An excellent overview and actual $$$ charges re 800 #s, long distance #s, 10-10- #s, etc is detailed in this New York Times article (I posted this article in this NG for widest readership)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/trave.../pt990620.html

I really dislike Hilton's new phone charges, and it will definitely be a factor for me when choosing which hotel to stay at.

Interestingly, some of the lower end hotels offer free local phone calls. Marriott Fairfield Inns and Holiday Inn Expresss offer free unlimited local calls, and Courtyard Club (annual membership $10) offers free local phone calls at Marriott Courtyards. Since the lower end hotels offer these for free I do not buy Hilton's arguments about the phone charges.

[This message has been edited by pgupta011 (edited 06-20-1999).]

Wyndham Gardens and Wyndham charge a .25 cent "access" fee for "800" numbers and a time charge of .05/min. for over 60 minutes.
There is also a .75 charge for local phone calls, but no time charge.

You can also count Hampton Inn as one of those hotels with no local or "800" number charges.

The phone charge deal is why I try to always stay at Courtyard or Holiday Inn. Plus Courtyards now have two line phones so I can check FlyerTalk and voice mail at the same time.

Another thing that bugs me about the upscale hotels is parking charges, even for registered guests. What's up with that?????

I don't see how hotels can charge for toll free calls as Hilton is now doing.

TOCSIA: the Telephone Operator Consumer Service Improvement Act forbids hotels from treating one carrier differently than another. It is true that if a hotel charges for one toll free number they must charge for all toll free calls.

In my reading of the act they then must put the same charge on all calls dialed 0+ from the room phone. Not doing this means that anyone using the prefered carrier (in most cases AT&T) can simply dial 0+Area Code+Number and avoid the surcharge while guests using other carriers are forced to dial the toll free number and hang up after 29 minutes or get charged, (Using Hilton as an example)

If I had the time I would investigate this. Randy how 'bout your staff?

TW

I made the time. I called the FCC Enforcement division. Let's see what their reply is. This will be my first "direct" contact with a governmental agency since the "reinventing" program. Let's see how long it takes for a reply! Hopefully quicker than an email to an airline!

[This message has been edited by Tolarian Wind (edited 06-22-1999).]

Maybe the Hilton surcharge applies to all carriers (I'm not sure, just a guess).

Sadly they are always looking for new sources of revenue and consequently we need to always be "on guard!"

pgupta011

When you make a calling card/collect call from a hilton and dial 0+Area Code+Number you can talk as long as you want, NO time limit, NO surcharges. You are billed by whatever carrier that hotel has contracted with. In most cases at Hilton's thats AT&T. AT&T carries the call and bills you for it. If your an AT&T customer and staying at a Hilton you would not dial 800-CALLATT as that would result in a time limit/surcharge. All other carriers are subject to the time limit/surcharge.

At a minimum this at least violates the spirit of the law.

Actually to me, the objectionable aspect of the Hilton policy is the charge for local phone calls, where one is paying appx. $1 to begin with. For 800 calls I'd hang up and redial within 30 minutes.