Suit alleges Marriott profited off deceptive fees

For more than a decade, Marriott International has been misleading guests about hotel room prices and earning millions in profits as a result, according to a lawsuit filed by Washington, D. C.’ s attorney general. The complaint, filed in D. C. Superior Court by Attorney General Karl Racine, says Marriott used a “deceptive” and illegal trade practice called “drip pricing” to lure consumers. The filing says the Bethesda, Md.- based hotel chain hides the true cost of its rooms from consumers shopping on its website or on third- party hotel reservation sites such as Expedia. Daily room rates are posted, but as the consumer selects a room and provides a credit card to reserve it, Marriott often adds a “resort fee,” an “amenity fee” or a “destination fee” ranging from $ 9 to $ 95 per day, the complaint alleges. The lawsuit follows an investigation by the attorneys general of 50 states and the District into competitive hotel industry pricing and its effect on customers.

Target is making its biggest play in grocery in years with the launch of a new flagship private- label food brand that will completely replace Target’s Archer Farms and Simply Balanced lines and will partially swap out Market Pantry. The new line, Good & Gather, will be Target’s largest in- house brand across the entire store with more than 2,000 products to be rolled out over the next 18 months. It’s expected to become a multibillion dollar brand and is the latest example of the Minneapolis retailer leaning into developing and selling its own brands in order to offer more items consumers can’t find anywhere else.