Hotels get an extra charge out of West's power crunch

E-mail this article Print this article

Next time you check into a hotel in the West, there may be a little something extra waiting - and we're not talking about more mints on your pillow.

In response to the energy crunch, a number of major hotel chains last month instituted an "energy surcharge" generally ranging from $1.50 to $3 per room per night.

But the policy, aimed primarily at offsetting escalating energy costs, varies. For example, since April 2, guests checking in at the Seattle Airport Hilton have been charged an extra $3 a night, according to Brad Jencks, Hilton's area vice president. "We're hoping it's temporary," Jencks said. The airport hotel is owned and operated by Hilton.

But guests at the independently owned and managed Hilton in downtown Seattle have not been burdened by the surcharge. "We are not doing it and haven't discussed doing it anytime in the future," said Brandon Knutson, the hotel's director of loss prevention. "Instead, we've revamped our energy-conservation plan."

Similarly, no energy surcharge has been imposed on guests at the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel, which is part of a 50-hotel chain. "We are not doing it," said the Olympic's Alisa Martinez, adding that she was unaware of any plans to impose such a fee.

Lucy Bossert, spokeswoman for Marriott Hotels, said an "emergency surcharge" went into effect last month at most of the 150 Marriott hotels in California. The charge is $2.50 per room per night for full-service Marriotts, and $1.50 per room per night for properties like the Court Yard Marriott and Residence Inn that don't offer full services.

Instead of lumping the fee into a higher room rate, it was added as a surcharge "so it can be easily removed," Bossert said. "That it's separated out underscores the fact that we regard it as a temporary measure."

Marriott has no plans to extend the surcharge into Western states outside of California, she said.

It's a different story for hotels in the West operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Since March 5, a $2.50 per night per room surcharge has been in effect at several of the chain's hotels in the Seattle area, including the W, the Westin and the downtown Sheraton.

John Lembo, Starwood's director of energy, said the surcharge has been adopted by about 60 of the chain's 250 hotels, and mostly by hotels on the West Coast. Since last summer, Starwood's energy costs - for electricity and natural gas - have risen by 30 per cent, he estimated.

Representatives for several hotel chains reached yesterday said customers are notified of the surcharges when they make reservations, and again when they check in.

None was aware of consumer complaints about the new fees.

Yesterday, Carla Murray, general manager of the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers, said "most of our customers are individual travelers (who) know what's going on on the West Coast, and they're not surprised by it."

Peter Lewis can be reached at 206-464-2217 or plewis@seattletimes.com.