Hotels.com and TravelersFirst.org Join Forces to Pass the Internet Travel Tax Freedom Act

DALLAS, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotels.com®, a leading provider of lodging worldwide, is joining TravelersFirst.org coalition to provide a forum for travelers to speak their disapproval over new legislation that could increase hotel prices by additionally taxing online travel agencies (OTA). By allowing this change, local and federal governments could freely tax online travelers without regard to oversight.

To prevent these unfair added costs, Hotels.com and TravelersFirst.org, an organization that represents online travel site users and serves to educate on important travel issues, are working together to protect travelers through the passage of the Internet Travel Tax Freedom Act (ITTFA).

This legislation would provide the following benefits:

1. Protect all existing local hotel occupancy taxes.
2. Allow states to tax the fees charged by travel intermediaries like travel agents and online travel companies.
3. Prevent the nation's 7,000 local tax authorities from creating conflicting and contradictory tax policies in this area.
4. End new litigation on the issue, while allowing ongoing cases to proceed.

The challenging economy continues to impact the ability for consumers to make travel plans, and for travel companies and local tourism boards to stay in business and grow in light of recent booking increases. Adding additional travel fees could reduce travel right when it is finally coming back, presenting negative ramifications on both consumers and businesses. During the recession, many families could not travel due to economic stressors, and adding extra fees may discourage them from traveling at all.

"Hotels.com has always been dedicated to providing the lowest possible travel rates," said Victor Owens, vice president of North American marketing for Hotels.com, "An affordable vacation is a much-needed release for the millions of hard-working Americans who have relied on 'staycations' during the economic downturn. New legislation would make a vacation more difficult, if not impossible, by raising lodging taxes and raising room rates."

Hotels.com urges travelers to join together and speak up by contacting your local Senators and asking them to support the ITTFA, developed by TravelersFirst.org to keep hotel prices low by stopping additional taxing, and by educating them on the following issues:

• New and higher tourism taxes on hotels, airlines, car rentals, and travel intermediaries.
• Inconsistent state and local tax regulations, which can lead to higher costs and less service.
• Lack of transparency and/or access to ancillary airline fees.
• Local tourism regulations that make travel more difficult or expensive for visitors.
• Other pro-consumer travel policies to reduce costs and improve the travel experience.

By joining together, we can prevent this unfair tax. Click here to contact your local representative.

About Hotels.com

Hotels.com® is a leading provider of lodging worldwide, offering more than 85,000 properties in over 60 countries from national chain hotels and all-inclusive resorts to local favorites and bed & breakfasts. Hotels.com is the smarter way to book travel by offering welcomerewards®, an industry leading loyalty rewards program; the real opinions of other travelers captured in over 1.5 million Guest Reviews and; a Price Match Guarantee, so that those booking with Hotels.com can be assured they are getting the best deal, either online or by speaking directly to a travel expert at 1-800-2-HOTELS 24 hours a day. For more information, please visit hotels.com. Hotels.com is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE). Please visit the Hotels.com Travel Smart Blog for consumer and business travel information. Follow us on Twitter via www.twitter.com/hotelsdotcom, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hotelsdotcom and take a VirtualVacation at www.virtualvacay.com. Hotels.com, A Smarter Way to Book™.

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