Class Action Lawsuit Over Marriott’s Fees
Marriott hotels have been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging that they charged customers unfair fees which raise the room rate significantly higher than the posted price.
The practice of charging additional fees on top of the quoted price is known as “Drip Pricing.” Drip pricing schemes reportedly aim to hide a portion of a room’s cost by directing that cost into seemingly reasonable fees.
This may be done through charging “resort” fees, “amenity” fees, or “destination” fees. Unlike other fees and taxes, these these fees allegedly do not cover the cost of any amenity or extra service. Instead they are just part of the room’s base price.
Attorneys general from Nebraska and Washington, D.C. filed lawsuits against Marriott and other hotels alleging that they used deceptive drip pricing to take advantage of consumers and force them to pay a higher price for their rooms.
Some of the Marriott hotels that may have charged unexpected fees includes:
- Marriott Hotels
- Courtyard Marriott
- Sheraton
- Westin
- Four Points by Sheraton
- SpringHill Suites
- Fairfield Inn & Suites
- Residence Inn
- Ritz-Carlton
- St. Regis
- JW Marriott
- W Hotels
- Marriott Vacation Club
- Delta Hotels|Marriott
- Le MERIDIEN
- Renaissance Hotels
- Gaylord Hotels
- AC Hotels
- Aloft Hotels
- Moxy Hotels
- TownPlace Suites
HT: TopClassActions
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I hope they go after Spirit Airlines next. They’ve created several classes of extra fees which make up most of the ticket cost. They are so high that when they advertise a “95%” off fare you only save a couple dollars on the actual price. This also makes their compensation coupons they give out when you get bumped worthless because they don’t cover the fees.
Marriott will just do what British Airways did to it “fuel” surcharges and call them “airline imposed surcharges.” Marriott will announce an elimination of “resort” fees and such and just lump the fees into a “Bonvoy” fee. But customers may be able to get the fee waived if they call Marriott Management and tell them to go Bonvoy Off!