Hilton strives to display mandatory fees on websites and apps

Officials at Hilton Worldwide Holdings revealed Thursday that the company is working to post mandatory fees on its websites and apps in advance.

According to Reuters.com, Hilton said in a letter to U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Jerry Moran that the company strives to display all fees for all platforms that advertise, distribute and sell its inventory.

To ensure travelers see all charges upfront at booking, Hilton is building more transparency into hotel websites, online travel agencies, Google and other short-term rental platforms.

“The process of updating and aligning our technology is ongoing,” Hilton said in the letter to Congress.

In July, Senators Klobuchar and Moran introduced the bipartisan Hotel Fee Transparency Act, designed to combat hidden fees in the travel industry and streamline federal pricing guidelines.

The government has closely monitored hotel and resort operators over hidden fees, saying the companies engaged in “fraudulent and anti-competitive practices by misleading consumers in advertisements that prevent comparison shopping and by charging millions of dollars in hidden fees.

In August, a lawsuit was filed against Hyatt Hotels Corporation, which claims the hotel company falsely advertised the price of its hotel rooms by adding “misleading” destination, resort and other fees that did not appear in the displayed price.

Earlier this year, Marriott International was forced to pay a $225,000 fine in Pennsylvania for failing to comply with a regulation requiring it to notify consumers of “hidden” resort fees.

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