Hotel fees have officially jumped the shark.
Even after federal rules forced hotels to show fees upfront, Marriott has found a brand-new way to squeeze guests—this time at a Kansas City Airport Fairfield. Meet the latest invention: the Destination Marketing Fee.
Yes, you’re now being charged so the hotel can advertise… to you.
Thanks to reporting from View from The Wing, we already know the junk-fee playbook:
- Property tax fees
- “Safety” fees (pay up or perish, apparently)
- Economic adjustment fees
- Electricity fees
- In-room TV fees
And now this.
The Destination Marketing Fee kicks in starting January 2026, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: guests subsidizing Marriott’s marketing costs. Imagine booking a hotel and then being billed for the privilege of being marketed to. It’s like mutual fund 12b-1 fees—but somehow dumber.
What’s next? A “Super Bowl Commercial Contribution Fee”? A “Please Like Us on Instagram Surcharge”?
Let’s be clear: this isn’t transparency—it’s a junk fee with better branding. And watching a once-great hospitality company drift toward the used-car-lot business model is painful.
Because when hotels start charging you to advertise themselves, the stay isn’t the product anymore.
You are.