English couple Mark and Hannah Scullion prepaid a five-night stay at Chicago’s Ambassador Hotel via European online travel agency Love Holidays. The booking confirmation showed a $0 balance due at the time of booking.
Upon arrival, the couple was charged additional fees totaling several hundred dollars. These included an $80 nightly resort fee plus tax and a $40 nightly service fee for making the reservation, none of which was disclosed during the online booking process.
Mark Scullion rejected charges described by hotel staff as a guest membership VIP club. He said, “They’re saying it’s some sort of, like, guest membership
club, VIP club. I said, ‘But either way I don’t want it, and I didn’t agree to it.'” The couple also received vouchers for benefits such as free breakfast and spa discounts, which they did not use.
The Ambassador Hotel, part of the Chicago Hotel Collection, responded by sending a cease and desist letter to Love Holidays. The letter accused the agency of insufficiently disclosing mandatory fees at check-in and instructed Love Holidays to stop selling rooms at all Chicago Hotel Collection properties until fee listings were accurate.
Love Holidays publicly apologized for supplying incorrect fee information to customers, including
the Scullions. The agency pledged to reimburse the couple’s extra charges, is investigating the issue, and has temporarily removed the Ambassador Hotel from its platform pending a review of local fees.
A statement from the Ambassador Hotel said the hotel has no contractual relationship or control over Love Holidays’ website pricing and booking processes. The hotel asserted that all fees are clearly shown on its own website where it manages direct bookings and that its mandatory fees are consistently applied at check-in.
Travel editor Peter Greenberg criticized the practice of undisclosed resort and service fees through third-party platforms. He questioned
the justification for an $80-plus-tax nightly resort fee and a separate $40 nightly service charge solely for making a reservation. Greenberg asked, “The bottom line is, who’s protecting the traveler here?”
Despite the unexpected charges, the Scullions said they enjoyed their visit to Chicago, exploring Wrigley Field, the Art Institute, and the lakefront. They plan to return in the future.
