Washington, DC – Representative Paul Gosar, DDS (AZ-04) issued the following statement after introducing the Resort Fee Transparency Act, legislation requiring any hotel, lodge or public accommodation publicly advertise any and all mandatory fees added to the base room rate.

“Lodging services of all kinds are increasingly charging hidden “resort fees” that are not publicly advertised. My legislation would ensure consumers are shown the full pre-tax price of their hotel room.

Hidden fees also make it difficult for travelers to compare prices when making a reservation and they certainly should not get hit with hidden fees when checking out or settling their bill,” concluded Congressman Gosar.

Background:

Resort fees – also referred to as “destination fees” or “amenity fees” – have become a common practice among hotel operators over the past two decades. They have also been a nuisance for travelers and received backlash from government officials and consumer advocacy groups.  Several state Attorneys General have filed lawsuits against the hotel industry following an investigation into pricing practices by the Attorneys General in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The Resort Fee Transparency Act requires any hotel, lodge, or public accommodation that imposes a mandatory fee in addition to the room rate, no matter what the fee is denominated (resort fee, destination fee, etc), to add any and all mandatory fees to the publicly advertised rates.

Violation would be considered unfair or deceptive acts or practices under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)).

Description of lodging provided to transient guests was established by the Civil Rights Amendments of 1964 (18 U.S.C. 245) and includes campgrounds, starred hotels, and everything in between.

This bill costs taxpayers nothing.