, couldn't a cheap owner have $30-$50 nightly rates and $150 nightly fees to ensure nobody ever earns enough points for a free night?
Marriott, as is usually the case, has behaved appallingly and dishonestly. (Just look at the recent Uyghur scandal at the Marriott Prague over which Marriott Head Office is trying to escape responsibility. Corporate Marriott in Bethesda doesn't do responsibility...)
Marriott says: "For many years, consistent with guidance from the Federal Trade Commission, we have clearly disclosed such fees on our channels throughout the booking process, with disclosures on multiple pages before the customer elects to book a room..."
a) Marriott has never clearly disclosed such fees
b) More seriously, it is well known and reported on that Marriott (along with the rest of the industry) lobbies the FTC heavily which is why we had to rely on AG Shapiro to take action
Marriott will continue to rip us all off in as many ways as possible for as long as it can
However, I do believe the day of reckoning for the entire hotel industry is rapidly approaching - and in so many ways
If you have to pay it, it should be shown from the very first step. It's absurd to display prices without compulsory fees. Basic customer protection regulation could take care of that, just like it is in EU and most of civilised world.
(One solution actually is to book via EU versions of websites which can't do this.)
"we have controls in place to ensure that hotels in our system that include a resort/destination fee adhere to strict criteria, which includes a requirement to provide amenities that have a value exceeding the amount of the resort/destination fee"
Does this promise apply at the newly re-opened (but slated for demolition) Grand Central Hyatt in NYC? Early reviews have indicated that there are absolutely no amenities whatsoever, but the hotel is still charging a "resort fee".
To be fair, Marriott has had an option on its website and mobile app to display search results with all taxes and fees for about a year. But the option wasn't enabled by default nor was the mandatory resort or destination fee specifically broken out until the very end and even then only in fine print. I do hope this settlement applies to destination and service fees, not merely resort fees. It would also be nice if the settlement required full disclosure of what is included in any such fees.
I agree that all additional fees charged by the company should be included in the displayed price. Government taxes should also be shown directly from the start, however in a way that exposes how greedy the government is.
No fan of Marriott, but they are not usually responsible for Hyatt flagged properties... 🙂
And if Marriott does not implement this across all locations it's going to create many more frustrated customers. US residents will get used to seeing all in pricing and will assume that is true for international hotels just to get stuck with surprise fees.
So, so lame. I saw the LGB meme on a beat to hell Suzuki Sidekick in a ditch this morning. I'll assume that was you.
Agree it would be good to disclose upfront but frankly anyone with a brain could have figured it out before booking the reservation. It is usually displayed on the final page, along with taxes, where you commit to the reservation.
Marriott has a box already to click that will display the rate with taxes. My guess is they will still just show base rate on the initial page, maybe with a note that a resort fee applies, and then show the full rate after someone clicks the box to see taxes and fees. That would likely comply with the agreement and would still show only the base rate for comparison purposes.
As much as people hate resort fees (I certainly am not a fan) they aren't going away and if Marriott has to add them to the base rate while other hotel chains (and independents) don't Marriott will be at a disadvantage since their rates will appear higher when that may not be the case after all taxes and fees are added. Again, the proposed solution I stated above would accomplish both goals.
Usually doesn't help. Many hotels won't waive it and if you try and dispute with a credit card company they won't provide a refund since you used the service and it was part of the price.
Sorry no easy "get out of jail free" card for you!
Outside of Mexico and the Caribbean, are resort fees even a thing in Asia and Europe?
They already implemented this feature months ago. Just check the box “Show taxes and all fees” in search results on Marriott. You’ll see the all-in rate.
So, this is long overdue and full disclosure should be made on all fees. This should include easy access to parking fees.
Another annoyance is what constitutes resort amenities that a hotel feels entitled to charge a fee. Eg. Sheraton Times Square charges $25+tax for a hotel that does not even have a swimming pool, sub-standard club lounge (way overcrowded), sub-standard food, addt'l charge for alcohol drinks in lounge. 90% of these amenities of resort "fee amenities" are provided as elite benefits.
Ironically, it is the Marriott franchises in the USA that are up to these shenanigans with fees. And now it is clear from the new executives at Marriott, they are NOT going to protect and enforce the Marriott branding and imaging that is marketed to their franchisees. So one can expect varied and inconsistent service/perks for elite members. What a disappointment as this the same path that IHG started down a few years ago and you can see the difference when you walk into franchise owned properties with poor property standards and poor caliber of service.
It would have been nice if instead of "prominently disclosing" the settlement had been to include all the things they offer in the room price, since the fee is, ya know, mandatory. But I guess that was too much to hope for. These are completely getting out of control; it's impossible to book a hotel in Manhattan that doesn't charge one.
What about other fees? It's not just resort fees. Many hotels are now charging other fees, too and most of which one is not told abut in advance.