Hidden resort taxes: resort taxes.

• Author: Butcher, Anne
• Position: Citings - Brief article

Federal Trade Commission Chair Edith Ramirez has asked Congress to make hidden hotel fees more obvious to travelers. But lodging taxes might be just as big an issue.

Ramirez is responding to a December letter from 10 members of Congress asserting that it's unfair for hotels to charge mandatory "resort fees" that weren't included in the advertised rate. Such fees pay for things like pools and fitness centers, but guests are expected to pay them regardless of whether they used those amenities. The letter cites a poll saying that 80 percent of Americans believe that if a fee is mandatory, it should be included in the baseline price.

Yet resort fees are only half the problem. A 2015 study by HVS, a hospitality consulting firm, examined the 150 most...