Hotels must show you the real price upfront—no more surprise fees at checkout
H.R. 1479 — Hotel Fees Transparency Act of 2025 · Filed by Young Kim (R-CA) · 6 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 21, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This bill requires hotels and short-term rental platforms to display the total price—including all mandatory service fees—clearly and upfront in all advertisements and at the start of the booking process, rather than hiding fees until checkout. It bars 'unfair or deceptive' pricing practices and gives the FTC and state attorneys general power to enforce the rule, with a 450-day implementation window.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward disclosure requirement: hotels and online travel platforms must show total prices upfront. It does not ban fees, cap prices, or restrict business models—only the manner of advertising and disclosure.
What the text implies
- Intermediaries (Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb) may face operational friction if hotel suppliers provide inaccurate or stale fee data; the bill includes an affirmative defense for good-faith reliance, but compliance infrastructure will require real-time data feeds.
- State attorneys general gain concurrent enforcement authority alongside the FTC, creating potential for duplicative or conflicting state-level litigation; the bill coordinates this through notice requirements and FTC intervention rights.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who it affects
Ordinary consumers gain transparency and the ability to compare true total costs before committing to a purchase, reducing surprise fees at checkout. Hotels and platforms retain the ability to charge fees; the bill only mandates upfront disclosure.