California legislators have passed two bills that could impact how the state’s 6,000 hotels and thousands of short-term rentals inform consumers about so-called junk fees, such as resort fees and housekeeping fees.
30.08.2023 - 11:17 / skift.com / Rashaad Jorden / Sean Oneill / Thomas Kurian
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Hyatt has joined MGM Resorts and Marriott in changing how they disclose resort fees on their websites and apps. However, those modifications still won’t quiet the growing uproar over so-called junk fees, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.
In July, Hyatt began displaying nightly rates plus mandatory resort fees upfront on a traveler’s first search of its site and app. Hyatt’s move to more clearly disclose resort fees follows in the footsteps of Marriott and MGM Resorts. However, O’Neill notes the three companies still face unresolved grievances from some consumer advocates and government representatives. He adds one of the lingering issues is how hotel rates and fees are displayed on online travel agencies’ websites and apps.
The three hotel groups have also quoted prices without including resort fees in ad and marketing campaigns.
Next, amusement park corporation Six Flags has become the latest travel brand to hop on the artificial intelligence bandwagon. Six Flags is planning to release generative AI tools in partnership with Google Cloud, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes.
Dawes reports Six Flags is looking to release AI chatbots on updated versions of its app and park websites later this year. Six Flags said the virtual assistants would provide personalized recommendations and answers for visitors planning their trips. Google CEO Thomas Kurian said generative AI would enable Six Flags to redefine guest experiences.
Finally, India’s hotel occupancy and room rates have finally recovered to pre-pandemic levels, writes Middle East and Asia Reporter Amrita Ghosh in the Skift India Newsletter.
Ghosh reports that soaring demand for next month’s G20 Summit is a major reason for India’s strong hotel performance. One travel executive said the roughly 200 G20 meetings already held throughout India have placed some lesser-known destinations on the global tourism map. Meanwhile, FCM Consulting’s latest Global Trends Report revealed that India had Asia’s highest hotel occupancy rates in the first half of this year.
California legislators have passed two bills that could impact how the state’s 6,000 hotels and thousands of short-term rentals inform consumers about so-called junk fees, such as resort fees and housekeeping fees.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, September 12. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Hyatt sees signs that more people in big cities are returning to offices, which could eventually translate to more business transient travel at the hotel giant.
Park Hyatt New York has unveiled a new art installation from local contemporary abstract artist and hotel bellman for nine years, Jeffrey Okyere-Agyei.
The tides are quickly turning when it comes to hotel companies better disclosing resort fees in their nightly rates.
Yet another U.S. hotel company faces a lawsuit about disclosing mandatory resort fees. Sonesta, which runs more than 1,200 hotels under various brand flags, faces a class-action suit in Washington, D.C., over how it displays its resort fees on its website and app.
Hyatt, Marriott, and MGM Resorts have been hit with lawsuits since 2019 over how they disclose mandatory resort fees. The companies have since changed how they disclose resort fees on their websites and apps.
In celebration of the launch, World of Hyatt members can earn 3x points across 20+ Hyatt Vacation Club resorts.
Travelers United’s choice to sue Hyatt over its “junk fee” practices fits into a broader storyline about travel junk fees being in the limelight ever since President Joe Biden referred to travel fees in his 2023 State of the Union address.
The State of Texas filed a lawsuit against Booking Holdings, alleging that it violates state law by marketing hotel rates in a deceptive manner because it doesn’t include a variety of fees when it initially displays room prices.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, November 11. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Hyatt just lapped the one-year anniversary of acquiring the all-inclusive resort company Apple Leisure Group in a $2.7 billion deal. The Chicago, Illinois-based hotel group is now looking to expand its hotel presence in European cities that could help feed its all-inclusives, according to comments executives made as they reported its earnings.