When Lauren Wolfe traveled to Key West, Fla. with her family in early 2016, she paid $400 per night on Hotels.com for a hotel room. At check-in she was told she would have to pay an additional $20 resort fee per night or not be able to get her room key. This did not sit well at all with Wolfe, an attorney who has worked in Washington, D.C. politics. When she got home, she created the “Kill Resort Fees” website to educate the traveling public about resort fees.
“It’s time to kill the resort fee, the most deceptive and unfair pricing practice in the hotel industry,” Wolfe says on her website.
Having been the victim of surprise hotel fees in my travels, I strongly support Wolfe’s efforts. Have you experienced the same in your travels? Or, are you among those who charge these fees?
In a recent blog I called the fees “greenwashing on a grand scale” because the gaming companies and other companies who tout their green practices are the guiltiest at charging these fees. Shame on them. Las Vegas is the No. 1 fee offender.
Fees Becoming More Widespread
I spoke this past week with Lauren Wolfe. She told me these fees are becoming more widespread. “You used to never see it in New York City,” she says. Now, hotels in the Big Apple are among the worst offenders.
The word has long gotten out about deceptive fees and Wolfe says they are now impacting tourism to Las Vegas. “It is hurting the overall economy. Nobody will stop doing it because it is competitive pricing. It is a blatant consumer scam. They cheat Americans out of $1 billion a year.”
Wolfe says the fees are job killers. “It is hurting housekeepers and those who rely on tips,” she says. Travelers pinched by additional fees have fewer dollars to share. Because the fees are collected separate from the room rate, they are also not subject to the hotel tax rate. Some local economies are missing out on millions of dollars of tax revenue annually.
I asked Wolfe about the role of the AHLA in all of this and she told me, “The AHLA is the corporate hotel lobby and into making money at all costs. AHLA funnels money to politicians. These politicians don’t do anything about the issue.”
Wolfe says that for travelers there is some hope on the horizon. H.R.4489—the Hotel Advertising Transparency Act of 2019 was introduced last September. If you read the bill, you will see that it also applies to home sharing companies such as Airbnb. The key phrase in the legislation: “No person with respect to whom the Federal Trade Commission is empowered under section 5(a)(2) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 45(a)(2)) may advertise in interstate commerce a rate for a place of short-term lodging that does not include all required fees, excluding taxes and fees imposed by a government.”
Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), one of the sponsors of H.R.4489, in a television interview about the bill, said, “Treat hotels like airlines. Just tell us what the price is, period. This creates a level playing field.”
H.R.4489 is a start but I am not hopeful that our industry will do the right thing or that consumers will see any relief from these deceptive fee practices anytime soon.
Your thoughts? I can be reached at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Green Lodging News Adds APEX Steam Cleaners to Product Directory
Green Lodging News has added APEX Steam Cleaners to its Green Product & Service Directory. APEX steam cleaners clean, sanitize and deodorize without chemicals and a minimal amount of water usage. In addition, the high heat kills bed bugs without an exterminator. They are available in multiple models each with a wide range of accessories. APEX fully backs its steam cleaners with a two-year warranty on the unit’s pressure vessels and a 90-day warranty on all other parts. Call APEX Steam Sales at (609) 267-0922 or e-mail sales@apexsteam.com for more information.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in the Green Suppliers Spotlight!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, now publishes Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to 20,385 subscribers that features the lodging industry’s leading green products and services. The e-blast features multiple vendors—unlike the current Green Supplier Spotlight that allows one supplier to “own” the Green Lodging News subscriber list for one e-blast. (Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample.)
Green Suppliers Spotlight is published weekly on Thursdays to general managers, owners, management companies, directors of sustainability, directors of engineering, facilities managers and many others who are either in purchasing positions or who influence purchasing decisions. Suppliers of green products and services throughout North America and beyond are invited to participate in the e-blast. (Minimum two suppliers per e-blast.) Green Suppliers Spotlight was created to give vendors an opportunity to reach a high number of industry purchasers at a very low cost—as low as $200 per e-mail. (Click here for rate sheet.)
Those advertising in Green Suppliers Spotlight can include up to 100 words, one image, contact information and multiple links to their website in their ad. At the end of each month, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs.
Planning Advertising for 2020?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2020. Many excellent spots are available on our new website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2020 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 20,385. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail greenlodgingnews@gmail.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,806 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 975 Facebook likes.
As always, I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
