Last updated: Feb 14, 2026

What changed: NYC’s DCWP adopted a final rule with a Feb 21, 2026 effective date for “total price” hotel fee disclosure, while the deposit/hold disclosure provision has a later effective date.

Key Takeaways

• After Feb 21, the first price shown for a NYC hotel stay (and offers shown to NYC consumers) must include the total price with mandatory fees, with only government taxes/fees allowed to be excluded from that “total price.”
  
• The rule applies not just to NYC hotels, but also to anyone advertising hotel stay prices to a New York City consumer, that’s where booking platforms come in.
  
• “Will my room get cheaper?” Not automatically. The rule targets drip pricing and hidden mandatory fees; it can change what you see upfront more than the underlying nightly rate.
  
• Deposit/hold transparency has its own clock: the NYC rules page notes the deposit/hold requirement provision has a later effective date.
  

What is the NYC hotel junk-fee ban, in plain English?

It’s a DCWP rule that treats it as a deceptive trade practice to advertise a hotel stay price without clearly disclosing the total price, including mandatory fees. The rule also requires certain disclosures before you consent to pay, and it covers both hotels in NYC and offers shown to NYC consumers.

• The rule adds a “Hotel Fee Disclosures” section and defines “total price” as the maximum total you must pay including mandatory fees, excluding only government taxes/fees.
  
• The “who it hits” language includes anyone offering/advertising NYC hotel prices and anyone offering/advertising hotel prices to NYC consumers.
  

Will the NYC hotel junk-fee ban make Booking.com, Expedia, and Hotels.com show a different first price?

Yes, if a mandatory fee used to appear later, the rule is built to push that amount into the total price presented more prominently than other pricing information. That’s a display change that often feels like a price change because the number you compare gets larger upfront.

• The rule requires the total price be disclosed “more prominently than any other pricing information.”
  
• If an OTA used to lead with a base rate and surface mandatory fees later, the compliance path is to revise the first-view price presentation.
  
• What won’t change: government taxes/fees can still be excluded from “total price” under the rule’s definition, so you may still see taxes broken out separately.
  

Will the NYC hotel junk-fee ban make hotels cheaper, or just make comparisons easier?

Mostly, it makes comparisons easier by cutting down “drip pricing” where mandatory charges appear late. Some hotels may respond competitively once the real all-in number is visible upfront, but the rule itself is about disclosure and presentation, not a cap on pricing.

• The adopted rule frames the problem as mandatory fees excluded from advertised prices, concealing the true cost.
  
• Your practical takeaway: you should expect fewer “surprise mandatory fee” moments after the click, and more clarity when comparing Midtown vs FiDi vs Long Island City properties.
  

What exactly must appear in the first price shown after Feb 21, 2026?

The “total price” must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously, and more prominently than other pricing information, with mandatory fees included (taxes/fees imposed by government may be excluded from the total price definition). Separately, before you consent to pay, certain itemized disclosures are required if anything is excluded from that total price and when a final payment amount differs.

• “Total price” includes mandatory fees and charges, except government taxes/fees.
  
• If something is excluded from the advertised total price, the rule calls for disclosure of the nature/purpose/amount and what it’s for.
  
• The “final amount the consumer must pay” must be disclosed as prominently as (or more prominently than) the total price.
  

Before vs after: what changes for mandatory fees and holds?

Here’s the quick comparison travelers screenshot.

Topic	Before Feb 21	After Feb 21 under NYC rule
Mandatory hotel fees	Often shown later (“destination/resort/service” fees revealed after you click)	Total price must be clearly disclosed, including mandatory fees, and shown more prominently than other pricing info
“Total price” meaning	Sites used their own “total” labels inconsistently	“Total price” is defined to include mandatory fees (taxes/fees imposed by government may be excluded)
Extra line items excluded from total price	Frequently unclear until checkout steps	Excluded charges must be described (nature/purpose/amount and what the charge is for) before you consent to pay
Deposits/credit card holds	Often disclosed vaguely (“incidental hold may apply”)	Deposit/hold disclosure is addressed in the rule, but the NYC rules page notes this provision has a later effective date

Does the rule apply to hotels outside NYC if you’re booking from NYC?

Yes. The adopted rule states it applies to any person who advertises a hotel stay price to a New York City consumer, not only hotels physically located in the five boroughs. That’s why OTAs and metasearch listings matter.

• If you’re booking from Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island, the “to a NYC consumer” language is what brings platforms into scope.
  
• If you’re visiting NYC from elsewhere, the “hotel in New York City” part still applies to the stay you’re shopping for.
  

What should you screenshot before you click confirm?

Screenshot the parts that matter in a dispute: the all-in price presentation and the words that control your cancellation and payment flow. The goal is evidence of what you were shown at the moment you agreed to pay.

Checklist: “screenshot before confirm”

• The first screen where the price is shown (including total price presentation)
  
• The breakdown page that lists mandatory fees (if shown separately)
  
• The “final amount” line right before payment
  
• Cancellation terms (deadline, penalties, “non-refundable” language)
  
• Payment timing terms (pay now vs pay at property)
  
• Any deposit/hold language shown (even if generic)
  

Will you still see taxes added later even after Feb 21?

Yes. The rule’s definition of “total price” allows taxes and fees imposed by a government to be excluded from the total price, which means platforms can still show them as separate items even when mandatory hotel fees must be included in the total price.

• Traveler translation: “taxes” may still appear as a separate line; “mandatory destination/service fees” should stop hiding behind late steps.
  

How will “unexpected credit card holds” change, and when?

The rule includes a deposit/hold disclosure requirement describing a hotel’s general policy, standard amount, reasons a hotel may keep part/all, and an approximate release/refund timeline. However, the NYC rules page notes the deposit/hold requirement provision has a later effective date than the junk-fee prohibitions.

• What the rule language asks for: general hold/deposit policy + standard amount + reasons + approximate timeline.
  
• What changes in practice: expect booking flows to get more explicit about holds, but watch the effective-date detail because it’s not the same day for every provision.
  

If the first price looks higher after Feb 21, did the hotel raise rates?

Not necessarily. When mandatory fees move from “later” into the first-view total price, the first number you see can jump even if the underlying base rate stayed the same. That’s the point of reducing drip pricing: your comparison number becomes closer to what you’ll actually pay.

• If you want to sanity-check: compare the old base rate + old mandatory fee to the new total price.
  
• In Midtown during event weeks, this clarity matters because “cheapest” listings often used fee timing to look cheaper than they were.
  

Should you book direct or use an OTA in NYC after the rule?

It depends on what you value: direct bookings can simplify changes with the hotel, while OTAs can be useful for searching and comparing especially once the first price shown is required to include mandatory fees. Either way, you should decide who you want handling modifications and refunds if your schedule changes.

Direct vs OTA: the “who fixes it” reality

• If you expect changes: direct booking often means fewer “two parties” conversations (hotel vs platform).
  
• If you expect to compare many properties fast: OTA search is convenient; the rule’s total price emphasis supports cleaner comparisons.
  
• If you’re traveling for business in NYC: pick the path that produces the cleanest documentation and fastest resolution when meeting times move.
  

What’s a fast decision framework for travelers booking NYC hotels in February 2026?

Use a three-question filter: “Is the total price clearly shown upfront, do I understand cancellation/payment timing, and who will I deal with if I need to change it?” That’s enough to avoid the most common booking regret moments.

Decision framework

• If you need flexibility: choose the option with the clearest change/cancel terms and a single party responsible for refunds.
  
• If you’re optimizing cost: compare using the first total price shown; treat anything that’s not clear as a red flag.
  
• If you’re on a tight NYC schedule: choose the booking path that won’t turn a schedule change into a multi-hour customer-service chain.
  

What’s the most common “still legal” surprise after Feb 21?

Taxes can still be itemized separately, and optional add-ons (like parking or breakfast when it’s genuinely optional) can still exist. The change is about mandatory fees and misleading presentation, not banning every extra cost in travel.

• If it’s required to stay at the property, it’s the kind of fee the rule is trying to pull into the total price.
  
• If it’s optional, you should still see it clearly labeled as optional before you consent to pay.
  

Chauffeur’s Pro Tip

In NYC, hotel cost surprises and ground-move surprises come from the same behavior: waiting to read the terms until you’re already committed. If you’re booking a Midtown or Downtown stay for a meeting day, take two screenshots (first price + final amount) and put them in the same folder as your itinerary. When something doesn’t match later, you won’t be arguing from memory, you’ll be pointing to what you were shown.

FAQs

Conclusion

This rule is aimed at the moment travelers make decisions: the first price shown and the last page before payment. For NYC stays (and offers shown to NYC consumers), the practical change is that mandatory fees should stop hiding behind later clicks, while taxes can still be broken out separately.

By VIP Black’s Car Services
Licensed Chauffeured Transportation in NY, CT, MA, PA & NJ.