Originally Posted by
kklems
I find these fees distasteful as well but I am not sure why the AG of NE is suing since to my knowledge none of the hilton properties in Nebraska charge a resort fee unless there are some in the panhandle that have added one. In fact until recently most of the Hilton family hotels in downtown Omaha (with the exception of the FS Hilton) didn't charge for parking.
And Re: hotels near sporting stadiums that charge resort fees the FS Hilton is attached to arena/convention center and is a couple blocks from the TD Ameritrade park where the CWS is held as are a couple of lower end properties like Hampton Inn and HGI.
The downtown Lincoln ES and HGI are just a couple of blocks from Memorial Stadium and UNL as well.
If you are a resident of Nebraska, you probably search and book nearly all your travel online in Nebraska. If you are searching and find that the resort fees distort your search and mislead you, and they are not optional or standard across all the properties, who would best work on your behalf to eliminate misleading business practices?
There's an argument to be made that they are only implemented to game the search process and mislead consumers.
If the properties offered the resort fee as optional, then I would call the suit frivolous, but I think the suit is a fair use over a consumer issue.