HR 1479: Hotel Fees Transparency Act of 2025

HR 1479 in plain English: This bill requires hotels, short-term rentals, and third-party booking sites to clearly display the full price of lodging—including base price and service fees—from the first time a price is shown to a customer. Before checkout, providers must also separately disclose any government-imposed taxes or fees. The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general would enforce these rules.

Stated purpose

This bill aims to stop unfair and deceptive price advertising for hotels and short-term rentals by requiring that the full price — including all fees — be shown clearly to consumers from the first moment a price is displayed through the final purchase.

Key points

• Requires lodging providers to show the total price, including base price and service fees, in all advertisements and listings.
• Full price must be disclosed the first time a customer sees it and throughout the booking process.
• Government-imposed taxes and fees must be separately disclosed before the final purchase.
• Enforcement is handled by the FTC and state attorneys general or other authorized state officials.

Arguments supporters make

• Hidden resort fees and service charges surprise travelers at checkout — requiring full price upfront lets people make fair, informed comparisons.
• This applies equally to hotels, short-term rentals, and booking websites, creating a level playing field across the entire lodging industry.
• Both federal and state enforcement gives the law real teeth and allows action close to where consumers are harmed.

Arguments opponents make

• Businesses may find it technically difficult to display a single total price in early advertising when taxes and fees vary by location, date, or room type.
• Some critics argue this adds regulatory compliance costs to small lodging operators and short-term rental hosts who already face complex fee structures.
• Enforcement overlap between the FTC and multiple state attorneys general could create inconsistent standards or expose businesses to duplicative legal actions.

Tradeoffs

Consumers gain clearer pricing information upfront, but lodging providers and booking platforms must change how they display prices across all advertising, which may increase compliance costs. The bill also shifts some pricing control to a federal standard, limiting how and when businesses can break down or highlight individual fee components in their marketing.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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