Recent OTA Rules Could Topple Resort Fees Before New Laws Do
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Though a government crackdown on resort fees might be coming, hospitality experts say that recent efforts by OTAs to curb the practice could cause some hotels to rethink the fees in the nearer term.
“I would certainly like resort fees to end with the federal legislation that’s now in the House, but obviously, moving things through Congress takes a lot of time and work,” said Lauren Wolfe, a lawyer who in 2016 founded KillResortFees.com, a website that describes the fees as “the most deceptive and unfair pricing practice in the hotel industry.”
Wolfe is a vocal supporter of the Hotel Advertising Transparency Act of 2019. Introduced in Congress in October, the proposed law would require hotels and other short-term lodging providers to display a full, pretax price to consumers as they search and compare options. A hearing on the bill, however, is not expected to take place until sometime next year.
Likewise, a pair of high-profile lawsuits are slowly winding their way through the courts: a complaint by the District of Columbia attorney general against Marriott International and a suit filed by Nebraska’s attorney general against Hilton.