On the Sunday, July 14th edition of The Travel Guys… * In the Travel News, the battle against Marriott Hotels, and the way they have charged their resort fees for years, has stepped up this week.  The District of Columbia A.G. is seeking a court order to require Marriott to change the way they price their product immediately.  Perhaps these hated fees may soon have to be rolled directly into the room rate, which would...

On the Sunday, July 14th edition of The Travel Guys…


* In the Travel News, the battle against Marriott Hotels, and the way they have charged their resort fees for years, has stepped up this week.  The District of Columbia A.G. is seeking a court order to require Marriott to change the way they price their product immediately.  Perhaps these hated fees may soon have to be rolled directly into the room rate, which would likely make them go away. This is a pretty big story and we will continue to follow it closely.  Ultimately, it impacts many more hotel chains than just Marriott.  But because Marriott is the largest, what happens here will dictate the direction of the industry.  Hotels prefer to keep resort/destination fees outside of the room rate for a variety of reasons, among them not having to pay commissions on them, tax advantages and of course, the opportunity to advertise a room rate that isn’t what you really pay.


* Be a Smarter Traveler by knowing Ten Great Pieces of Hotel/Resort Etiquette.  Hint: They include the importance of optional tipping and not taking every free thing in the building that isn’t nailed down.  A link to the complete list is below.


* Gwen Duncan, of Cordially Yours Travel, joins us to talk about Travel Mishaps you can avoid before and during your travel, including what to do if you lose your passport when traveling.


* Hamilton is the most popular musical in history.  It is currently playing is San Francisco on an open-ended run, extending into 2020.  We talk with Ruben Carbajal, one of the principal cast members about what it’s like to take the stage 8 times a week in this incredible show.  Ruben also traveled with the San Francisco company recently to Puerto Rico, for some very special Hamilton performances.


Highlights

The 10 Most Important Pieces of Hotel and Resort Etiquette
Hilarious flight attendants’ safety brief!
Marriott accused of deceptive ‘drip pricing’ by Washington, D.C.