May 18, 2023 – On Tuesday The State of Texas and Marriott International INC entered in to a voluntary agreement to prominently display all “resort fees” and to increase price transparency in its advertising and booking process.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated that hotel companies are using fraudulent and anti-competitive practices by misleading customers with advertisements which prevent comparative shopping and charging exorbitant amounts in hidden fees.
During the voluntary agreement made with the state of Texas, Marriott denied any misrepresented room rates, mandatory fees or total price in it advertising nor violating Texas consumer protection laws.
Marriott has voluntary agreed to disclose all “resort fees” and the total price of rooms as the most prominently displayed price, according to a statement from Paxton.
On Monday the state also filed a suit against the Hyatt Hotel Corp for supposedly violating Texas consumer protection laws by misleading customers with marketing and charging hidden fees.
In a petition filed in district court, Paxton stated that the U.S.-based Hyatt did not include all fees in advertised room rates, effectively preventing comparative price rates and hidden fees, amounting to millions in fraudulent charges.
