Hotels raising rates, adding fees
Taking a cue fromthe airline industry, hotels are squeezing customers with higher nightly rates as well as extra guest fees, such as charges to check in earlyand to guarantee you get the room you want.
The average rate of a hotel stay in the U. S. is expected to increase to $ 120 this year, a 5% increase over 2014, according to a forecast by Pricewaterhouse Coopers. On top of that, U. S. hotels are expected to collect a record $ 2.47 billion in extra fees and surcharges, a 5% increase over the record $ 2.35 billion collected last year.
The higher take from fees comes as the result of a slight increase in the number of hotel guests, plus the addition of new hotel fees and an increase in existing fees, said Bjorn Hanson, a professor at New York University’s Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism.
In the last fewyears, travelers have protested loudly against airlines that have increasingly relied on passenger fees to boost profits. The hotel industry has also turned increasingly to extra fees and charges, but with a lot less customer pushback. Since 2008, the combined revenues collected by hotels in fees has jumped 41%, according to Hanson’s annual studies.
Hotel charges include resort fees, reservation cancellation fees, Internet fees, business center fees, minibar restocking fees and baggage holding fees, Hanson said.
Among the fees that have recently been adopted by more hotels are charges for early check- in, for parking, to hold luggage either before checking inor after checking out and fees to guarantee the features you requested, such as a nonsmoking room or a room with two twin beds.
Why aren’t travelers protesting the growth of hotel fees? Hanson said he believes that many travelers, particularly those in the millennial generation, have become accustomed to paying fees when they travel, giving hotels and airlines the justification to add more.
“Fees and surcharges seem normal now,” Hanson said. “Most travelers know there will be some charges.”
Standards sought for airline seats
With commercial airlines packing more passengers per plane, many fliers believe that the federal government should adopt minimum airline seat standards for legroom and width to ensure the safety and comfort of travelers.
That is the sentiment of morethan30,000 people who signed a petition that was sent last month to Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta.
The petition, circulated by the passenger rights group FlyersRights.org, points out that many airlines have installed narrower seats with less legroom to boost capacity. It asks the FAA to put a moratorium on any further reduction in seat space and to appoint a panel to come up with minimum seat standards.
“The shrinkage of seats and passenger space by airlines to generate higher profits while the size of passengers has substantially increased has created an intolerable crisis situation,” according to the petition. “It is threatening the health, safety and comfort of all passengers.”
The FAA said itwould review the petition on seat standards in an “appropriate time frame.”
The U. S. Department of Transportation does not impose any standards for seat legroom, width or comfort. Instead, the federal government allows airlines to put as many seats in a cabin as the companies want as long as the passengers have enough roomto escape in an emergency within 90 seconds.
Airlines for America, a trade group for the airline industry, has rejected the idea of legroom and seat width standards.
“We also believe that government should not regulate airline seat sizes, but instead market forces and competition should determine what is offered,” said Jean Medina, a spokeswoman for the airline group.
An advisory panel to the Transportation Department met this week but did not recommend seat standards. Instead the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection asked the federal agency to urge airlines to disclose their seat dimensions on their websites.
During the meeting, panel member and travel expert Charles Leocha said he was troubled that the government has adopted minimum space requirements for dogs traveling on airplanes but not for humans.
“I was very disappointed that we didn’t come up with a committee recommendation on personal space on aircraft,” Leocha said, adding that he supports the Flyersrights. org petition.