Hilton Working to Display Mandatory Fees on Websites, Apps

Officials from Hilton Worldwide Holdings revealed on Thursday that the company is working to display mandatory fees upfront on its websites and apps.

According to Reuters.com, Hilton said in a letter to United States Senators Amy Klobuchar and Jerry Moran that the company is working to display all fees for all platforms that advertise, distribute and sell its inventory.

To help ensure travelers see all fees upfront when booking, Hilton is incorporating more transparency on hotel websites, online travel agencies, Google and other short-term rental platforms.

“The process to update and align our technology is under way,” Hilton said in the letter to Congress.

In July, Senators Klobuchar and Moran introduced the bipartisan Hotel Fees Transparency Act, which was designed to crack down on hidden fees in the travel industry and streamline federal guidelines on pricing. 

The government has heavily scrutinized hotel and resort operators over hidden fees, claiming the companies engaged in “fraudulent and anti-competitive practices by misleading consumers in advertisements, which prevent comparative shopping, and charging millions of dollars in hidden fees.”

In August, a lawsuit was brought against Hyatt Hotels Corporation, which claims the hospitality company falsely advertised the cost of its hotel rooms by adding destination, resort and other “deceptive” fees that did not appear in the listed price.

Earlier this year, Marriott International was forced to pay a $225,000 fine in Pennsylvania for failing to adhere to a settlement that required informing consumers about “hidden” resort fees.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.