A search result of '$100 a night' does not necessarily mean $300 for three nights. A mandatory nightly facility fee, a one-time cleaning fee, taxes and optional extras may enter at different stages. Compare the same dates, guests and currency by the final stay cost, then check cancellation separately. The FTC pricing rule described here applies within its US short-term-lodging scope, not to every booking worldwide.
- Match dates, guests and currency
- Add room rate and mandatory fees
- Add tax and selected extras
- Compare cancellation terms
Separate displayed total from final payment
For covered US short-term lodging, the FTC rule requires unavoidable mandatory fees in the upfront displayed total price. Examples include mandatory resort and cleaning fees. Government charges such as taxes may be excluded from that displayed total, but the final payment amount including them must be shown clearly before the business asks you to pay.
Check whether parking, breakfast or another add-on is truly optional rather than preselected or effectively required. Dates, guest count and currency affect the quote. Save both the search-result view and the final checkout breakdown.
Do the full-stay arithmetic
Hypothetical Stay A: three nights at $100, a mandatory $20 facility fee each night and a mandatory $40 cleaning fee. Its displayed total before tax is $400. Add an illustrative $30 tax and final payment is $430. Stay B: three nights at $115, no extra mandatory fee and $30 illustrative tax; final payment is $375. B's nightly rate is higher, but the stay costs $55 less.
Compare cancellation deadlines, refundability, deposits and damage rules separately. The US rule does not ban fees or guarantee a refund. For a booking outside its scope, read the applicable local and platform terms.
A worked example
Search both properties for the same three nights, two guests and currency. Write 'room rate × nights + unavoidable fees = displayed total', then add taxes and extras you actually select to reach the amount due before payment. Put the free-cancellation cutoff beside the amount; a cheaper non-refundable stay is not the same purchase.
Common questions
Are cleaning fees banned in the US?
No. Covered sellers can charge them, but unavoidable fees belong in the upfront total.
May tax be absent from the initial total?
Under the US FTC rule, government charges can be excluded there, but the final payment amount must be clear before payment.
What about later damage fees?
A charge not knowable at purchase is different. Read deposit and damage terms separately.
Official sources checked
This is general information; individual circumstances and product or agency instructions may differ.