Congress mandates upfront hotel pricing—no more hidden fees at checkout

What it does

This bill requires hotels, short-term rentals, and online booking platforms to display the total price (base rate plus mandatory fees) clearly and prominently whenever they advertise a room, and to disclose all taxes and government fees before purchase. It treats violations as unfair trade practices enforceable by the FTC and state attorneys general, with a 450-day implementation window. The bill preempts state laws that require fee disclosure in different ways, but preserves state authority over fraud and contract law.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a straightforward prohibition on deceptive pricing practices in the hotel and short-term rental sector, enforced through FTC authority and state consumer protection actions. It is a consumer-protection measure, not a subsidy, carve-out, or industry giveaway.

What the text implies

• The affirmative defense for intermediaries (Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb) may create a loophole: if they claim to have 'established procedures' and relied in 'good faith' on hotel-supplied data, they can escape liability even if prices displayed to consumers are inaccurate, shifting enforcement burden to the hotel rather than the platform.
• Preemption language (Section 5) may invalidate stricter state fee-disclosure laws, potentially creating a federal floor below which states cannot go—a race-to-the-bottom risk if the FTC enforcement proves weak or slow.

The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.

Who stands to gain

consumers (reduced surprise fees, better price comparison); smaller hotels and independent short-term rentals (may gain competitive advantage if large platforms