Two U.S. senators have introduced the Junk Fee Prevention Act, following the Biden administration’s pledge to crack down on “excessive, hidden and unnecessary fees” across a variety of industries, including hotels and airlines.<\/p>\n
Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced the legislation, which would require hotels and other providers of short-term lodging to disclose the full price upfront.<\/p>\n
Hotels would have to “clearly and conspicuously display, in each advertisement and when a price is first shown to a consumer, the total price of the good or service provided by the covered entity, including any mandatory fees a consumer would incur during the transaction.”<\/p>\n
This specific mandate would eliminate drip pricing — the practice of obscuring extra fees until the conclusion of the booking process. Drip pricing often results in a final price that is substantially higher than the advertised amount.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The legislation also prevents airlines from charging extra to seat a young child adjacent to an accompanying adult.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Our bill will help end this price gouging — forcing full disclosure upfront and restricting abusive fees,” said Blumenthal in a statement. “It will mandate basic common-sense fairness and transparency, which consumers rightly demand and deserve.”<\/p>\n
The introduction of the Junk Fee Prevention Act comes as the hospitality industry remains at odds over resort fees, with some hotel companies defending their use.\u00a0<\/p>\n