Oh cool, the Ritz Carlton is only $250 per night. Oh wait, never mind. With taxes, resort fees and everything else, it’s in the mid $300’s, and there goes that. It only took a pandemic, a $250 billion dollar bailout proposal and years of IT support, but Marriott Bonvoy has finally handed customers exactly what they wanted, or at least – something they wanted.
A simple button, which shows ‘all in’ hotel pricing.
It’s not going to keynote any CES address, but Marriott Bonvoy has added a button to its website, and Bonvoy mobile app, which allows potential guests to see all in pricing for their stays, rather than the ever frustrating pricing before taxes, and those unforgivable resort fees.
Yes, finally, the price you see will be the price you get. You’ll just need to make one tap first.
If you don’t search hotels frequently, you may be less familiar, but hotels think it’s fun to lure you in with a price which doesn’t actually exist, by hiding a significant amount of taxes and fees until the final booking screen, in hopes that you just give in to the great powers of persuasion.
They’d rather disappoint you when you’re ready to press book than have you scroll on by because it looks pricey. This happens with virtually every online travel agency, and also on direct bookings with all hotel chains. Here are a few examples of this brilliant Bonvoy button in action.
Here’s the old frustrating way of searching…
Where it’s not the price you pay, just a price you see. But there’s hope…
As you can plainly see, you see a price, and then it’s not until you’re excited and ready to book, that they show you the meat factory. You realize you’re actually looking at something $50-$100 more per night, and that changes the proposition entirely. Ugh.
Nonetheless, Marriott has finally cracked the code, and may be the first hotel group to increase their TripAdvisor ratings by half a star before guests even arrive, by not frustrating them endlessly before they do. This works on both desktop web and mobile app.
If you’re on the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app, just tap the settings in the top right corner, which brings up the selection tool where you can select the all inclusive pricing.
This is one small button for Marriott, but one giant leap for travel booking kind. In a global crisis, every little helps, and Marriott is making it a lot more fun to look for hotels, knowing that the hassle of finding out hidden fees awaits is behind you. One tap, and it’s the price you actually pay. It’s the button we finally deserve…
HT: Frequent Miler
This is awesome! Much needed
For personal travel, it’s perfect. For business travel, most hotel rate guidance does not include taxes and other fees. Nice that this option is now provided!
Agreed! I hate finding out at the last minute that the rate I saw is not I’m fact the actual price I’ll pay. Glad to be a Bonvoy member!
This is why Marriott is such a great hotel chain. Customer comes first, transparency is more important in today’s world 🌎
Yet they won’t help employees laid off due to corona virus shutdowns.
They are helping by providing help filing for unemployment at my location and a corporate level email was distributed to try to help us find other work until things get back to normal. Plus, in the US, everyone on furlough and with reduced hours are keeping insurance benefits, despite not being fulltime employees at the moment.
What does all in pricing matter if their members don’t come first. Recently cancelled Boston marathon was rescheduled to September. Tried to book room right after announcement and got run around. Hotel sold out. Don’t believe it for a minute. Offered an upgrade on my next stay. Really? It’s not about money or upgrades. It’s about loyalty to members. Thanks, Marriot Bonvoy, for not caring. And let me guess – now you want a bail out on part of my tax paying money!!!
I am a Marriott employee and I am laid off due to the coronavirus pandemic. Marriott and my employers are fast tracking my unemployment and are holding my job once thw government lifts the lay off of non-essential employees which I completely understand. Marriott and my direct managers have been great to me.
Ridiculous 20% food/restaurant discount given to employees. If we are Marriott’s employees, WHY do we get the SAME restaurant discount that’s given to airline employees?
Isn’t there a more substantial, meaningful, and direct relationship that Marriott holds with its employees than a casual airline employee that dines in their restaurants?
Employees should receive at least 50% off dining after all Marriott wants you to advocate and promote their restaurants and dining. Make it more accessible to ALL its employees!!!
You already get a significant discount on the room rate. Looking for an additional discount on the food is just petty, if you don’t like the 20% discount on the food then quit. Marriott’s process for booking an employee rate is very simple and easier than other hotel chains. I would gladly take a discount room rate over a food discount any day. Just seems ungrateful.
There’s so much hate for hotels doing the exact same thing as ALL stores and airlines – showing a price before taxes. If you don’t like not having a bottom line price, and I really don’t, advocate for the same thing other countries do – show ALL prices as what you actually pay.
Thank you for transparency! Heads up folks this is how a real business partner does it.
I’m a Springhill Suites employee in Charlotte NC & they are being very understanding with what’s going on, besides they have to survive through this crisis too
2 things:
1) Anyone who has stayed in a hotel more than once is aware of this. It also applies to many flight prices. Oh, and when you shop for food…grocery stores add all applicable taxes on top of the posted price.
2) Unless all hotels do this, Marriott prices will appear higher during searches, and budget-minded people will scroll past them. This will result in lost revenue, which is never a good thing for the customer when a company starts eliminating things to make up for revenue shortfalls.
Awareness and enjoyment are two different things. This is via Marriott’s sales channels only, so it’s not as if Hilton is appearing right next to it with lower non all on pricing?
To be fair, I saw this button available before the pandemic began.
Showing a price that does not include taxes and fees is normally unlawful in many countries. I wish the US would catch up with the rest of the modern travel world in this area.
Don’t give Marriott too much credit, they aren’t as altruistic as this piece might make it seem. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was mostly due to being sued in DC for “drip pricing”. The case alleges Marriott is using deceptive practices by not being upfront about mandatory fees.