Travelers booking a US hotel room in 2026 should see one number up front: the total price, mandatory resort fees included. That is the practical effect of the Federal Trade Commission's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, finalized in December 2024 and in effect since May 2025, per the FTC.
The rule covers short-term lodging — hotels, motels, and vacation rentals — and requires any mandatory fee to be disclosed clearly and conspicuously as part of the total price in ads and listings, not added late in the checkout flow or at the front desk. The FTC's own example: a $199 nightly rate with a $39 mandatory resort fee must be displayed as $238.
What the rule changes for travelers
Before the rule, a resort or destination fee could surface only after a guest had chosen a room and entered payment details, making side-by-side price comparison unreliable. Under the current regime, an advertised price that excludes a mandatory fee is a violation, per the FTC. The agency estimated the rule would save consumers billions of dollars and up to 53 million hours a year previously spent hunting for the real total.
Related stories: State fee laws stack on top of the FTC rule: where resort-fee disclosure is now strictest · Booking direct or through an OTA: the fee rules now apply to both, so compare the totals.
What is still allowed
The rule does not ban resort fees themselves. A hotel may still charge a mandatory amenity fee — but it must be in the advertised total. Truly optional charges, such as valet parking or room service, stay outside the total-price requirement, though the FTC has said fees labeled "optional" that are in practice unavoidable can still draw scrutiny. Congressional Review Act attempts to overturn the rule failed, and it remains in force into 2026, per regulatory trackers.
How travelers can use it
For guests, the practical moves are simple. Compare listings on the displayed total, not the room rate. If a mandatory fee appears only at checkout, that listing is out of step with the rule and worth reporting to the FTC. State rules stack on top: California, for instance, had its own all-in pricing law for lodging before the federal rule took effect.
The fee itself is not going away — resorts have long argued fees fund pools, Wi-Fi, and fitness facilities whether or not a guest uses them. What changed in 2025 is visibility: the number a traveler sees first is now, by law, the number they pay.