Posted by Marshall Krantz Responses (0)

Hoteliers and online travel bookers are beginning to bow to consumers who are irked when suppliers fail to disclose clearly and up-front all taxes and ancillary fees for lodging--charges that can add 25 percent or more to the basic room rate.

Marriott took the pledge a couple of weeks ago with its Total Trip Pricing policy. And just yesterday, a new online comparison-pricing service announced that consumers can compare "the total cost of a hotel stay" on its website, at www.searchparty.com.

I tried booking two nights at the Arizona Biltmore Resort, in Phoenix, through Search Party. The total taxes and fees for a standard room ranged from $33.80 to $104.25 among four travel agencies offering a room; there was no link to the Biltmore's website. The charges weren't itemized for any of the bookers, so I couldn't tell whether the Biltmore's $20 resort fee was included. The cheapest charge covered only the 12.07-percent bed tax.

Search Party's announcement is a bit confusing. Despite the "total cost" promise, the announcement specifies that the search results show taxes, booking fees, and cancellation policies. It's unclear whether hotel-imposed fees such as resort fees are included.

In addition, the $33.80 in total taxes and fees advertised for ReserveTravel on the Search Party website jumped to $40.80 when I clicked over to ReserveTravel's booking page.

To be fair, Search Party warns that its new search engine is a beta version, so mistakes can happen. At least it's a start.

Let's hope that Marriott's initiative and the new Search Party will force the competition to disclose the full price of a hotel room sooner in the booking process rather than right before customers click the "buy" button.