dsauch

I took my business elsewhere. Between two hotels next to each other I picked one without destination fee. Yet months later they installed the fee and added it to my future bill.
I will find out soon if they budge and I anticipate a fight.

GrayAnderson

Two issues come to mind here:
(1) If it is a sole hotel doing it, then you can avoid the issue. If you're in a situation like is the case around Disney World (for example) or I've heard is the case in Manhattan, you're dealing with a minefield of hotels and comparison shopping is really problematic (especially if I'm trying to remember which Courtyard or Sheraton has the fees and which one doesn't). If "everyone is doing it" to different degrees, it can render topline price comparisons meaningless.[1]
(2) There's also the "blundering into it" issue (having to keep one's eyes peeled for the surprise addition of a charge at the last minute).

The combination is, at best, a PITA.

To be clear, I think most of us don't have a problem paying a higher topline rate if the hotel fits our needs better. It is when the topline rate is misleading that we've got an issue.

[1] And of course, in the context of comparing this with taxes, taxes will tend to be either fixed in amount or fixed in proportion from hotel to hotel within a jurisdiction. So if a Courtyard, Renaissance, and Sheraton all show a given room rate in a district (and there's a Hilton and Crowne Plaza showing the same), the taxes will presumably be close to identical (or at least, within a dollar or two in the event there's a tax district).

seat38a

Don't you have your original confirmation email? If it does not show up on it, then the hotel is SOL and I would fiercely argue during checkin if they tried to charge you. In this case, it is a total bait and switch if they tried.

BrightlyBob

Antarius

Because a 200 USD hotel shows up as more expensive when searching than the 180 USD hotel with a 30 USD fee and the 190 USD hotel with the 15 USD fee. And one has to click into each one, do the math and then comparison shop. Taxes are flat for a location, so , while it is positively idiotic that the US cannot do all inclusive pricing like the rest of the world, it is consistent across all hotels.

"its not illegal" is a not so nice way to do business. Especially for a company that extols the "golden rule" in their ads.

UA-NYC

The Nordstrom's example is beyond stupid - it's not like mens shoes have a different tax rate than women's jeans, or that level 1 has 0% tax but level 2 has a 3% tax and level 3 has a "destination fee" equal to your age. SMH.

seat38a

First of all, the Golden Rule is nothing more than a make people feel good advert. How many airlines do you know advertise their economy minus cabin or how really unpleasant flying is??

Come Fly The Friendly Skies.
We Love To Fly And It Shows.
Something Special In The Air.

All makes you feel good but it's never been a reality.

Secondly, the advert is targeting Courtyard, Fairfield, Four Points and Springhill Suites as it shows on each of the ads. How many of them do you know actually charge a destination or resort fee? If anyone has ever seen one of the 4 charge a resort or destination fee, I seriously want to know since personally, I think thats pushing it.

seat38a

What are you not getting?? Did you read the full thread?? Antarius wants the math all done nice and pretty and I'm making a point that pretty much its not done anywhere else in the US. So put away your snark for a minute and answer the question: Does Nordstroms or restaurant list the full price on their tags and menus?

EuropeanPete

Antarius

The tax issue was a side note. If I go to Nordstrom and compare 2 pairs of Jeans, the total is the price of the jeans+ a consistent tax amount. So 50 dollar Jeans now cost 55 bucks and 70 dollar jeans cost 77.

50 dollar jeans do not cost 94 dollars due to a surprise surcharge located on the price tag in small font.

The only reason hotels do this is to game the system. No one would needlessly create extra lines of billing and invoicing unless it benefited them. Put the surcharge in the initial fee, let customers make decisions without having to jump through hoops.

Antarius

CY Isla Verde, San Juan. CY near Waikiki, HI. 2 examples at the top of my head.

myperks

seat38a

Ok, but this whole conversation started, as you can see above when I stated that the big neon message was clear enough and you rebutted by saying why can't it be on the total. And my point is it is, not required anywhere else in the US with the Nordstrom and restaurant example. Regardless if its moral, ethical, or easier for the mathematically challenged, except for airlines, which is required by law, total pricing isn't required. It's only required at checkout. And further down the conversation, I made the point that its not an unavoidable fee, since you can avoid it by taking your dollars somewhere else.

seat38a

I've not run into any of the 4 brands that charge resort/destination fee yet but if I did, I'd definitely take my dollars somewhere else if it bumped up the cost close or equal to the total cost of the more premium brands. In that total cost, I also factor in parking fees. If one is charging $50+ tax and the other isn't, that can also tilt the scale for me regardless of the destination fee.

writerguyfl

Some of the pushback you're getting is because your example doesn't prove your thesis.

Your example was a tweet that pointed guests down a multi-step process to find out what the resort fee inclusions are at a particular hotel. As I understand it, the Attorneys General are suing over the lack of disclosure of the cost of the resort fee during booking. What's included in the fee is irrelevant to the lawsuit. Therefore, a tweet about how to find those inclusions is also irrelevant to the case.

Additionally, even if the tweet were about the actual cost, it would be irrelevant because Twitter isn't a component of the actual process of booking a hotel room online. The Attorneys General will only care about the process of booking a hotel room on the website.