Already There Travel

07/18/2024

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05/15/2024

California Cracks Down on Hidden Fees

Exciting news for consumers: California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 478 into law, aiming to put an end to deceptive pricing practices in the travel industry and beyond.
Contrary to some reports labeling it a "ban" on resort fees, the new law mandates full disclosure of all fees at every stage of a transaction. This means that businesses—from hotels to concert venues—must now include all mandatory fees in their advertised prices right from the start, with the only exception being taxes and government-imposed fees.
Starting July 1, 2024, this law will ensure that hotels can no longer manipulate search results by advertising artificially low prices that exclude hidden fees. It also addresses similar practices in other industries, such as the controversial "healthcare fees" added by some restaurants.
SB 478 enforces transparency by making it illegal to advertise or display prices that do not include all non-optional fees. These hidden charges, often known as resort fees, urban fees, or destination fees, will now be subject to California's existing Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law.
State Senator Nancy Skinner, a key proponent of the bill, expressed her satisfaction with its passage: "California sent a clear message today: The days of bait-and-switch pricing practices are over. With Gov. Newsom’s signing of SB 478, Californians will know up front how much they’re being asked to pay, and no longer be surprised by hidden junk fees when buying a concert or sports ticket or booking hotel rooms for their family vacation."
The impact of this legislation is expected to be significant. Earlier this year, industry giants like Hyatt and Marriott began including extra fees in their initial search results. California's new law will standardize this practice across the board, benefiting consumers and promoting fair competition.
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, American consumers pay an estimated $29 billion annually in junk fees. While California’s law doesn’t eliminate these fees, it does ensure they are disclosed upfront, providing much-needed transparency.
There’s a broader conversation to be had about the existence of these fees. Although many countries, particularly in Europe, have outright bans on resort fees, such comprehensive measures face stiff resistance in the U.S. The hospitality industry's lobbying efforts are a significant barrier, as seen when Airbnb unsuccessfully argued that the law should only apply to Californians.
While this legislation only affects products sold within California, it sets a precedent that could influence national policy. President Biden and several U.S. senators are pushing for the Junk Fee Prevention Act, although its progress has been slow in a gridlocked Congress.
California’s bold step is a hopeful indicator that other states might follow suit. Ideally, all mandatory fees should be included in the base price and taxed uniformly. Although some may find this approach too similar to European models, it offers a straightforward solution to the issue of hidden fees.
Transparency in pricing is a win for consumers, and California’s leadership in this area is a promising development for fairer market practices across the United States.

05/08/2024

To all the project managers out there juggling contractor travel amidst rising costs, we're with you. The data confirms what we're all feeling: travel expenses are climbing, demand is not letting up, and relief seems distant.
At Already There Travel, we're not just watching the numbers; we're actively leveraging our solid hotel partnerships and volume bookings to keep costs manageable. More than that, we're guiding our clients through forecasting and adjusting spending patterns, ensuring your projects stay on budget. Let's make every journey together count, optimizing every travel dollar without compromise.

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We asked travel sellers what keeps them up at night and whether their outlook for the year was positive or negative -- and they answered.

05/08/2024

Happy 7th Anniversary with ATT, James Buchanan! 🎉
I've had the privilege of seeing many company milestones, but few things are as significant as acknowledging the unwavering dedication and monumental contributions you've made to our journey. Since the early days, you've been more than just a colleague; you've been the right hand this company needed, embodying the spirit of partnership in every challenge we faced and every victory we celebrated.
Your reliability, prowess, and leadership have not only earned you the utmost respect from our team but have also been crucial in shaping the success story of our company. It's rare to find someone who commits so wholeheartedly to a shared vision, and even rarer to work alongside someone who does it with such integrity and excellence.
- Cameron & the rest of the ATT Team

11/18/2022

Indeed!!

08/31/2022

For the past 6 years, Already There has had the honor of joining the management teams of some of the biggest mapping projects in the world, as a strategic partner. What a journey it has been to stand with our clients across the millions of kilometers of collection, hundreds of thousands of hotel bookings, tens of thousands of team logistics plans, countless laughs, and even a few tears.

Here’s a glimpse into the kind of collection work done by the teams we work with to build the data behind the fantastic mapping technology that we all rely on.

Google Maps has transformed the way that we navigate the world, make decisions, and think about our privacy in the 17 years since its launch. Here’s an insid...

12/17/2021

10/07/2021

The Recreation and Travel industry is reporting workforce stress levels among the highest in the US.

Already There works closely with around 1,000 partner hotels across the US each year for our corporate clients. We‘ve seen many properties struggle with low demand, initially, and then later with high demand and staff shortages. We’re grateful to our partners that have taken great care of our clients throughout it all, nonetheless!

07/25/2021

The hospitality labor shortage is taking a toll on both hotels and travelers, especially in the last couple months. As we mentioned before, we’re constantly hearing from GMs that they’re personally cleaning rooms to prepare for our groups to arrive. Thankfully we’re big enough to warrant that level of personal attention from management. Individual travelers haven’t fared as well. We’re seeing sharp increases of negative cleanliness reviews posted online, across all hotel categories and price-points.

“More hotels want to permanently adopt service cutbacks implemented during the pandemic in efforts to reduce costs and grapple with labor shortages. Some are planning to continue offering daily housekeeping only upon request and mobile check-in as the health crisis accelerates the push toward flexible, technology-enabled services. Many claim it’s necessary amid a massive worker shortage, but employees say it will ultimately hurt them by eliminating jobs and making existing ones more grueling, The New York Times reports.”

When hotels like the Hilton chain end daily housekeeping service, does it hurt the hotel product in the long run?

07/23/2021

Travel is strange this year. Our team has been battling this all over the US. (Interestingly, not in Canada, though). We’re seeing most hotel and flight prices up by 25 - 50%, high levels of flight changes and cancellations, and hotels that are struggling with cleaning because they’re short staffed. Often GMs tell us they’re personally cleaning rooms to be able to prepare for our groups.

Our advice to our clients has been to plan their team movements early and with some degree of flexibility baked-in to compensate for the unexpected. We buffer them from most of the bumps so they can stay focused on their projects, but forewarned is forearmed 💪

Travelers are encountering new headaches to go with classic delays, and suddenly Charlotte, N.C., is handling more flights than LAX.

02/22/2021

02/15/2021

Does anyone remember flying?