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Expedia falls foul of advertising watchdog
Advertising watchdogs have upheld a complaint against Expedia for failing to include an obligatory US room tax in its prices.
A customer complained to the Advertising Standards Authority after they were asked by the Westhouse hotel on check in to pay $30 per person per night for a seven-day holiday booked through Expedia.
The customer told the watchdog that they had not been made aware of the non-option ‘resident fee’ when they booked the holiday, which had been advertised as inclusive of all taxes and charges.
In its response, the online travel agency told the ASA that it didn’t include the fee as it was charged by the hotel and paid directly to the hotel and it said it was difficult to calculate as it varied according to the length of stay and number of guests per room.
Expedia also pointed out that information about the resident’s fee charged by the Westhouse Hotel was included on two different pages on its website where the booking was made.
However, the ASA said: "We considered that that amount (including tax) should have been clearly presented in US dollars alongside the price claim. Because that was not the case, we concluded that the ad was misleading."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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