The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the No Hidden FEES Act, a major American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) legislative priority to ensure consumer lodging cost transparency.
The legislation would establish a comprehensive single standard for transparent and mandatory fee displays across the lodging industry – from short-term rental platforms to online travel agencies, metasearch sites and hotels.
The bill, introduced by Reps. Young Kim (R-California) and Kathy Castor (D-Florida) was approved unanimously by the House Energy & Commerce Committee in December and passed in a bipartisan vote on the House floor today.
“It makes sense for all lodging businesses – from short-term rentals to online travel agencies, metasearch sites, and hotels – to tell guests upfront about mandatory fees. That’s why AHLA has led efforts supporting federal legislation to establish a single and transparent standard for mandatory lodging fee displays and an even competitive playing field,” said AHLA Interim President & CEO Kevin Carey in a released statement.
“Thanks to Reps. Kim and Castor, we’re one step closer to making this a reality. We will continue to work with Senators Klobuchar and Moran on passing their related legislation in the Senate to establish a uniform standard across the industry as law.”
Background
AHLA supports creating a single standard for mandatory fee display across the lodging industry – from short-term rental platforms, to online travel agencies, metasearch sites, and hotels – and will continue to advocate for this position to be reflected in the final bill.
The No Hidden FEES Act (H.R. 6543) and the Senate version of the bill – the Hotel Fees Transparency Act (S. 2498) from Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) – would establish a single standard for mandatory fee display across the entire lodging ecosystem.
AHLA’s most recent data shows only 6 percent of hotels nationwide charge a mandatory resort/destination/amenity fee, at an average of $26 per night.
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