Dennis Schaal, Skift
Expedia Group's stance on resort fees could have been drafted by a United Nations diplomat. Expedia doesn't want to alienate hotels and seeks to pick up market share based on Booking Holdings' more forceful position. But it's hitting resort-fee-charging hotels right where it hurts — in the prominence of their listings.
3 months ago
Maria Lenhart, Skift
Congressional legislation in the United States that would bar hotels and short-term rental sources from advertising rates that don't include resort fees is getting support from the American Society of Travel Advisors. Advocating for transparency in pricing is an important cause for travel industry organizations to take on.
4 months ago
Maria Lenhart, Skift
The American Society of Travel Advisors' show of support for the Hotel Advertising Transparency Act of 2019 indicates growing distaste among agencies, as well as the general public, for resort fees, particularly when they are not disclosed up-front. Such support is a logical step for the organization, which has long advocated for pricing transparency.
4 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
This is going to be a slugfest. Some hotels view resort fees as key to business and argue that they are already transparent in how they advertise them. Consumers, states, and now federal legislators are putting great pressure on that notion. Something's gotta give — and the status quo is not a likely winner.
5 months ago
Maria Lenhart, Skift
Not only are resort fees an annoyance for hotel guests, but they put the onus on travel advisors to make sure clients are aware of what their stay will actually cost. Some advisors are fighting back by steering clients toward properties that don't charge the fees.
7 months ago
Danni Santana, Skift
Do not think that this lawsuit only matters to Marriott. Competitors are keeping a close eye on the case, knowing they could be next. The industry has a big decision to make about how it charges amenity fees, if at all.
7 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Resort fees are embedded into many hotels' business models, so it would take a lot to upend them. But the prospect is picking up a lot of momentum.
8 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Booking Holdings faced opposition from hotels over its new resort-fee commission policy, although the brands that dropped out of Booking.com would not have delivered a material financial hit. This major reversal coincides with a leadership change atop Booking.com and represents a victory for hotels and their controversial fees.
8 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Hotels charging resort fees now have the choice of paying higher commissions to Booking.com and/or seeing their properties fall in Expedia's sort order. The other change that many don't want to make is to simply — and painfully — stop charging anti-consumer resort fees.
8 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
When Priceline ended traveler fees on airline bookings a decade ago, the other online travel agencies generally followed. Whether Expedia will match Booking.com and start charging hotels commissions on resort fees is a much more complex issue. Part of it depends on how much resistance Booking gets from hotels to its new policy.
9 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Get ready for some commotion in Las Vegas and other destinations where hotel resort fees are common. Will impacted hotels abandon Booking.com? Will resort fees lose their appeal for hotels? Will Expedia follow Booking's lead? The fun and gamesmanship are just starting.
9 months ago
