US Hotels Forced to Ditch Surprise Fees… Maybe
The United States’ Federal Trade Commission has announced a final rule targeting add-on fees for live events and short-term lodging. (If this seems an odd pairing, it’s because, according to the FTC press release, “Industries beyond live-event ticketing and short-term lodging are prohibited from deceiving consumers about fees and pricing per longstanding law.”)
Hotels will be required to provide a total price, including all “resort fees” and similar add-ons, and display it more prominently than any other pricing information “whenever they offer, display, or advertise any price of live-event tickets or short-term lodging” (from the FTC press release again).
The rule will theoretically take effect 120 days from when it is published in the Federal Register, although Reuters notes that there are lots of ways it could be delayed, as similar rules have been:
Trump could seek to withdraw the rule for further review, and Republicans who will have control of Congress could seek to vacate it by law.
…
A judge in Texas blocked a rule that would cap credit card late fees, and an appeals court in New Orleans blocked a requirement that airlines disclose baggage and other fees upfront. The cases are ongoing.
The good news is that some hotel chains, anticipating this rule, have already begun disclosing total prices before taxes upfront. All that now stands between the US convention attendee and the true price of their room in the hotel block is the willingness of the hotel or the convention to advertise the price with taxes added in.
In Brief
OryCon announced on Facebook that next year’s OryCon 45 (Portland, Oregon, October 17-19) will be the last one, leaving the door open for a possible new convention in the future.
The Fisher Museum of Art at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles has an exhibition “Sci-fi, Magick, Queer L.A.: Sexual Science and the Imagi-Nation” which contains some items of general fannish interest, including the costumes made by Myrtle R. Douglas to be worn at the first World Science Fiction Convention. The museum is closed for the holidays, but the exhibition will be available when it reopens, January 14 through March 15. For those who can’t make it, Hypoallergic has some pictures, including of the Worldcon costumes.
Fan Expo Portland (Portland, Oregon, January 24-26) has added David Giuntoli, Bitsie Tulloch, Peter Facinelli, Dante Basco, Zach Taylor Eisen, Jack De Sena, Grey DeLisle, Michaela Jill Murphy, and Greg Baldwin.
Game On Expo (Phoenix, Arizona, April 4-6) has added Jim Pirri, Jason Spisak, and Johnny Yong Bosch.
Trek Long Island (Hauppauge, New York, May 31-June 1) has added Elena Juatco, Patrick Kwok-Choon, and Terry Farrell.
Event Calendar
Weekend of December 20-22
Winter Furry Fusion, Shanghai, China
CEOtaku (anime fighting games), Orlando, Florida, USA
Con+Alt+Delete (anime), Rosemont, Illinois, USA
KisuuCon (anime), Portland, Oregon, USA
Holiday Matsuri (anime), Orlando, Florida, USA
Nashville Anime Day, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
Comic Fiesta, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Weekend of December 27-29
Furvester 6: Into the Cyberspace (anthropomorphic), Reutlingen, Germany
New Year’s Furry Ball, Newark, Delaware, USA
OKiCon (anime), Norman, Oklahoma, USA
Comic Market 105 (fan-made comics), Tokyo, Japan
Weekend of January 3-5
ShadowCon XXVIII (relaxacon), Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Anthro Northwest 7 (anthropomorphic), Seattle, Washington, USA
Painted Desert Fur Con: Camping in the Canyon (anthropomorphic), Phoenix, Arizona, USA
TundraCon 2025 (gaming), Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA
Everwinter (miniatures gaming), Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
SacAnime, Sacramento, California, USA
Anime-ZAP!, East Peoria, Illinois, USA
Animate! Raleigh (anime), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Weekend of January 10-12
GAFilk 2025 (music), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Japan Meeting of Furries, Toyohashi, Japan
Spartacon XXXIV (gaming), DeWitt, Michigan, USA
Midwinter Gaming Convention, Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA
OrcaCon 2025 (gaming), SeaTac, Washington, USA
Animé Los Angeles 20, Long Beach, California, USA
Ichibancon 15 (anime), Concord, North Carolina, USA
Ikkicon (anime), Round Rock, Texas, USA
Orlando Anime Day, Orlando, Florida, USA
Fan Expo New Orleans (media), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
MondoCon 2025 (media), Budapest, Hungary
Weekend of January 17-19
Chattacon L, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Monumental ConFusion, Novi, Michigan, USA
Marscon 2025: Galactic Empires & Epic Interstellar Legends, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Arisia 2025, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
COSine 2025, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
CanthroFur: Perdrix and the awakening of the volcanoes (anthropomorphic), Auvergne, France
Anthro New England: A Staggering Case!, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Yunyou Island (anthropomorphic), Chengdu, China
Further Confusion: Animal Business (anthropomorphic), San Jose, California, USA
MidWinterFrolic 2025 (anthropomorphic), Altura, Minnesota, USA
Snowcon 15 (gaming), Orono, Maine, USA
Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo 2, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, USA
Congress of Gamers Winter Session, Rockville, Maryland, USA
Geekway Mini: Geekway to the Dragon Hoard (gaming), St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Dice + Diversions (gaming), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
IDEAG 2025 (gaming), Parma, Italy
AdamCon 2025 (gaming), Woodlawn, Ohio, USA
KapCon 2025 (gaming), Wellington, New Zealand
SCARAB 2025 (gaming), Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Ducosim (gaming), Amersfoort, Netherlands
SaltCON Bryce (boardgames), Bryce Canyon, Utah, USA
Morpheus 37 (RPGs), Herne, Germany
F.R.O.S.T. XXVI (RPGs), Freuenstadt, Germany
Siege of Augusta XXXIV (miniatures gaming), Augusta, Georgia, USA
BattleTex V (wargaming), Houston, Texas, USA
29th Annual Chattanooga Railgaming Challenge, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Kawacon: 4 Honor (anime), San Antonio, Texas, USA
G-Anime, Gatineau, Québec, Canada
Central Florida Comic Con, Lakeland, Florida, USA
Albuquerque Comic Con, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Mouse-Con Bakersfield (Disneyana), Bakersfield, California, USA
Vanhoover Pony Expo (My Little Pony), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Coda
Holiday rocket engine fireplace (NASA, hat tip: Astronomy Picture of the Day)
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