Congress churns out thousands of bills, but what’s really in them, and how could they affect you? DBS BILL BRIEF breaks down two bills a day IN PLAIN ENGLISH.
IN PLAIN ENGLISH
Ever book a hotel room advertised at one price, only to discover the actual cost is considerably higher once the resort fees and other mandatory charges appear?
The Hotel Fees Transparency Act of 2025, H.R. 1479, would require hotels and booking services to include mandatory fees in their advertised lodging prices.
But here’s what it wouldn’t do: eliminate resort fees, cap what hotels can charge, or make expensive rooms any cheaper.
Congress wants the price you see to be closer to the price you pay. The hotels can still charge the fees; they just can’t bury covered mandatory charges in the booking process.
WHAT’S IN THE BILL?
The legislation is sponsored by Rep. Young Kim, Republican of California.
It would require covered hotels, third-party booking websites, and price-comparison services to prominently display a total lodging price that includes mandatory service fees.
That total would have to appear when the room is first displayed and remain visible throughout the purchasing process.
Hotels could still break out individual charges, but those charges couldn’t overshadow the total price.
So that tempting nightly rate could no longer serve as the star attraction while mandatory service charges wait backstage for the final act.
HERE’S THE CATCH
The advertised total still wouldn’t necessarily include everything.
Government-imposed taxes and certain assessments could be excluded from the defined total services price, although they would have to be disclosed before final purchase.
Optional extras would also fall outside the mandatory-fee total.
And there’s nothing in the proposal preventing a hotel from charging a $40 resort fee, a $60 resort fee, or some other amount. The bill addresses how mandatory prices are disclosed, not how much hotels can demand.
It also includes a potential defense for certain booking intermediaries that establish proper pricing procedures, rely in good faith on inaccurate information, and promptly correct errors after notification.
WAIT — ISN’T THIS ALREADY THE LAW?
Here’s where things get interesting.
The Federal Trade Commission’s separate Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees already took effect on May 12, 2025.
That rule addresses misleading mandatory-fee disclosures for short-term lodging and live-event tickets.
It doesn’t outlaw high fees either. It requires truthful upfront pricing.
So Congress isn’t inventing hotel-fee transparency from scratch. This bill would establish statutory lodging requirements with additional enforcement and state-law provisions.
Consumers already have federal protections in this area. The proposed legislation would add to the existing framework.
HAVEN’T WE HEARD THIS BEFORE?
Yes. Kim previously sponsored the No Hidden FEES Act of 2023, H.R. 6543.
That legislation passed the House on June 11, 2024, but was never enacted after reaching a Senate committee.
The new Hotel Fees Transparency Act is separate legislation, not a continuation of the earlier bill.
WHERE DOES IT STAND?
As of the October 23, 2026 source check, H.R. 1479 had passed the House but not become law. The latest recorded action was placement on the Senate calendar on April 29, 2025.
It had not become law as of that check.
The bottom line for travelers: This legislation would make mandatory hotel charges harder to hide, but it wouldn’t make them disappear.
DBS BILL BRIEF SOURCES
- Official bill text — H.R. 1479, April 29, 2025
- House Report 119-71 — Hotel-fee disclosure requirements
- Federal Trade Commission — Existing rule on deceptive fees
- Rep. Young Kim — Previous No Hidden FEES Act
- Official legislative-status record
Behind the Brief: We use modern research tools to help unpack Washington’s fine print, relying on official legislative records for the facts.
