Marriott shoots self in foot re: resort fee disclosure
Aug 11, 2019, 10:45 am
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,172
Marriott shoots self in foot re: resort fee disclosure
It's so easy - just:
1) go to hotel web site
2) scroll down to near bottom of page
3) click on link
4) open PDF
5) scroll to bottom of PDF
6) get past all the large font bullets highlighting all the benefits, to finally:
7) see the $30 charge at the bottom of the page in tiny font
super super easy and transparent
(hat tip to Gary Leff)
1) go to hotel web site
2) scroll down to near bottom of page
3) click on link
4) open PDF
5) scroll to bottom of PDF
6) get past all the large font bullets highlighting all the benefits, to finally:
7) see the $30 charge at the bottom of the page in tiny font
super super easy and transparent
(hat tip to Gary Leff)
Aug 11, 2019, 11:00 am
#3
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the air
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Gold, GHA Tit, BA Gold, Turkish Elite
Posts: 8,720
This is the stuff memes are made of. I think I'm going to fwd it to some customer loyalty talking heads to see if they want to feature it.
Aug 11, 2019, 12:51 pm
#5
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,690
Just waiting for other states to jump on board. Ritz Carlton has lost my business and I now spend way way more per night at another resort that does add on bogus fees. This is equivalent of charging for local and long distance calls. High end hotels and resorts gave up on this long ago. Keep it up Marriott.
Aug 11, 2019, 1:05 pm
#6
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,224
Is this new? SPG was very upfront with the resort fee - it was right there on your confirmation document, and clear as a bell in the hotel search rate description where you could click on it to view all of the worthless crap you could be receiving. So this means Marriott is burying the existence of the resort fee into a spot a customer is unlikely to find it, then surprising them at either check-in or check-out?
Sounds like the usual Arne Sorenson garbage.
Sorry Arne, if it's not obvious and viewable in my confirmation document, I ain't paying it - I can just dispute the difference with Amex under a "charged a different amount" claim.
Sounds like the usual Arne Sorenson garbage.
Sorry Arne, if it's not obvious and viewable in my confirmation document, I ain't paying it - I can just dispute the difference with Amex under a "charged a different amount" claim.
Aug 11, 2019, 1:16 pm
#7
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SFO
Posts: 4,916
As much as I hate resort fees like everyone else, the tweet don’t really say much other than telling someone what’s included in the fee.
If the tweet was, “go search for a reservation, view the summary of properties with rates, click the property you want, select the rate, you will see the resort fee just before you reserve,” that will be gold.
Many spins available for this tweet. If it leads to more transparency, great. Elimination, even better. But I wouldn’t hold my breath this is the tweet that breaks resort fee (worldwide)
If the tweet was, “go search for a reservation, view the summary of properties with rates, click the property you want, select the rate, you will see the resort fee just before you reserve,” that will be gold.
Many spins available for this tweet. If it leads to more transparency, great. Elimination, even better. But I wouldn’t hold my breath this is the tweet that breaks resort fee (worldwide)
Aug 11, 2019, 1:19 pm
#8
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 486
I'm not defending resort fees in any way and I think they're BS, but it's right there in a blue box at the top of of the booking page for the Swan:
"Please note-Daily resort fee of USD 30 plus tax added to the room rate includes enhanced high-speed Internet in guest room and more."
Plus, it's listed in the summary of charges:
Valet parking, fee: 35 USD daily
Changes in taxes or fees implemented after booking will affect the total room price.
"Please note-Daily resort fee of USD 30 plus tax added to the room rate includes enhanced high-speed Internet in guest room and more."
Plus, it's listed in the summary of charges:
Regular Rate
RATE DETAILS1 room(s) for 1 night(s)
Prices in USD- Wednesday, August 14, 2019
- 159.00
- Total cash rate
159.00 - Resort Fee
30.00 - Estimated government taxes and fees
23.63 - Total for stay in hotel's currency
212.63 USD
Additional Charges
On-site parking, fee: 25 USD hourly, 25 USD dailyValet parking, fee: 35 USD daily
Changes in taxes or fees implemented after booking will affect the total room price.
Aug 11, 2019, 1:30 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17,457
But the plans were on display…”
“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a flashlight.”
“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.
“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a flashlight.”
“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.
Aug 11, 2019, 1:37 pm
#10
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
I'm not defending resort fees in any way and I think they're BS, but it's right there in a blue box at the top of of the booking page for the Swan:
"Please note-Daily resort fee of USD 30 plus tax added to the room rate includes enhanced high-speed Internet in guest room and more."
Plus, it's listed in the summary of charges:
Valet parking, fee: 35 USD daily
Changes in taxes or fees implemented after booking will affect the total room price.
"Please note-Daily resort fee of USD 30 plus tax added to the room rate includes enhanced high-speed Internet in guest room and more."
Plus, it's listed in the summary of charges:
Regular Rate
RATE DETAILS1 room(s) for 1 night(s)
Prices in USD- Wednesday, August 14, 2019
- 159.00
- Total cash rate
159.00 - Resort Fee
30.00 - Estimated government taxes and fees
23.63 - Total for stay in hotel's currency
212.63 USD
Additional Charges
On-site parking, fee: 25 USD hourly, 25 USD dailyValet parking, fee: 35 USD daily
Changes in taxes or fees implemented after booking will affect the total room price.
I hope they don't seriously mean that the hotel can change the resort fee after a reservation is confirmed and the guest will be expected to pay the new (higher) resort fee? Yeah, of course *government imposed* taxes can change, but a hotel shouldn't be able to change the rate (presumably without any notice too) after a reservation has been confirmed.
Aug 11, 2019, 2:04 pm
#12
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 486
I hope they don't seriously mean that the hotel can change the resort fee after a reservation is confirmed and the guest will be expected to pay the new (higher) resort fee? Yeah, of course *government imposed* taxes can change, but a hotel shouldn't be able to change the rate (presumably without any notice too) after a reservation has been confirmed.
Aug 11, 2019, 2:08 pm
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,521
I don’t think the problem is the disclosure of the resort fee, but trying to find out what the heck the resort fee includes! With SPG, this info was available on the booking page. I’ve not been able to find it on Marriott's website.
Aug 11, 2019, 2:25 pm
#14
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
As I've said elsewhere, I'm starting to wonder if we might not get to a point that the hotels would lose in a "chargeback war". There are some pretty egregious cases (where the "included benefits" either aren't included or are otherwise accounted for). The Myrtle Beach example comes to mind: Another user said that a concierge was mentioned, as was parking, but the parking was also listed while I think in some cases you could probably argue that the concierge service wasn't actually provided by a reasonable definition of "concierge service"...so at some point you cross from "sleazy extra charge" to "false advertising".
Honestly, I think one answer might be to convince local governments to tax "resort fee"/"destination fee" revenue at some egregious rate (and I said "revenue" intentionally...you're taxing the hotels' income from it, not taxing the end-user).
Honestly, I think one answer might be to convince local governments to tax "resort fee"/"destination fee" revenue at some egregious rate (and I said "revenue" intentionally...you're taxing the hotels' income from it, not taxing the end-user).
Aug 11, 2019, 2:39 pm
#15
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: New York
Programs: MB-LTT , HH-Diam., HGP-Expl.
Posts: 778
A good guess is it includes the same things that you should have gotten as part of your elite benefits at hotels without resort fees, plus some other non-essential items like free faxes and local telephone calls, and perhaps some possible activities that many of us wouldn't care about. I have seen some benefits that approached the value of the fee for one night stays, but most of the time I don't utilize the uncommon extras.
Last edited by rny321; Aug 11, 2019 at 2:46 pm