One of the greatest advances for consumers is the availability of pricing information on the Internet. When it comes to booking a hotel reservation, the Internet is especially helpful as consumers can not only book a hotel room on line, but they can easily research competitive prices for all of the hotels in and around their destination. However, the ability to compare competitive prices only works when websites fairly and accurately describe hotel prices. Unfortunately Internet travel sites often frustrate consumers by hiding various “fees” that are only tacked on to the bill at the end. Many of these fees are not for special amenities, but are instead for basic services that any reasonable consumer would expect to be built into the price, such as a phone for local phone calls or use of the hotel’s facilities. Other fees are for things like bottled water or wireless Internet which many travelers do not use but are nonetheless charged for as part of a “mandatory” fee.
While most hotel websites bury this information in the fine print on their websites or reservation materials, the apparent lack of transparency with regard to these fees on third party websites such as Priceline is especially troubling. For example, consumers booking a room through Priceline have to commit to a hotel based only on the Priceline-quoted price and approximate location; only after committing to the reservation do consumers learn what hotel they booked and, most disturbingly, what extra mandatory fees will be added to the quoted amount.
As a result, consumers end up paying more than they bargained for. If you or someone you know booked a hotel through Priceline or another travel site that only disclosed mandatory fees after booking was complete, please contact us to discuss your legal options.