So I looked for the best rate for a last minute trip to Niagara Falls and settled on the skyline as it was connected to the water park. I bought the package on their website. The hotel is run down, its a keep your shoes on kind of place full of families. I would not have complained were it not for a bigger bill then I had expected. I emailed them and asked for a print out or copy trying to understand the extra cost thinking they had charged me twice for parking. I ended up sending this email:
I have reviewed my bill and gone online to try and understand what the 7.9% area tax was that I was charged. You see I was choosing between 2 hotels and would have chosen differently if I was aware of the extra tax and so was invested in figuring it out. I discovered that you have a) included a fee I had no choice but to pay-but not included it in the advertised price. Which I feel is false advertising of your room rate. And b) that you have included it next to my taxes with a description made to disguise this fee as a tax not being collected by you as a hotel. A quick google search brought this to my attention long after my stay. I am tired of these tactics to lure customers and then charge them different rates. I am requesting a refund of this as it is not included in the stated room charge I agreed to, clearly the room is more than you are stating online (and I purchased directly from you, on your website). This is not fare to customers as it takes away their ability to comparison shop and provides an inaccurate quote of what their holiday will cost.
I am so annoyed with hidden fees, and according to CBC which has an article on these being charged in the area 100% of the funds go to the hotel and it is a scam fee made to look like a tax that goes to the municipality. I think these should not be legally allowed-especially because they hide as taxes. People are always complaining about taxes, but those should go to health care and schools. Companies pretending to be charging taxes are a serious problem. I would be much less annoyed if they didn't included in under my taxes, named as a type of area fee.