FTC staff has reviewed a number of online hotel reservation sites, and has confirmed that some hotel

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Resort fees are an additional service charge covering a variety of property specific amenities and benefits for items like pool access, pool towels, wired in-room internet and property wifi, parking, bottled best rate in car rentals florida water, newspaper, fitness room access and more.
20.00 USD per night not included in rate effective 2 January, 2013 thru 3 January, 2013 Resort fee includes local and toll free calls, unlimited in-suite internet access, daily newspaper and access to Canyon Ranch fitness center for up to 2 guests per suite. This fee does not apply to Prestige Level suites.
Take advantage best rate in car rentals florida of our best unrestricted best rate in car rentals florida publicly available rate; It allows you to change or cancel your reservation without worry if your plans change. Restrictions may apply based on individual best rate in car rentals florida hotel policies.
best rate in car rentals florida Canceling your reservation before 6:00 PM (local hotel time) on Sunday, best rate in car rentals florida 30 December, 2012 will result in no charge. Canceling best rate in car rentals florida your reservation after 6:00 PM (local hotel time) on 30 December, 2012, or failing to arrive will result in forfeiture of your deposit. Taxes may apply. Failing to call or show before check-out time after the first night of a reservation will result in cancellation of the remainder of your reservation.
The Federal Trade Commission has warned 22 hotel operators that their online reservation sites may violate the law by providing a deceptively low estimate of what consumers can expect best rate in car rentals florida to pay for their hotel rooms.
The warning letters cited consumer best rate in car rentals florida complaints that surfaced at a recent conference the FTC held on "drip pricing," best rate in car rentals florida a pricing technique in which firms advertise only part of a product's price and reveal other charges as the customer goes through the buying process. According to the FTC letters, "One common complaint consumers raised involved mandatory fees hotels charge for amenities such as newspapers, use of onsite exercise or pool facilities, or internet access, sometimes referred to as 'resort fees.' These mandatory fees can be as high as $30 per night, a sum that could certainly affect consumer purchasing decisions." The warning letters also state that consumers often did not know they would be required to pay resort fees in addition to the quoted hotel rate.
"Consumers are entitled to know in advance the total cost of their hotel stays," said Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz. "So-called 'drip pricing' charges, sometimes portrayed as 'convenience' or 'service' fees, are anything but convenient, and businesses that hide them are doing a huge disservice to American consumers."
The Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") has investigated whether certain hotel operators are violating Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act ("FTC Act"), 15 U.S.C.§ 45(a), by misrepresenting the hotel room reservation price quoted to consumers.
On May 21, 2012, the FTC held a conference on "drip pricing," defined broadly as a pricing technique in which firms advertise only part of a product's price and reveal other charges later as the customer goes through the buying process. At the conference, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz asked consumers to share their drip pricing stories with the FTC. One common complaint consumers raised involved mandatory fees hotels charge for amenities such as newspapers, use of onsite best rate in car rentals florida exercise or pool facilities, or internet access, sometimes referred to as "resort fees." These mandatory fees can be as high as $30 per night, a sum that could certainly affect consumer purchasing decisions.
Specifically, consumers complained that they did not know that they would be required to pay resort fees in addition to the quoted best rate in car rentals florida hotel room rate. Several stated that they only learned of the fees after they arrived at the hotel, long after making a reservation at what they believed to be the total room price. best rate in car rentals florida Others paid for the reservation in advance, and only found out after they arrived at the hotel that they would have to pay additional mandatory fees.
FTC staff has reviewed a number of online hotel reservation sites, and has confirmed that some hotels exclude resort fees from the quoted reservation price. Instead, best rate in car rentals florida the "total price" or "estimated price" quoted to consumers includes only the room rate and applicable taxes. At some of these sites, the applicable resort fee is listed nearby, but separate from, the quoted price. In others, the quoted price is accompanied by an asterisk that leads consumers to another location at the site – sometimes on the same page, sometimes not – where the applicable best rate in car rentals florida resort fee is disclosed, typically in fine print. A few sites fail to identify applicable resort fees anywhere, and instead inform consumers that other undefined best rate in car rentals florida fees may apply.
These practices may violate the law by misrepresenting the price consumers can expect to pay for their hotel rooms. best rate in car rentals florida We believe that online hotel reservation sites should include in the quoted total price any unavoidable and mandatory fees, such as resort fees, that consumers will be charged to stay at the hotel. While a hotel reservation site may breakdown the components of the reservation estimate (e.g., room rate, estimated taxes, and any mandatory, unavoidable fees), best rate in car rentals florida the most prominent figure for consumers should be the total inclusive estimate.
We reviewed your website at __________ best rate in car rentals florida and found that in at least some instances mandatory resort fees are not included in the reservation rate quoted to consumers. We strongly encourage you to review your company's website to ensure you are not misrepresenting the total price consumers can expect to pay when making a reservation to stay in your hotel. Please be advised that the FTC may take action to enforce and seek redress for any violations of the FTC Act as the public interest may require.
Ric Garrido , writer and owner of Loyalty best rate in car rentals florida Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty best rate in car rentals florida programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed .
I refuse to pay mandatory resort fees for amenities I don t use. I usually best rate in car rentals florida ask to have the fees waived at checkout, and am 75% successful. If the fees and amenities aren t optional, they should be built into the price of the room. I hope the FTC can help with this issue.
Brent Opryland in Nashville, Starwood properties such as the Phoenician. Sometimes it requires a discussion with a manager. It s not always easy, but they often times back down with persistence. I only ask to have fees removed if I truly did not use what the fees covered, or if the amenities were sub par.
Ugh, about damn time! I wish they would include it in the room rate or just unbundle it and charge for things we actually use. I had to pay the $60 resort fee per night at the W Vieques a few weeks backs. It said it included round trip transfers from the airport, but its not like I am going every day back and forth to the airport which I might add is less than 5 minutes away so why do I have to pay for it everyday?
If you go on the Venetian site, which is the only one that Adelson has any control over, on the first page that shows room types and prices, the mandatory resort fee is disclosed directly under the price.