Fraudulent and Undisclosed Hotel Charges
The hotel industry is booming. There will be about 2.8 million occupied hotel rooms on any given night in the U.S. this year. Along with the increased occupancy, hotels are finding increased ways to charge patrons, and sometimes these charges come as a big surprise. Watch out for undisclosed fees and surcharges, such as:
Automatic gratuities/surcharges, including mandatory bellman charges:
- Baggage holding fees
- Cancellation fees
- Early departure/arrival charges
- Energy surcharges
- Handling charges for overnight packages, e.g. receiving Fed Ex packages.
- Increase fax charges
- In-room safe surcharges
- Internet surcharges
- Mini-bar restocking charges (a charge for the restocking, not for food or drink)
- Resort amenities fees
- Telephone call surcharges
While it may be okay to charge these fees if they are disclosed in advance, it is not okay to surprise guests at checkout with these charges. If you have paid these surprise charges, received no refund and want to discuss your legal rights, please contact our consumer fraud lawyers.