Marriott Fined for Resort Fee Settlement Noncompliance

Marriott International has been fined $225,000 by Pennsylvania’s attorney general for failing to comply with a 2021 settlement to prominently disclose resort and amenities fees, the state attorney general’s office announced Wednesday.

The November 2021 settlement required Marriott to make changes to its fee displays in the following nine months. The latest agreement between the hotel company and Pennsylvania attorney general Michelle Henry requires Marriott to honor the previous settlement by May 15, along with the fine.

The agreement, made in lieu of further litigation, requires Marriott “to be fully transparent about mandatory fees, including resort fees, for consumers booking hotel stays,” according to a statement by Henry’s office. The fine follows multiple extensions for Marriott to comply, according to the statement which said the company failed to meet a final February deadline.

The original settlement agreement required Marriott to list any mandatory fees—including resort, destination, service and amenities fees—“clearly and conspicuously” during the entire booking process to avoid what Henry’s office called “drip pricing,” when fees are not listed until the final booking steps, or even at check-in.

“What we asked of Marriott, and what the settlement demands, is simple: be up front with consumers and do not hide fees for hotel stays,” Henry said in the statement.

“Marriott International has long been committed to ensuring that any resort/destination fees charged by hotels are separately and clearly stated,” a Marriott representative told BTN by email. “We have been working to update our technology and the room rate display to further enhance the way these fees are disclosed. We will be making changes to the display by May 15, 2023, per our agreement with the State of Pennsylvania.”

Just as Marriott has been in the undisclosed-fee hotseat before, travel managers have also already grappled with mounting “resort fees” and arbitrary charges.

Angelique Platas www.businesstravelnews.com