Is anyone else annoyed by this? When you look at LHW award stays, it looks like there are no taxes or fees, similar to most other hotel award bookings. But once you actually transfer the points and try to book, suddenly there’s a surprise charge.
In my case, it was $52 in “taxes and fees” for a single award night in Canada. At that point I had no real choice but to book, since the points were already transferred.
I see two big problems with this.
First, these charges should be disclosed upfront. Hiding them until after you’ve transferred points feels incredibly unfair. Once the points are moved, you’re basically trapped. Didn’t the US recently pass laws about hidden fees like this? And aren’t there similar consumer protection rules in other countries?
Second, what taxes are they actually charging on an award stay? I always understood award nights to be zero rate stays. A percentage tax on a zero rate should be zero. That’s how Hilton, Marriott, IHG, etc. handle it. Some charge resort fees, sure, but those are clearly disclosed in advance and usually not labeled as “taxes.”
Calling it “taxes” also raises a red flag. If they’re collecting taxes, are they actually remitting those to the government? Because if not, that seems questionable at best.
Curious what others think. Is this just something we have to accept with LHW, or is it worth reporting to consumer protection or government agencies?
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