Originally Posted by
EuropeanPete
I don’t know the US system, but in most countries consumer protection doesn’t just sit in the appropriate Dept’s jurisdiction for a given industry. Surely the way pricing is presented to consumers on a website has to be covered by a single entity?
I'm not sure I completely understand your question.
But, the FTC in the US essentially regulates this issue and they have stated numerous times that a resort fee does not need to be displayed as part of a advertised room rate as long as it is displayed as part of the booking path. The FTC could simply say today, resort fees must be displayed as part of the room rate but they haven't and no indication they will. A court will have to find as a matter of law, a court can overrule the FTC policy. The FTC has been on record on this issue since 2012 and affirmed it many times. For instance, when you book on Marriott - the resort fees are prominently displayed - if they weren't the FTC would step in.
The FTC on the flip side, has ordered airlines to display the full cost of the total airfare as part of the overall fare - basically, airfare, fees, fuel charges, tax.
This is a bigger issue than resort fees - it is the same way AirBnB adds all the extra charges