News and notes from around the interweb:
- The Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Elko, Nevada has a “12.95 energy recovery fee plus 3% credit card surcharge.” Surely Chase isn’t going to be ok with IHG hotels charging extra to pay with their co-brand card.
I would not stay in a hotel that does not consider its room rate to include electricity. The first private electric system was installed in 1878 – in Thomas Edison’s home. The first New York residence with electricity belonged to J.P. Morgan. It is not 1883 anymore.
- We’re supposed to feel bad for flight attendants with hard jobs and low pay but pay is really only low at entry-level. For some it’s a good career that doesn’t have to mean a college degree. For others it’s an adventure for a couple of years. And there are plenty of people lining up for these jobs at current pay rates. Yet we get stories about how they pick up side jobs at strip clubs.
Why is it there’s so much less discourse about those contract Prospect employees pushing wheelchairs at the airport, earning so much less? Flight attendants know, here’s one doing an act of kindness buying Starbucks for those folks meeting their flight.
- Marriott announces that they’ll offer elite status soft landings for next year – the worst you’ll have is one level lower than your status this year (of course you will have a higher status than that if you earn it). (HT: One Mile at a Time)
- JetBlue founder Dave Neeleman says the airline missed out on an opportunity to buy widebodies to fly transatlantic and that they could have sent some to the Caribbean in the winter. I am skeptical.
- Australia’s prime minister has been getting free upgrades from Qantas for years dating back to when he was in charge of the Labor party’s aviation policy. He says it’s no big deal because he’s disclosed the gifts. (He did not disclose the invitation-only Chairmans Club membership given to his 23-year old son arguing that he isn’t a dependent even though he ‘lives at home’ so such disclosure wasn’t required.)
Of course Qantas has received gifts from the Albanese government too.
If electricity isn’t included, there’s literally no way to be shocked.
Modern hotel chains disgust me. There is no hospitality anymore. The world is going to complete crap.
What doesn’t surprise me about any IHG property? After my lousy experience in London at their Kensington Station property and the complete lack of customer service when I politely (I DID…REALLY!) complained, this wouldn’t surprise me. I cut up my IHG credit card, moved my 400,000 points to another source and told them to “kiss my grits”. Years ago, I stayed at a Best Western property in Connecticut. When I went to check out, there was a $5.00 “safe charge” on my folio. I told the clerk that I wasn’t paying it. It wasn’t shown on my booking. “We charge that to everyone.” EH…well not this one. AMEX stood by me, too!
The Holiday Inn Express in Durango, Colorado charges a similar green energy recovery fee.
The Westin Houston Medical Center/Museum District in Houston, Texas charged a historic preservation fee that was actually meant to recoup their renovations.
The HEI-managed Westin in Fort Lauderdale charged guests a service fee if they paid using a Marriott credit card.
For the last 20+ years it has not been unusual to find “environmental”, “energy”, “water” and “waste” charges on Nordic hotel bills. In one trip to Stockholm (and I still have the paper receipt from checkout) the fees added up to within a few dollars of my nightly room fee (and this was not a sleep cheap hotel). Included were: environmental, electricity, water, key card, in room telephone, in room clock, in room television, internet, cable tv, liquid waste fee, solid waste fee, linens, and wake up service) – some of these I did not use in the 14 hours from check-in to check out and the internet and cable service did not work.
Expect even more unbundled charges. Not less.
Great way to destroy your hotel business by charging stupid fees.
IHG must cancel the franchise agreement with the hotel owner if they want to salvage the image of Holiday Inn. Reversing the charges is not enough. Travelers must be confident they won’t be scammed if they book a Holiday Inn stay. This hotel owner must go.
I’m not sure why a job as a stripper would be considered a good side job for a flight attendant because the loss of the flight attendant job could happen if the situation is discovered. The money is good but…
It’s getting even better I received a daily toilet flush charge fee though it’s good for unlimited flushes
A small counterpoint to the 3% upcharge which some businesses are adding for CC payments: I took my car to a Hyundai dealership a few months back for some repair. At the check-out, I proffered my usual CC, and the service advisor/cashier politely asked if I had a debit card I might prefer to use to SAVE the upcharge! Wow, I did, and was grateful for this very customer forward experience.
I’ve stayed in that particular Holiday Inn Express. Elko is 4 hours driving from Reno or SLC. Elko is not really a destination, but a lot of people travel along I-80. After driving 12-14 hours across the desert, who is going to challenge any fees the hotel wants to tack on? You won’t walk away; you just want to get to bed.
@Richard – more dealerships are implementing cc fees. The leading Audi dealership in Charlotte charges them as of the beginning of 2024. I expect these to become common across all businesses within the next 5 years. Frankly, I’ve given up even being upset about it and just roll with the punches. The additional 3% isn’t enough to materially change my decision making and I would have gladly paid it if baked into the cost so not worth getting overly excited about.
I suggest the next people to stay there to bring in some bitcoin mining rigs to get best bang for their buck 😉
Some of the hotel “energy fees” are regulatory depending on the jurisdiction.
Not unlike the escalating taxes on rental cars and various concessions at the airport.
Hotels that don’t (by design) embrace some sort of green will be subject to an energy recovery fee. Solar panels, or a green energy supplier. So in response they bill the franchise, they in turn bill the customer.
As for making or raising *any* issues with service in a UK based hotel will for the most part not get the typical response. Having stayed at several UK establishments, mostly around London, they seem to dislike (especially Americans), even if quietly and discreetly raised, who attempt to communicate poor service. You just need to stay professional and courteous in your response and not get emotional.
I’m saving money!!!
I DIDN’T stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night !!!
I recently stayed in a Quality Inn. The outlets were connected to the wall switch by the door & timed out after an hour. I discovered this when my phone & tablet weren’t fully charged overnight. I’ll not stay there again.
I recently reviewed my merchant fees and was shocked at how much it adds up. We’re either going to add a convenience fee for CC or raise prices and discount paying with ACH or debit.
But in the age of price sensitivity, a fee makes us more competitive than a discount for cheaper payment methods. (Most big clients are paying ACH so this only impacts a portion of our clients. Why should everyone subsidize the 25%?)
The other fees like electricity are junk and are just a way to keep the advertised rate low (and possibly avoid all the hotel taxes that apply to the base rate).
Also fighting with eToll for a charge after I turned in the car on a recent trip. The Avis receipt says 2:45 pm return; the eToll bill says *5:45 pm* return. I was in my seat on the taxiway at 5:45 pm after pushing back about 5:38 pm. The toll was about 3:53 pm, when I think I was at the United Club. The problem is they aren’t accepting any of my proof that I couldn’t possibly have returned the car at 5:45 or driven on that road at that time. Argh.
@Makfan, a three hour difference would be the difference between the east coast and the west coast. Consider where the billing originates and see if it could make sense.
@jns The car was rented/returned in Mountain Time, but I will see if I can have them check for a time difference. I have seen it in other places but hadn’t thought about it this time.
Obviously if I were accused of a crime that occurred that evening, I would have my lawyer get proof from United to demonstrate that I had checked in at the club about 75 minutes before boarding time (i.e., the time of the supposed toll), and boarded my aircraft around 5-5:10 pm. This doesn’t rise to that level. It’s just super annoying. It is difficult to avoid incurring eToll charges in some states. I just don’t want to pay for someone else’s tolls and admin fees!
@ makfan — Wow, what a hypocrite. Screw your hotel customers with bogus fess and them complain that same was done to you. Too bad for you?
I stopped doing business with companies like this that want to search for everything to increase the profits there’s plenty of businesses to deal with that don’t do this
Hotel prices today are why over priced as it is. Let alone charging additional fees for electricity. I remember back in the 1960s and 70s you could get a room in a 4 star hotel for $40 a night.
I recently stayed at the Elko Holiday Inn Express. I was not charged the energy fee but was charged for using my credit card. I asked at check-in what the $5 fee was for and was told it was for processing the credit card transaction. I asked if many people actually paid cash and was told a few do at checkout.
By the way Elko, is the gold mining hub of the US and rooms at times can be very tight and expensive. Fortunately there are several Hilton and Marriott properties in town that don’t charge the credit card fee.
I believe years ago hotels in the New Jersey New York area started charging this fee and they were quickly told by the courts to stop.
I truly am upset that there is no ethics in advertising for hotel rates.
I really hate it when they call it a resort fee but the hotel pool isn’t even heated.
There’s no golf course and the gym consists of one set of free weights.
@Supwho don’t worry the English are loathed by everyone in the EU. I live in Spain I see the disdain often. I’m American and I see how the English act, not all of them but there is a stereotype. (quipping about everything) they are cheap and want the comforts of home wherever they go. 5 euro English Breakfast. Sunday Supper. Never trying to utter a word in Spainish. No wonder they are being protested against.
If you look at who owns the HI Express (Dhillonco), it’s not surprising.
I think the same about not cleaning your room on a daily basis. This happens automatically at these major brands in hotels outside the US. If you stay multiple days in a US property the rates are not lower on the added dates that they do not service the room. Thus another rip off.
I knew someone who worked as a “dancer” in Houston and NYC and commuted between hubs as an FA for Continental.
While it should definitely be advertised during booking, I understand why some hotels do this. Everyone wants more for less price, workers want less work for more pay. If owners can’t stay open, where would we stay? When we started expecting free breakfast from hotels, I knew it was going downhill. You want to pay less than $120, have tip top service, great tasting fresh breakfast, and have an updated room to stay in, it’s just not possible in 2024 when housekeeping unions are pushing for $20/hr pay!! Either be prepared to stop getting everything or expect to start paying more cause we’ve beat the margins out of the hospitality industry.
I know a few FA’s that have a great crash pad around DFW. They dance at a certain club I frequent when on business. It’s very fun teasing them. And the girls deserve to make as much as they can while they can. In this economy why not.
All that matters is the total cost for your stay. Who cares how it’s itemized on the bill? The issue is whether or not you can afford it, and whether or not you will pay the total price. If you buy a $25,000 car and they charge you a dollar for the car on the condition that you pay $24,999 for the tires, what is the difference? It’s STILL $25,000.
The problem is not that they ‘itemize’.
The problem is when you are told the whole process you’re getting a car for $1 then when you go to give them payment they slip in the $24,999 fee.
If these places all want to add fees instead of just raising base rate that’s dumb/crooked but so is most stuff at this point. The fact that all these required and unavoidable ‘fees’ are impossible to find before the final bill or at best once you’re there and checking in is false advertising.
AirBnB.
The best way to fight this is to:
1). Boycott the hotel chain; and
2). Let everyone you know what they are trying to get away with.
As far as I ever knew, it is strictly illegal to charge customers for CC fees and also illegal for the vendor to pay the sales tax. Period !!!
I’ve had completely undisclosed fees (not disclosed when booking online from the hotel’s own site, no notification at check-in, etc) show up on the final bill. When I questioned one fee from the Embassy Suites LAX and showed it was not disclosed anywhere, the front desk couldn’t explain it but said the hotel reserves the right to change/charge any fees they want. ????? What? AFTER I stayed? I turned Karen and asked to speak to the manager. The manager tried to tell me it was a mandatory fee the City of LA imposed. I said, yes, it’s a mandatory fee the City of LA **IMPOSED ON THE HOTEL FOR DOING BUSINESS IN LA**, it’s not a mandatory fee for a guest of the hotel. The manager refunded the fee (the front desk clerk has already run the charge with my credit card on file).