Question of the Day - 01 April 2018

It certainly is.

During the trial, the parade of witnesses telling stories of egregious resort fees was overwhelming.

One described paying $400 per night for a room in a hotel in Key West and finding a $25-per-night resort fee tacked on, as if $400 wasn't already enough. Another testified that a $29 resort fee at a hotel in downtown San Francisco included two beach chairs, but there was no beach, no pool, and no chairs.

One accused hotels of “abusing the English language by charging a $29 resort fee for ‘complimentary’ amenities.” Another noted that a chain hotel in New York City imposes a fee for amenities and services that it claims “enhance the guest experience” — thereby depicting the $25-per-night fee as an “enhancement.”

That one was so ridiculous that it moved the judge to inquire, “Do hotels really think people are that stupid?”

The response: “There’s a certain point at which you’re just better off not saying anything, rather than lying right to your guests’ faces."

In the summary judgment, the line we liked was, “Charging for a service or amenity that a customer has no intention of using is gouging, plain and simple.”

The bottom line. If you paid any resort fees in the United States in the time period covered by the class-action suit (2014-2016), you can claim your refund by writing to:

April Fools!

We hope at least some of you saw this coming, given what day it is.

Though the question and the details about a class-action lawsuit came straight from imagination (or wishful thinking), all the stories about the resort fees themselves are true.

In addition, according to a recent story by CBS News, attorneys general in 47 states and the District of Columbia are investigating a dozen major hotel chains for this practice. Up until January 2017, the Federal Trade Commission was also participating in the investigation, in effect brokering a settlement with the hotel industry, but apparently, that ended when the Trump administration entered the picture. 

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine said, "The election hit and then, all of a sudden, the hospitality industry sort of dug in against our position." The FTC also "backed off" and "went dark," he said. "I think that has given some confidence to the hospitality industry that perhaps they' can wait out or otherwise evade the efforts of the 47 states, because the FTC is no longer our partner."

April Fools or not, there seems to be some hope on the horizon that this issue might take a turn in the consumer's favor in the future.