Consumer Advocacy and Protection Efforts

Let’s be honest: “optional” cleaning fees aren’t the real problem. The real chaos is trying to figure out the actual price before booking. Usually ends with me cursing and spilling coffee on my keyboard. I see federal agencies, consumer groups, even lawyers shouting about “all-in pricing,” but hotels just keep inventing new names. The day I think I got a deal, there’s suddenly a “property fee,” “housekeeping enhancement,” and some legacy junk fee. Nobody at the front desk ever explains what any of it is.

Calls for Transparent Pricing

Nothing makes me lose it faster than reading that over 2,000 U.S. adults told Consumer Reports that hotel fees make them confused and frustrated. I get it—I’ve tried to explain “cleaning costs” to my own spreadsheet and given up. Booking.com’s at least trying to show resort fees up front, but calling that a solution feels generous. Expedia? They’re “studying” the problem while my credit card cries.

Consumer advocates are basically in trench warfare with the hotel fee lobby, pushing for chains to ditch “drip pricing.” That’s where the total morphs at checkout. Nobody’s memory is that bad, right? Vegas even has a law where hotels pay housekeepers extra for big rooms, but that’s not transparency—it’s just shuffling money around. No guest ever actually knows what their junk fee buys. Hotel lobbies are just monuments to unanswered questions.

DOT and Regulatory Agencies

Weeks go by, and my inbox is still full of headlines about the Department of Transportation (DOT) or the FTC “cracking down” on hotel and OTA nonsense. “AG Henry Settles With Choice Hotels”—sure, but fees keep coming. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s settlement with Choice Hotels forces some new disclosures, but mostly just means “disclosure at checkout,” not before.

Never once have I seen a cleaning fee drop after a regulatory update. DOT flexes “transparency” but only really covers air travel, so hotels just keep grinning. The FTC, famous for smacking down hidden fees elsewhere, can’t even agree on what “full price” means. Every agency statement dodges the idea of banning cleaning fees outright—like it’s a joke nobody wants to tell. I wish regulators had to sleep in the rooms they audit. Maybe then “protection” would mean something other than PR.

Industry Response to Fee Criticism

Ask a simple question about hotel cleaning charges and you get a mess—no real answers, no transparency, just a lot of finger-pointing and the same fees shuffled around like a magic trick that nobody actually enjoys.

Hotel Chains’ Explanations for Cleaning Charges

Oh, you want to question that “cleaning fee” at checkout? Good luck. Suddenly the front desk morphs into a CDC spokesperson, rattling off lines about “enhanced hygiene standards” and “mandatory post-pandemic protocols.” I pressed Hilton’s assistant manager in Minneapolis last fall—she blurted out that the fees “keep guests safe.” Then, in the same conversation, she shrugged and admitted the staff don’t actually see a dime from these charges. So… where’s it going? Anyone’s guess.

And the fee? It’s never the same number twice. Sometimes it’s $20, sometimes $65, sometimes it’s called a “facility fee,” or “maintenance,” or “service.” Marriott, Hyatt, IHG—they all play this game. USA Today says some places even call it a “towel fee” or “bed sheet fee.” That clears up absolutely nothing. Supposedly it’s for “premium cleanliness,” but I’ve checked into rooms that still smelled like reheated fish tacos. So, yeah, sure.

Steps Toward Greater Transparency

Pressure’s on, or at least that’s the rumor. The FTC dropped a “Junk Fees” Rule that says hotels and even Airbnb have to show all those extra costs up front. No more “drip pricing.” A manager at Cambria Suites told me corporate now forces them to post every fee on the website—while you’re searching, not just when you’re about to pay.

But, uh, have you actually tried booking lately? The rule’s out there, but hotels are dragging their feet. I checked six chains last week. Hilton and Marriott sometimes show the full cost (buried behind expandable menus, naturally), but others still make you click through three screens for the real price. California’s got this Assembly Bill 537 that forces hotels to list every fee up front—makes life easier, at least if you’re booking in LA. Everywhere else? Still a mess. Here, have a table because I’m tired of typing out the same brands: