Over the years, we’ve see the increasing trend of hotels charging junk fees. We’re not just talking about luxury properties charging resort or destination fees, but even things like security fees, electricity fees, and more. Well, OMAAT reader Susan just shared a fee situation she faced at a Marriott affiliated property, which I’d consider to be particularly egregious, given how dishonestly it’s presented.
Marriott charges all guests $2.87 “city fee,” for parking?
Susan reached out after recently staying at the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Dallas Plano/Frisco. The property is in a suburban area, right next to a huge shopping center, with an endless amount of parking. So it’s not a hotel where you’d expect to find a charge for parking.
When booking the reservation, the guest made note of how the hotel now has a $2.87 parking fee, which wasn’t the case when the hotel opened, when parking was free. That’s fine, because she wasn’t parking a car at the property, and she says she would’ve stayed elsewhere if she had been (presumably on principle).
However, at check-out, she noticed a $2.87 per night “City Fee” on the folio, as it was described. Note that she works for the state of Texas, so she’s tax exempt, and also pays attention to the details on folios.
As she explains:
When I received my bill the morning of checkout–first shot–I happened to connect the $2.87 “city fee” (making it look like Plano has a tax) because it was what I thought I had seen the parking fee. I stopped by the front desk and the agent happily and apologetically removed it. But had my brain not connected the same numbers from “CITY FEE” meant to the numbers I saw under “PARKING FEE,” I would have had no idea. That’s what I expect is happening to every other guest at both hotels–whether one has a car or not.
It’s sad that deceiving customers has become the goal
In an ideal world, hotels wouldn’t have junk fees, and would try to be transparent with their pricing. But I realize that’s a big ask, and unlikely to happen.
At a minimum, could they try to not actively mislead consumers? So let’s recap:
- The hotel recently decided to add a $2.87 fee for parking, which was previously free; okay, I guess that’s their prerogative…
- The hotel then automatically charges guests that $2.87 fee, regardless of whether or not they’re parking, hoping that people won’t notice
- The hotel then claims this is a “city fee” rather than a parking fee, which can’t be described as an honest mistake; obviously the hope is that people won’t notice this, since people are much less likely to question government taxes and fees
What always intrigues me in these situations is what process caused things to be the way they are. Does the general manager come up with the idea, the owners, or what? And is there an explicit discussion about “hey, let’s put this on the folio as a city fee rather than a parking fee?” And then the other person is like “yep, sounds good,” rather than “but wait, that’s a lie?”
Bottom line
A Fairfield by Marriott recently started charging $2.87 per night for parking. Okay, that seems a little greedy, but fair enough. The issue is that the hotel seemingly just adds this to all folios, regardless of whether or not guests park, and then claims that this is a “city fee,” rather than a parking fee. I don’t think I need to explain why that’s wrong, but I do think it’s important to call hotels out for this.
What do you make of this Marriott property’s parking scheme?