Hotels started off with ‘resort fees’ so that they could charge more than the room rate they initially quoted to a customer. Even if they disclosed the fee before actually confirming the reservation, it made the property’s rate look cheaper when guests initially compared it to other hotel choices. In some places hotels even saved on taxes by breaking out part of the room cost into something other than the rate.
It was no surprise to see the practice spread to city hotels that weren’t resorts. And then to fees that didn’t even pretend to offer laundry lists of benefits that nobody ever actually uses. In the past few years when seen electricity surcharge (fee for the lights in your room); sustainability or green energy fees (contributions to each hotel’s property tax payments); and historical preservation fees (the hotel is old and in need of renovation).
To borrow from Marx in The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, hotel fees were introduced as tragedy but have proceeded to farce. Yet somehow I’ve come across one that actually still astonishes me.
The Hilton Garden Inn Corpus Christi charges an undisclosed, mandatory “Parking Recapture Fee.” A call to the hotel explains that this is for maintenance of their parking lot.
Here’s what the hotel’s website tells you you’ll pay in fees when booking:
The 83 cent fee – the only one actually disclosed – is for a “Texas Recovery Fee.” There’s no disclosure of the parking lot maintenance charges.
I reached out to Hilton corporate Tuesday morning for Hilton’s policy on properties adding fees onto their rate, outside of destination and resort fees, whether undisclosed fees are forbidden and whether if this fee were disclosed whether a mandatory “parking recapture fee” would be permissible. I will update if they respond.
(HT: Curtis)
There is a Residence Inn (Marriott) in Abilene Texas doing the exact same thing. They even call it a “parking recovery fee”
Hopefully this fee is only applied to those customers parking a personal or rental vehicle. Would be grossly unfair to those arriving by foot or non other modes of transportation.
@Gary – no, this is not a parking fee, this is being added to guest folios who are not parking
These mandatory junk fees are completely out of hand. Time to regulate them.
I was curious so went to the site and clicked on parking under hotel policies to see if the location charges for parking. Lo and behold, $3.87 is listed. I wonder if that was just updated or if that’s how they have been “disclosing” the fee. And I agree, I would expect to only be charged if parking on site.
My recollection (admittedly possibly faulty) is that the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Tex. Bus. & Com. Code Sec. 17.46 et. seq., bars the practice of undisclosed add-on fees, and allows consumers to recover treble damages for violation if the action was knowing. Class actions are allowed under certain circumstances, see, Sec. 17.501.
I am not a Texas lawyer, and this post does not give (or pretend to give) legal advice, but it seems to me that one or more hungry Texas lawyers could have fun and fees with this.
Hilton GREED Fee
Just curious: why is part of the date redacted? Who or what are you protecting?
Hilton is competing with Marriot to who can cheat customers the most egregiously. Hilton Diamond who no longer stays at Hilton due to hidden fees.
Look at all the restaurants who are now charging a fee for “tipping” for kitchen staff.
Looks like that’s no the only brand doing it. I went looking to see if it was some government fee (they love to stick fees on tourists) and I found this:
https://thegatewithbriancohen.com/parking-recapture-fee-what/
Not government (a nearby hotel didn’t charge it), not disclosed in the supposedly inclusive price.
Not actually a Hilton Corp or any Corp fee. This fee is charged at managed properties where the fee can be charged because the management company is implementing it.
For the protection of the hotel when you do make reservations on a majority of sites, especially hilton.com, there is a section at the end of the site, before you can submit the reservation, that you must click the box because you need to agree to any charges or fees that the hotel may charge. If you don’t agree then you can’t make a reservation. This is coming from someone that was amongst a hotel group that implemented this as an everyday charge. It doesn’t matter if you park a car or walk to the hotel, it is not a parking fee. It’s noted as a Parking recovery fee, the very worst name ever, and no real help from corporate office to use a different name. Just another nickel and dime fee to recover from COVID closures.
Let’s be honest it the franchise owners way of making extra while cutting other services it’s a disgrace but we all know it’s built into what they were brought up being told take all you can spend as little as you can
If they will lie to you about their prices they will lie to you and cheat you about anything else. Boycott these scam artists.
An “undisclosed” fee is a fee that will not be paid by me. Are people so gullible that they’ll pay a hotel $4 to maintain their parking lot? Are hotel managers so desperate for additional revenue that they’ll attempt to gouge all their guests? “Throw it out there, see who’s dumb enough to pay it” … why not? Pathetic.
I’ve seen that at a Hilton garden inn in Orlando. It was so small I didn’t say anything
“so small” x 1000s of guests = ?
It is easier to swindle Hilton guests with a bogus guest fee called “Parking Recapture Fee” instead of “Executive Management and franchise owner Retirement Fee.”
Really, truth in advertising would simply label these fees as “CEO Bonus Fee”.
I’ve never been to Vegas, but did a tour of Lake Tahoe and Reno in the past.
From the feedback that I get from friends, I’m not missing much in Vegas. Complaints of nickeling and dimming guest to death, rash of junk fees, and everything with a steep price tag.
Also, gambling is available in many states, even in the Bible Belt. Therefore, the mystic of Vegas has diminished. If things get any worse, Vegas will be compared to San Francisco. Once a great tourist spot with plenty of pleasant memories into something to be avoided at all costs.
This is shameful.