{"coverage_note":"Five discrepancy categories were checked for choicehotels.com: (1) Pricing \u2014 a confirmed finding was identified; a September 2023 multi-state attorney general settlement documented drip pricing practices where mandatory fees were withheld from the initially advertised rate, and the FTC's Junk Fees Rule (effective May 2025) now independently mandates full upfront fee disclosure. (2) Availability \u2014 no confirmed finding; searches surfaced only anecdotal blog and consumer posts about loyalty award availability mismatches, with no verified regulatory or primary-source evidence of systematic ghost inventory or bait-and-switch rates. (3) Identity \u2014 no confirmed finding; the franchise model's merchant-of-record structure is disclosed in terms, and no undisclosed counterparty ambiguity was documented. (4) Policy \u2014 no confirmed finding; BBB complaints and isolated consumer posts did not establish a documented, systematic gap between stated and enforced cancellation/refund policy. (5) Undisclosed constraints \u2014 no confirmed finding; a Trustpilot consumer review mentioned a 72-hour loyalty points hold but lacked a verifiable primary source, and no regulatory or vendor-published documentation of hidden platform limitations was found.","human_handoff_required_for":[{"action":"Confirm full itemized total with user before completing payment when checkout total materially exceeds the nightly rate displayed at the search-results stage, specifically because mandatory resort, destination, or amenity fees may be added late in the booking flow","evidence":[{"description":"Four state attorneys general (Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas) settled with Choice Hotels in September 2023 over drip pricing \u2014 advertising a base nightly rate while concealing mandatory fees until late in the booking process.","reference":"https://coag.gov/press-releases/09-06-2023-choice-hotels/"},{"description":"The FTC's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (effective May 12, 2025) legally requires all mandatory fees to be included in the advertised price for short-term lodging, with civil penalties up to ~$51,744 per violation for non-compliance.","reference":"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/12/ftc-announces-final-rule-banning-junk-fees"}],"last_checked_date":"2026-06-26"}],"record_verification":{"last_checked_agentic_scan":"2026-06-27","last_checked_human_verified":null},"vendor_id":"choicehotels","verified_discrepancies":[{"actuals":"Multiple state attorneys general (Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas) found that Choice Hotels engaged in 'drip pricing' \u2014 advertising a base room rate while concealing mandatory fees such as resort fees, destination fees, and amenity fees until later in the booking process. This resulted in a settlement in September 2023 requiring full upfront disclosure of total prices. Additionally, the FTC's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (effective May 12, 2025) now legally requires all mandatory fees to be included in the advertised price for short-term lodging, meaning any continued non-compliance would carry civil penalties of up to ~$51,744 per violation.","discrepancy_start_date_est":"Documented at least through September 2023 settlement; FTC rule compliance required from May 12, 2025 onward","evidence":[{"description":"Four state AGs (Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas) announced a settlement with Choice Hotels in September 2023 over hidden resort and mandatory fees not disclosed at the point of search, requiring Choice Hotels to display total mandatory costs prominently on the first booking page.","reference":"https://coag.gov/press-releases/9-21-23/"},{"description":"Pennsylvania AG's press release details the settlement, stating Choice Hotels committed to disclosing the total price including all mandatory fees on the first page of its booking website.","reference":"https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/taking-action/settlement-with-choice-hotels-is-ag-henrys-latest-action-to-quash-hidden-resort-fees-and-drip-pricing-for-travelers/"},{"description":"Colorado AG's NAAG-published press release confirms the settlement specifics and that investigations centered on drip pricing of resort and mandatory fees hidden until late in the booking process.","reference":"https://www.naag.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2023.09.21-CO-Press-Release.pdf"},{"description":"The FTC's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, effective May 12, 2025, prohibits short-term lodging providers from advertising any price without clearly disclosing the total price including all mandatory fees.","reference":"https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/rule-unfair-or-deceptive-fees-frequently-asked-questions"}],"interim_guidance":"When completing a hotel booking on choicehotels.com, do not treat the initially displayed nightly rate as the final transaction total. Explicitly navigate to the final checkout/confirmation screen and verify the itemized total \u2014 including any resort, destination, amenity, or mandatory fees \u2014 before confirming payment. If the checkout total materially exceeds the rate shown at the search-results stage, surface the full itemized breakdown to the user and require explicit re-confirmation before completing the transaction.","last_checked_date":"2026-06-27","status":"remediation_claimed_not_reverified","type":"pricing_discrepancy","vendor_claim":"Choice Hotels advertises a nightly room rate on its booking website, implying that displayed rate represents the cost of the stay."}]}