Hotels to Increase Fees for Just About Everything

The hotel industry is about to embark on a dangerous PR journey. As the Los Angeles Times reports, hotels expect to boost revenue by 5% in 2012—to the tune of $1.95 billion—simply by increasing the fees they charge customers for everything from baggage handling services to outgoing phone calls. It doesn’t take much PR expertise to know how the public feels about fees.

The public hates fees.

Anyone who has had to shell out $25 for a salad and a bag of chips at a crowded airline counter knows the feeling of being pushed into a steaming cauldron of anger, exploitation, vulnerability and frustration while searching for cash and balancing the carry-on luggage between one’s elbows.

Anyone who has ever looked at a bill, an ATM receipt or a credit card statement and noticed ambiguous or undisclosed fees can relate to the sensation of being punched in the back of the head while...

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