Hallelujah! Marriott announces that they plan to kill hidden fees

For the last decade, I have been arguing that the practice of hotels adding hidden fees (resort fees, destination fees, or amenity fees) onto a hotel billing should be illegal. Facing a legal challenge, this week Marriott announced that they have agreed they will alter how they disclose hidden fees and add them into the displayed room rates, thereby allowing an apple to apple comparison of pricing. I hope this is the first of many dominos that fall in the hotel industry and all the hotel chains will quickly do the right thing and follow the lead of Marriott and make hidden fees a thing of the past. CLICK HERE to read more. 

I just returned from a short 5 day trip to India – Each year I travel to India to visit with factories we work with for another company our family owns. Here are a few observations I made on my trip:

United Airlines is vastly expanding their international network – We flew on a direct flight from Chicago to New Delhi. UA also has flights from Newark and San Francisco. This next year they are expanding all over the globe. It will be much easier to travel internationally with many more direct flights to dozens of new destinations. CLICK HERE to see all the new destinations in 2022.  

Never, never, never rent a car in India – The traffic is beyond belief for most Americans. You will have 500 motorcycles driving on the left, a buffalo pulled cart on the right, a tractor pulling a load of sugar cane on your right, a car traveling down the wrong side of a divided highway, and mini taxis pulling out in front of you. There is no way to describe the chaos you will face when driving a car in India. Hiring a driver is relatively cheap and an easy way to get around.

India has made major progress with its roads in the last 2 years – My first trip to India three years ago was like riding from one giant pothole to another. A trip that should take 2 hours would take 5 hours. Today India has done an amazing job of asphalting thousands of miles of highways. Some areas were better than the roads of Lincoln, NE.

Taking a pre-flight PCR COVID test to return to the USA adds about 2 hours to your pre-departure timetable – I arrived at the airport 6 hours prior to my flight back home to the USA and I was glad I did. Before you check in, you are required to show proof of a negative COVID PCR test.  The testing area is very chaotic and will be confusing to many people.

India has major air pollution that makes you want to wear a mask even without COVID –  The massive poverty in India is likely the cause of major pollution almost everywhere. Most Americans will feel very uncomfortable with the amount of air and water pollution, trash and dirt everywhere.  

The people of India are friendly and centered on their families – It is not uncommon to see three generations of one family all living in one house. The Indian culture gives great respect to fathers and mothers and is the center of almost everything they do culturally. It was refreshing to me to see such positive family culture and I think it will make India a powerhouse country in the future.