New Class Action Lawsuit Investigation Explores Hotel Fees

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Traveling, even resort traveling, can be taxing. One of the most frustrating aspect of travel is the cost, especially when you meet unexpected fees on your way. A new hotel fee practice—which allegedly involves springing a charge on travelers at the last minute—has come under legal scrutiny. A class action lawsuit investigation has been launched to explore the possibility of taking legal action against hotel chains that improperly assess certain fees.

Allegedly, some hotels, including very high-profile chains like the Hilton and Marriott, have engaged in a practice of charging a “hotel fee” or “resort fee.” Different terms are allegedly used by different hotels, including “amenities fees” and others. Sometimes, the resort fees allegedly cover the cost of “amenities” like the newspaper, pool area, or Wi-Fi, regardless of use by the guests. In practice, these “fees” may be money shaved off the “sticker price” or the advertised cost of a hotel room. This way, hotels can advertise a lower rate, but wind up getting roughly the same amount of money out of their guests.

Typically, these resort fees amount to $35 a night or more. In some cases, customers were allegedly not informed of the hotel fee until check-in, even after making online reservations. In other cases, customers were allegedly not informed of the resort fees until check-out. However, regardless of the name, price, or when the customer was informed, the practice may be illegal.

The Federal Trade Commission has sent warning letters to several different chains, warning them that advertising their online prices without mentioning these “fees” may violate advertising law. Twenty-two hotel companies received warning letters advising them that their pricing and advertising policies could be in violation of federal law.

Independent of criminal fines, a resort fee class action lawsuit investigation has been launched to explore the possibility of legal action against these hotel chains. Class action lawsuits are a type of group lawsuit where groups of people come together to seek redress against a common defendant. Group lawsuits like class action lawsuits are designed to save resources for everyone involved. The plaintiffs can pool their resources and distribute the cost of legal fees across the group; the defendant only has to face a single lawsuit; and the legal, along similar lines, only has to expend the resources to hear a single case. This can save time and money for all parties involved. However, since multiple alleged offenders are involved, their could be as many separate class action lawsuits as there are hotel chains that participated in this practice.

If you were charged a mandatory hotel resort, you may be entitled to compensation. The hotel fee class action lawsuit investigation is seeking individuals who were charge a fee upon check-in, so long as the fee was not disclosed until you booked. Some of the hotel chains being investigated include:

• Fairmont
• Hilton
• Hyatt
• IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)
• Marriott
• Starwood
• Westin
• Wyndham

See if you qualify for compensation by visiting the Hotel Resort Fee Class Action Lawsuit Investigation today!