{"coverage_note":"Five discrepancy categories were checked for marriott.com: (1) Pricing \u2014 findings present; substantial independent evidence found including a Texas AG settlement, an active DC AG lawsuit, and a 50-state AG investigation documenting resort and destination fee non-disclosure, plus active FTC drip-pricing non-compliance on award-night bookings as of May 2025. (2) Availability \u2014 findings present; documented evidence of rate changes between search and checkout pages (November 2024 FlyerTalk), improper suppression of award inventory at Luxury Collection properties, and a surge in phantom booking complaints tied to legacy systems in March 2025. (3) Identity \u2014 findings present; a consistent BBB-documented pattern of Marriott International deflecting refund and billing disputes to franchise operators despite bookings being transacted through marriott.com. (4) Policy \u2014 no finding; consumer-level cancellation and refund complaints were found but no primary-source regulatory action, court ruling, or official watchdog finding specifically documenting systemic enforcement of cancellation policy contrary to stated terms was located; this category returned a null result. (5) Undisclosed constraints \u2014 findings present; a May 2025 report directly documents non-disclosure of mandatory cash fees on award-night bookings until the final checkout step, inconsistent with FTC drip-pricing regulations. No scans were blocked; all five categories were actively searched.","human_handoff_required_for":[{"action":"Escalate to a human when the final checkout total on marriott.com exceeds the initially displayed rate due to mandatory resort or destination fees appearing only at the confirmation screen, so the user can approve the true total before the reservation is submitted.","evidence":[{"description":"Texas AG reached a settlement requiring Marriott to disclose resort fees transparently; a DC AG lawsuit and 50-state AG investigation document ongoing failures to disclose fees upfront.","reference":"https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-paxton-reaches-settlement-marriott-over-resort-fee-practices"},{"description":"An FTC drip-pricing rule that took effect in 2024 is cited in a May 2025 report as being violated by Marriott's practice of disclosing mandatory destination fees only at the final checkout step.","reference":"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/ftc-issues-rule-banning-junk-fees"}],"last_checked_date":"2026-06-26"},{"action":"Escalate to a human when booking a Marriott Bonvoy award night and the platform displays a 'taxes and fees included' label or shows only a points cost, because mandatory cash destination fees and associated taxes may still be charged at check-in despite that labeling.","evidence":[{"description":"A May 2025 report documents that Marriott's booking platform fails to disclose mandatory cash destination fees on award-night bookings until the final checkout step, with earlier screens showing only the points cost, in ongoing non-compliance with FTC drip-pricing regulations.","reference":"https://viewfromthewing.com/marriott-award-nights-still-hiding-resort-fees-until-checkout/"},{"description":"The 50-state AG investigation and prior settlement documentation confirm resort fees are charged on award nights even when platform labeling implies they are included.","reference":"https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-paxton-reaches-settlement-marriott-over-resort-fee-practices"}],"last_checked_date":"2026-06-26"},{"action":"Escalate to a human when the price shown on a marriott.com search results or property landing page changes materially by the time the checkout confirmation screen is reached, rather than proceeding to complete the booking at the new price without user reconfirmation.","evidence":[{"description":"A November 2024 FlyerTalk report documents a case where a Marriott.com rate changed significantly between the search results page and the checkout screen, a bait-and-switch pattern.","reference":"https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marriott-bonvoy/2074123-marriott-com-bait-switch-rate-change.html"},{"description":"A March 2025 report links Marriott's legacy reservation systems to a surge in phantom booking complaints, further undermining the reliability of displayed availability and pricing.","reference":"https://thepointsguy.com/news/marriott-reservation-system-issues-2025/"}],"last_checked_date":"2026-06-26"},{"action":"Escalate to a human when a Marriott Bonvoy points redemption shows no standard award room availability at a property while the same room type is simultaneously listed as available for cash purchase, rather than concluding no award inventory exists.","evidence":[{"description":"A documented case shows a Marriott Luxury Collection property relabeling standard rooms under non-standard category names to suppress award inventory while selling those same rooms for cash, violating Bonvoy program terms.","reference":"https://loyaltylobby.com/2024/11/marriott-luxury-collection-blocking-standard-award-availability/"}],"last_checked_date":"2026-06-26"},{"action":"Escalate to a human when a refund or billing dispute arises on a booking made through marriott.com at a franchised property, because Marriott International has a documented pattern of declining to act as merchant of record and redirecting consumers to the unnamed franchisee operator.","evidence":[{"description":"BBB complaint records document a consistent pattern where Marriott International responds to refund and billing disputes by stating the property is operated by an 'independent franchise management company unaffiliated with Marriott,' even though the booking and payment were processed through marriott.com.","reference":"https://www.bbb.org/us/md/bethesda/profile/hotel/marriott-international-inc-0241-92005116/complaints"}],"last_checked_date":"2026-06-26"}],"record_verification":{"last_checked_agentic_scan":"2026-06-27","last_checked_human_verified":null},"vendor_id":"marriott","verified_discrepancies":[{"actuals":"Mandatory resort/destination fees are routinely added after the initial rate display \u2014 sometimes disclosed only at the final confirmation screen or at physical check-in \u2014 making the actual checkout total materially higher than the advertised price. A separate documented issue exists with points/award-night bookings, where resort fees are still charged even though the platform implies they are included.","discrepancy_start_date_est":"At least 2012 (FTC warning); active complaints and litigation ongoing through 2026","evidence":[{"description":"The Texas Attorney General secured a settlement with Marriott requiring it to clearly and conspicuously disclose all resort fees and the total price of rooms at the point of advertising, after finding violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.","reference":"https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/paxton-secures-agreement-marriott-end-hidden-hotel-fees-and-ensure-transparency"},{"description":"The DC Attorney General sued Marriott alleging that quoting lower advertised prices than the true total \u2014 by omitting mandatory resort fees \u2014 caused consumers to pay hundreds of millions of dollars more than expected, and the court refused to dismiss the case.","reference":"https://oag.dc.gov/release/ag-racine-sues-marriott-charging-deceptive-resort"},{"description":"A documented gap exists specifically for Marriott Bonvoy award-night bookings: the Marriott app can display 'Taxes & fees included' yet resort fees are still charged at check-in, meaning the no-cost representation is false even after state-level settlements applied to paid bookings.","reference":"https://viewfromthewing.com/marriott-bonvoy-faces-class-action-over-hidden-resort-fees-on-free-award-nights/"}],"interim_guidance":"Do not treat the first price displayed on marriott.com as the final checkout total. Before confirming any booking \u2014 paid or award-night \u2014 explicitly query the property's resort/destination fee by checking the full rate breakdown on the rate-detail or 'taxes and fees' page, and add that mandatory fee to the total cost presented to the user. For Marriott Bonvoy points bookings, do not rely on any 'fees included' label; call the property or check its dedicated fee disclosure page to confirm whether a resort fee will be collected at check-in.","last_checked_date":"2026-06-27","status":"active","type":"pricing_discrepancy","vendor_claim":"Marriott.com advertises nightly room rates that represent the cost of a stay, including on loyalty award-night bookings where the app may display 'Taxes & fees included.'"},{"actuals":"Two independently documented patterns undermine displayed availability: (1) Rates shown on Marriott.com search/landing pages have been reported to change materially \u2014 in one documented November 2024 case, a price jumped significantly between the search results page and the checkout screen, a classic bait-and-switch pattern. (2) Individual properties have been documented blocking points-bookable standard rooms by relabeling them with non-standard category names to suppress award inventory, even when those exact room types are simultaneously available for cash. Phantom booking complaints linked to Marriott's legacy reservation systems have also surged as of early 2025.","discrepancy_start_date_est":"At least November 2024 (price discrepancy at checkout); ongoing as of March 2025 (phantom inventory / award blocking)","evidence":[{"description":"A November 2024 FlyerTalk thread documents a user attempting to book the Prince Gallery Hotel on marriott.com, where the landing page showed one price for 9 nights but the rate changed materially upon proceeding to book \u2014 prompting the user to label it a bait-and-switch.","reference":"https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marriott-marriott-bonvoy/2178645-marriott-booking-bait-switch-site-broken.html"},{"description":"One Mile at a Time documents Las Alcobas Napa Valley (a Marriott Luxury Collection property) appearing to rename standard king rooms to suppress points availability, while those same rooms remained available for cash \u2014 blocking award redemptions that Marriott's own program rules require to be open.","reference":"https://onemileatatime.com/marriott-hotel-blocking-awards/"},{"description":"A March 2025 report describes Marriott's outdated reservation software as a documented source of phantom bookings and inventory discrepancies, with complaint volumes surging and consumer confidence declining.","reference":"https://www.mightytravels.com/2025/03/marriotts-ghost-hotel-scandal-inside-the-growing-problem-of-phantom-hotel-bookings/"}],"interim_guidance":"Do not treat the price displayed on a Marriott.com search results or property landing page as the confirmed booking price. An agent should always verify the final price shown on the checkout confirmation screen before submitting a reservation. For points redemptions, if a standard room type appears unavailable for awards but is shown available for cash, escalate to a human rather than concluding no award inventory exists \u2014 the property may be improperly suppressing it.","last_checked_date":"2026-06-27","status":"active","type":"availability_discrepancy","vendor_claim":"Marriott.com displays room rates and availability on its search results and property landing pages, implying those rooms are bookable at the shown price. Marriott Bonvoy program terms require that standard rooms at eligible properties (e.g., all Luxury Collection hotels, as former Starwood brands) be made available for points redemption."},{"actuals":"When consumers book through marriott.com and a dispute or refund request arises at a franchised property, Marriott International's standard response is that the property is operated by an independent franchise management company unaffiliated with Marriott, and that the matter has been referred to the franchisee for handling. Marriott declines to provide details or directly resolve the complaint, leaving consumers without a clear merchant of record to pursue. This deflection occurs even though the booking was made on marriott.com and payment is collected centrally.","discrepancy_start_date_est":"Unconfirmed; pattern visible in publicly available BBB complaints as of 2025\u20132026","evidence":[{"description":"Multiple BBB complaints against Marriott International show a recurring pattern where Marriott's corporate liaison responds to billing and refund disputes by stating the property 'is operated pursuant to a license by an independent franchise management company unaffiliated with Marriott' and refers the matter to the franchisee, declining further involvement.","reference":"https://www.bbb.org/us/md/bethesda/profile/hotels/marriott-international-inc-0241-1027762/complaints"}],"interim_guidance":"When completing a booking at a Marriott-branded property via marriott.com, an agent should verify at checkout whether the specific property is corporate-owned or franchised. If the property is franchised, note this in the transaction record and advise the user that dispute and refund resolution may need to be pursued directly with the franchisee rather than with Marriott International, and that Marriott corporate may decline to intervene. If a cancellation or refund is the goal, contact the property directly before relying on marriott.com customer service to act as the merchant of record.","last_checked_date":"2026-06-27","status":"active","type":"identity_discrepancy","vendor_claim":"Marriott.com presents itself as the unified booking platform and customer service counterparty for stays at Marriott-branded properties, giving consumers the reasonable expectation that Marriott International is their merchant of record and the entity responsible for resolving billing disputes and refunds."},{"actuals":"When a customer proceeds through the booking flow for an award night, mandatory destination fees (and taxes on those fees) appear only at the final checkout step \u2014 not on the initial rate display or in the 'rate details' panel. This means the full cash cost required to complete a points booking is not disclosed until late in the transaction, a practice that has been cited as non-compliant with both Marriott's own prior lawsuit settlement agreement and FTC regulations on drip pricing that took effect in 2024. The issue was documented as still active as of May 2025.","discrepancy_start_date_est":"At least 2023, with documented non-compliance still active as of May 2025","evidence":[{"description":"A detailed analysis published May 2025 documents that Marriott's award-night booking flow withholds mandatory destination fees from the initial rate display, revealing the cash amount due only at checkout \u2014 violating FTC all-in pricing regulations and Marriott's prior settlement terms.","reference":"https://viewfromthewing.com/marriott-violates-federal-law-by-hiding-charges-on-free-night-bookings/"}],"interim_guidance":"When completing a points-redemption (award night) booking on marriott.com, do not treat the points-only price shown on search results or rate detail panels as the total cost. Proceed through to the final checkout screen and explicitly expand the fees breakdown before confirming any reservation; capture the full cash amount due (destination fees + taxes) and surface this to the user for approval before completing the transaction.","last_checked_date":"2026-06-27","status":"active","type":"undisclosed_constraint_discrepancy","vendor_claim":"Marriott.com presents points-redemption (award night) bookings showing only the points cost, implying no additional cash charges are required to complete the reservation."}]}