Travelers United, a nonprofit travel advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., has filed a lawsuit accusing MGM Resorts International of charging “deceptive” resort fees at the nearby MGM National Harbor resort, alleging that the practice of tacking resort fees onto advertised room prices after guests arrive violates the District of Columbia’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act.
“Resort fees are a clear violation of D.C.’s consumer protection laws,” Lauren Wolfe, counsel for Travelers United, said in a statement. “It is time to end the abhorrent practice of illegal resort fees by the hotel industry. All mandatory hotel fees must be included in the advertised price in order to be legal. MGM’s deceptive practice of hotel resort fees must end.”
Spokespeople for MGM declined to comment for an article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, according to the newspaper.
MGM’s website says its daily resort fee covers “amenities that are sure to enhance” the guest experience, including high-speed internet access, unlimited local and toll-free calls, airline boarding pass printing and fitness center access. The mandatory fees are charged at every U.S. property and range from $15 to $45 per day, according to the lawsuit.
Travelers United noted that the resort fees have remained the same, even with reduced capacity at the Maryland resort due to Covid-19.
“This shows that clearly there is no correlation between amenities and resort fees. Resort fees enable the hotel to lie about the price of the advertised room,” the Travelers United statement said.
“Travelers United finds the offer of a complimentary room that is not actually complimentary to be particularly misleading and deceptive,” Wolfe said. “Casino hotels lead in the charging of complimentary rooms that are not actually complimentary due to resort fees.”
