On Wednesday, December 6th, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce considered H.R. 6543, the No Hidden Fees on Extra Expenses for Stays (FEES) Act. In advance of the markup, the Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) submitted a letter to the Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The committee passed the legislation in a vote of 44-0.
The No Hidden FEES Act will require – for the first time ever in federal law – consumers to be shown the total price for a hotel room (including rate and all mandatory fees). Under this legislation, the total price must be “transparent to and easily understood by the consumer.”
Laura Chadwick, President & CEO of Travel Tech stated, “The No Hidden Fees on Extra Expenses for Stays Act is an important first step to bring much-needed transparency to consumers from hotels to rein in their troubling resort fee practices.”
Travel Tech supports provisions in the bill that will set a single, national standard for the transparency of mandatory fees assessed by hotels. It will create uniformity and certainty for hotels, short-term rentals, online ticket agents, metasearch agents, and others, and most of all, travelers – no matter where they reside in the U.S. – about what is included in advertised pricing for lodging.
“Despite the benefits of this legislation, H.R. 6543, however, lacks a common-sense provision to account for when hotels fail to provide accurate and complete information to price comparison sites,” Chadwick added.
Thirty-nine states have laws in place to protect against situations when inaccurate sales tax information is conveyed from the seller to the marketplace and onto the consumer. These state laws rightly hold the seller – in this case, hotels – responsible in such instances and not the marketplaces like those of Travel Tech member companies. Travel Tech simply seeks the same fair consideration on the federal level regarding mandatory fee information.
Read our full letter.
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) empowers traveler choice by advocating for public policy that promotes marketplace transparency and competition. Travel Tech represents travel technology innovators ranging from dynamic startups, small, and midsize businesses to leading online travel agencies, metasearch engines, short-term rental platforms, global distribution systems, and travel management companies.
To schedule an interview with a Travel Tech spokesperson, contact Bradford Williamson of Glen Echo Group at 202.870.3234 or bwilliamson@glenechogroup.com.
