Marriott Will Include All Resort Fees in Hotel Rates by May 15

What happened

In 2021, the office of former Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro reached an agreement with Marriott after investigating how the hotel chain disclosed resort fees. The investigation found Marriott's non-transparent pricing strategy to be deceptive and confusing to consumers.

In a settlement, Marriott agreed to disclose the total price of a hotel stay, including all fees, on the first page of its booking website instead of listing resort fees later in the checkout process.

In April 2023, recently appointed Attorney General Michelle Henry reached a new agreement when Marriott failed to comply after being given multiple extensions. The new agreement requires the hotel chain to disclose all fees upfront in its listed prices by May 15, 2023.

So what

In a 2021 press release, former Attorney General Josh Shapiro had the following to say, "Hotels shouldn't be able to slap hidden fees on top of your bill at the last minute, and thanks to this settlement, we're putting the hotel industry on notice to put an end to this deceptive practice."

In a recent Skift article, a Marriott spokesperson discussed what the brand was doing behind the scenes to implement the required changes. The representative noted, "We have been working diligently over the last several months on the technology required to update our room rate display and further enhance the way these fees are disclosed, in accordance with our agreement with the State of Pennsylvania."

Now what

This pricing update is welcome news that could help travelers better honor their vacation budgets when making travel arrangements. Unexpected extra fees add up and impact your personal finances. Many travelers feel nickeled and dimed when they find a hotel rate they can afford but later spot additional fees added during checkout.

It'll be interesting to see if other hotel chains follow suit. Consumers have become increasingly frustrated by extra fees. One of the current initiatives for the Biden administration is to crack down on excessive junk fees, including banning unnecessary resort and destination fees. Hopefully, legislation will pass in the future to better protect consumers.

For now, here's the good news: Beginning on May 15, you can feel more confident about the price you'll pay when booking a Marriott property. No matter what hotel chain you book with, you may want to consider paying with a hotel credit card to earn rewards. Many of the best hotel credit cards also include valuable perks to improve your travel experience.