Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The new US rule, which requires hotel and short -term companies that reside, reveal the so -called “garbage cans” on Monday.
The Federal Trade Commission announced in December, the rule takes a direct direction in wide hated accusations that may look like a “resort”, “appointment” or “hospitality service” and a fee for granted benefits that travelers either do not want to receive.
These include “premium” Internet service and access to the hotel gym.
The rule, which also applies to live ticket companies, was designed to reduce the practice that allowed businesses to pay more, “without looking like you raise prices,” Katie Mansfield said from the CASE Law School in December.
The professor who specializes in consumer and commercial legislation had one caveat: “I very much hope that the Trump administration does not reduce law enforcement officers in the FTC and CFPB.”
But since the Trump administration was pushed by the Trump administration Turn off nearly 90% of the Consumer Financial Defense Bureau and fired two Commissioners FTC – Actions that are disputed in the US judicial system.
As a result, the Mansfield said that now he believes that the new rule is less protected by consumers.
“From the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Trump’s incapacitated administration is probably not there will be a new protection for consumers – a rollback of existing defense, where it is possible and absolutely does not comply with the rules. This means that there is no protection for consumers,” she said.
In response, Chris Mufaja, Director of the FTC Consumer Protection Bureau, said the CNBC that the agency “was working hard to protect consumers and will continue to take actions against law enforcement agencies against companies that violate the law, including through the new rule of the deceitful fee.”
Trump administration also sent fees in the live entertainment industry Executive order March 31 that sent FTC to ensure transparency prices “At all stages of the process of buying tickets. ”
CFPB did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Laurent Baczynski, a French citizen, suffered from undisclosed garbage fee while traveling to New York.
He pre-paid for his trip through the travel app, but was still charged with a $ 500 deposit at his hotel when registering, from which the hotel calculated taxes and the Night “Payment”. These fees provided high-speed internet, excursion discounts and mini-Mart loans.
“Destination fee forcing services I don’t need,” he said Journey CNBC.
The disclosure of these payments is the essence of the FTC rules that do not seek to eliminate them, but rather to make travelers know they exist.
“The rule of trash fees is rooted in a simple but powerful principle: transparency,” said Mansfield. “If consumers can see the full price ahead – whether they book a hotel, buy tickets for a concert or pay for the service – they are in a better position to make reasonable decisions and be misled.”
This transparency has already begun, said Lauren Wolfe, the lawyer of Travelellers United, a non -profit organization that sued Hyatt, Hilton, Sonesta and Accor for the Board for the resort.
“We saw much more voluntary conservation because the rule was announced in December,” she said.
Airbnb announced in April that started Display Board for Cleaning and Services Forward For customers around the world.
Wolfe referred to another bill, Act on Transparency Hotel 2025Cleaning the House of Representatives in April and will now go before the Senate.
“The FTC combo, as well as a bill that has two -party support – and it looks like it will be held – in Congress shows that the end of hidden hotels at the hotel is one question that unites all Americans, ”she said.
CNBC Travel analyzed 10 reservation sites for two nighttime stay at the Balboa Bay, a Newport Beach hotel, California, which charges a $ 40 daily, as stated on the hotel website.
Of the 10 sites, seven have opened a fee in different ways – either as “purpose fees”, “property fees” or “property fee” – and three did not.
When travelers face a hotel or short -term rent, the Mansfield recommends fileing a complaint at the FTC. The fines for violation of the new rule may exceed $ 50,000.
“The FTC has a really easy-to-use online complaint system, and they make complaints that help them see what is happening on the market,” she said.
She also suggested using CFPB’s Internet complaints, she said. “They actually send a complaint to the company … which sometimes will be solved because companies do not want to be in cross CFPB,” she said.
Mansfield said travelers can also contact the consumer fraud department of their Prosecutor’s Office. “I would say that they complain about both federal and state -owned,” she said.
If everything else fails, travelers may also consider their complaint to social media.
“Sometimes with the companies, the squeak circle gets fat.”