NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The General Assembly approved legislation to increase transparency and protect Tennesseans’ pocketbooks.
House Bill 2180, sponsored by State Rep. Justin Lafferty, R-Knoxville, requires hotel websites and third-party booking sites to disclose when additional fees may apply to certain services and identify which services carry those extra costs.
“No one should be surprised by extra charges after they already agreed to a certain price when making a reservation,” Lafferty said. “This bill ensures anyone booking a hotel in Tennessee knows exactly what they’ll be paying for before they book a room. Hidden fees can add up quickly and we want to protect consumers’ ability to plan and budget with confidence.”
Services include things like parking, breakfast, or early check-in and late check-out.
If a website fails to make these disclosures when listing such services, it would be considered a violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.
The bill provides an exception for third-party booking sites if the hotel itself did not supply the required fee information. It also does not apply to short-term rental units.
House Bill 2180 now heads to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.
Justin Lafferty represents District 89 in the Tennessee House of Representatives which includes part of Knox County.
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