Hilton faces class action lawsuit over alleged hidden hotel fees

Hilton hidden hotel fees class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Traveler advocacy group Travelers United Inc. filed a class action lawsuit against Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. and Hilton Domestic Operating Co. Inc. 
• Why: Travelers United claims Hilton falsely advertises the rates of its hotel rooms by allegedly charging last minute so-called junk fees, including “resort fees” and “destination fees,” among others. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit has been removed to a District of Columbia federal court. 

The Hilton hotel chain has been “systematically cheating” consumers out of tens of millions of dollars every year by falsely advertising the rates of its hotel rooms due to hidden fees, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Traveler advocacy group Travelers United Inc. claims Hilton fails to disclose the full cost of its hotel rooms upfront, but rather, adds on last minute “destination fees” and “resort fees” that, in reality, are actually part of the nightly room rate. 

Travelers United argues Hilton doesn’t include the so-called “junk fees” in the upfront cost of its hotel rooms to convince consumers its rooms are cheaper than they actually are, in an alleged violation of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act. 

“Hilton’s deceptive Junk Fee practices violated each Class members’ individual statutory right to truthful information from Hilton about the actual price of nightly room rates purchased, leased, or received in the District of Columbia,” the Hilton class action states. 

Travelers United seeks to represent nationwide class and class of D.C. residents in Hilton case

Travelers United wants to represent a nationwide class of consumers who purchased a Hilton hotel room within the District of Columbia for personal use and paid a resort, destination and/or other similar fee to Hilton. 

The advocacy group also wants to represent a class of District of Columbia residents who have booked a Hilton hotel room within the U.S. and paid Hilton a resort, destination and/or other similar fee. 

Travelers United is demanding a jury trial and requesting injunctive relief along with an award of actual, punitive and treble or statutory damages for itself and all class members. 

A similar complaint was filed against Hilton earlier this year by the state of Texas and Attorney General Ken Paxton over claims the hotel chain charges mandatory hidden resort fees that are allegedly not included in the advertised room rate. 

Have you been charged a so-called junk fee when booking a Hilton hotel room? Let us know in the comments.

Travelers United is represented by Hassan Zavareei, Peter Silva, Wesley M. Griffith and Leora Friedman of Tycko & Zavareei LLP.

The Hilton hidden hotel fees class action lawsuit is Travelers United Inc., et al. v. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., et al., Case No. 1:23-cv-03584, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

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