Congress Bets Against Las Vegas Resort Fees

Congress is hoping to score a win in Las Vegas with new legislation aimed at deceptive prices.

Consumers are fed up with hidden resort fees and the government is finally taking notice. Hotels, driven by profit, raise rates in a deceptive way: instead of raising the room rates, they charge a fee without first disclosing it to the customer. Some studies show that the hotel industry stands to make more $3 billion from fees and surcharges.

Fortunately, representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson (D’Texas) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Nebraska) introduced bipartisan legislation that would require all hotels and resorts to be more transparent during the booking process by advertising the full price of a room inclusive of all fees.

This legislation comes just in time. Tourists have had enough of deceptive pricing. Customers think they are paying a certain price only to discover an additional fee disguised in a variety of ways: venue fee, destination fee, facilities fee, amenities fee and even urban resort fee. In fact, some customers are charged a resort fee even when they are not staying at a resort. Las Vegas prices are especially egregious with upscale hotels like Bellagio charging close to $45 per day in extra, hidden fees. According to some customers, additional fees are even being imposed on cocktails.

Let’s hope that the recent government lawsuits against hotels like Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide, as well as this new legislation, will stop money-hungry hotels from continuing to take advantage of consumers through deceptive practices.

In the meantime, if you want to avoid the hidden fees in your monthly bills like wireless, internet, cable and satellite, contact Billshark and we will lower your bills in minutes.