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Marriott said in May it would include resort fees in the first prices travelers see on its site and app. Hyatt and MGM Resorts have also made a change. Which hotel group will be next?
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.
Hyatt in July began displaying nightly rates plus resort fees upfront on a traveler’s first search of its site and app, a spokesperson confirmed to Skift on Tuesday. The decision followed Marriott's similar move in May and MGM Resort's similar (and unpublicized) move earlier.
Yet these moves won't end the debate over junk fees. Lingering issues include how hotel rates and fees are displayed on online travel agencies; the fact that resort fees are mandatory; and how these fees are taxed in cities with hotel occupancy taxes.
Hyatt and MGM Resorts Change on Resort Fees"After careful consideration, we made the decision to move to what we call an all-in rate display for hotels in the Americas," a Hyatt spokesperson said. "As of July, the most prominent rate shown throughout the booking process on Hyatt channels for properties in the Americas now includes both the room rate and any resort or destination fees. This rate does not include taxes."
In May, Texas' attorney general sued Hyatt over its hidden resort fees.
MGM Resorts made a similar change without a public statement in 2021. The casino and hotel operator now discloses the mandatory resort fee for its 17 properties at the first stage of the search process on its site and app.
Marriott began in May to display res