A Florida congresswoman is continuing her fight to crack down on online booking scams.
Back in 2016 and 2017, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., teamed up with other members of the Florida delegation, including then U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and then U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., to champion the “Stop Online Booking Scams Act” which would require full disclosure for third-party hotel reservation websites with violators facing fines of up to $11,000 and having their websites shut down, give state attorneys general more power to pursue action against fraudulent websites and streamline the reporting process to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Frankel is pushing the proposal again, joining with U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla. this week to help U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., introduce the proposal. The bill was sent to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on which Welch and Bilirakis both sit.
“Vermont has world-class resort destinations and hotels that are key contributors to our economic growth. Skiers, hikers, hunters and fly fishermen should not have to worry about getting ripped off when staying at our great hotels,” said Welch in support of the bill on Wednesday.
“Florida is a top tourism destination, and families booking a dream vacation here shouldn’t worry that an online scam will turn it into a nightmare. Our bill cracks down on booking fraud, so folks aren’t ripped off by bad actors,” said Frankel.
“This issue was first brought to my attention by a local hotel franchise owner in Dunedin,” said Bilirakis. “She showed me frustrated letters from customers who had unknowingly booked a room at her hotel through a fraudulent third party. Upon arrival, the customers were frustrated to learn that the hotel was fully booked and could not accommodate their travel request. Our bipartisan legislation will help to protect the consumer and small business owners from bad actors by offering greater transparency.”
With Nelson out of the U.S. Senate after being defeated by Republican Rick Scott last year, two other senators--one of them a Democratic presidential hopeful--introduced the bill in the upper chamber.
“Montana’s booming tourism industry is a critical part of our economy and provides high paying jobs for our communities,” said U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont. “It’s important that visitors and travelers to our state are not scammed and must have the assurances that the hotel room they booked will be there when they arrive. That’s why I introduced my bipartisan bill, to help stop online booking scams to protect Montana jobs, tourism economy and the folks who visit our great state.”
“Travel reservations made on fraudulent websites can be costly and stressful for travelers,” said U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who is running for her party’s presidential nomination. “As more and more people turn to online booking websites to plan their travel, our legislation will help to crack down on bad actors and protect consumers.”
The bill has the support of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
“According to recent research, consumers overwhelmingly (94 percent) want to know who they are doing business with when booking a hotel room online. Unfortunately, every day, deceptive websites, online ads and search engines mislead thousands of consumers into believing they are booking directly through a hotel’s website or their call center, when in fact they have no relationship. The Stop Online Booking Scams Act sends a clear message that this kind of deceptive behavior won’t be tolerated," said Chip Rogers, the president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
