Marriott Class Action Alleges Drip Pricing Scheme

A class action lawsuit claims that Marriott International Inc. uses “drip pricing” to mislead customers about the true price of hotel rooms.

The Marriott hotel fee class action lawsuit was filed by Plaintiff Todd Hall, who says that he has stayed at more than 45 Marriott hotels and resorts.

Hall states that in September 2019, he noticed that the company was using a “drip pricing” model to entice customers into purchasing hotel stays.

Allegedly, Hall purchased hotel rooms from Marriott without realizing that he was being charged a resort fee. He says that he was unaware of the fee because it was hidden under “USD Taxes and fees” category.

The Marriott hidden fees class action lawsuit says that Hall is a reasonable consumer, and assumed that the hotel reservations would not contain unlawful or hidden charges. He claims that he did not know that the prices he viewed were in violation of federal and state law.

Allegedly, the hotel room prices were false because they did not represent all of the fees that would be charged to a customer.

The Marriott class action lawsuit claims that Marriott advertises hotel rooms on its own website and through websites like Expedia and Priceline. Allegedly, when advertising hotel room prices, Marriott gives a base room rate. Hall says that this method of advertisement makes it seem as if this number is the full price of the room.

However, the Marriott class action lawsuit goes on to claim that this is not the actual price. Allegedly, after customers select a room rate and provide credit card information, then the company tacks on additional fees.

Hall says that these fees include “resort fees” or fall under the category of “Taxes and Fees.” According to Hall, the company misleads customers into believing that the additional fees they are paying are “government-imposed.”

However, Hall asserts that these are actually fees imposed by Marriott. Hall goes on to say that in some cases, Marriott represents these fees as covering the costs of amenities including parking. However Hall also claims that Marriott provides these services as complimentary, or requires hotel guests to pay for the services separately, though the company has also required customers to pay resort fees.

Hall says that he and other customers were financially injured by Marriott’s drip pricing scheme because they were unable to accurately compare hotel prices. Allegedly, had they known the full cost of the hotel room up front, many customers may not have agreed to purchase the room for the price offered.

Have you ever experienced “price drip’ or hidden fees when booking a hotel room? Click here to join a hotel fee class action lawsuit investigation.

Hall is represented by Ronald A. Marron, Michael T. Houchin, and Lilach Halperin of the Law Offices of Ronald A. Marron.

The Marriott Hotel Drip Pricing Class Action Lawsuit is Todd Hall v. Marriott International Inc., Case No. 3:19-cv-01715-H-AHG, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

The TCA Marriott Hotel Fees Class Action investigation is now open. If you stayed at a Marriott group hotel and paid more than the original quoted price because of unexpected fees, submit your information here!

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