In February 2023, Travel Tech submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission in response to its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“ANPR”) on deceptive or unfair acts or practices relating to fees.
In July 2023, Travel Tech sent a letter of opposition to the California State Assembly urging legislators to hold off on taking state action to allow the federal legislative and rulemaking processes to create a uniform standard for consumer protection and lodging price display.
In February 2024, Travel Tech filed comments on the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Trade Regulation Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees NPRM. Travel Tech expressed support for efforts to enhance competition and pricing transparency for consumers but urged revisions to ensure that intermediaries are not held liable when travel service providers fail to provide accurate, complete, or timely mandatory fee information, provided the intermediaries have made reasonable efforts to obtain it.
Due to Travel Tech’s advocacy, the FTC’s Final Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, issued in December 2024, includes provisions ensuring that accurate mandatory fee information is communicated to consumers through both direct and indirect booking channels. Consumers now see an up-front and consistent total service price for lodging – including nightly room rate and mandatory fees – no matter where they live or how they shop for lodging options, either directly on hotel websites or through online travel comparison tools and services.
Travel Tech also supports the Hotel Fees Transparency Act, sponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) and by Representative Young Kim (R-CA). The bill, approved unanimously by the Senate Commerce Committee in February 2025 and passed by the House in April 2025, establishes a single national definition of “total service price,” ensuring consistency and reducing consumer confusion across state lines.
In addition, Travel Tech remains active in state legislatures across the country to ensure consistency with the new federal price transparency standard. In multiple states, Travel Tech has urged lawmakers to align state proposals with the FTC’s final rule to avoid creating a patchwork of conflicting requirements. For example, in July 2025, Travel Tech submitted comments to the Pennsylvania Senate on HB 1216, urging policymakers to align the bill with the FTC’s final rule by amending it to provide that an accommodations booking platform, homestay platform, hotel platform, lodging platform, or ticket platform that complies with the FTC rule shall be deemed compliant.
