Have you seen this about the Doubletree & Hilton WDW

[storybookstory]

I got this email just now. Look at the list of hotels it mentions. I have no idea what this is about, does anyone else?


IN THE CIRCUIT COURT
FOR THE TWENTIETH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS

THOMAS L. MAULDING, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated,

Plaintiff,
v.
HILTON HOTELS CORPORATION,
Defendant.
No. 02-L-0645

SHORT-FORM E-MAIL NOTICE OF PROPOSED CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT

Maulding v. Hilton Hotels Corporation is a nationwide class action lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of St. Clair County, Illinois, challenging resort fees charged by eleven Hilton Resort Hotels prior to January 1, 2004. The resort fees consisted of bundled per-night charges for resort services and amenities charged in addition to the per-night room rate. The following hotels (hereinafter referred to as the "Participating Hotels") are participating in the settlement: (1) The Doubletree Golf Resort in San Diego, California; (2) The Doubletree Surfcomber in Miami, Florida; (3) The Doubletree Guest Suites Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida; (4) The Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach in Deerfield Beach, Florida; (5) The Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa (previously known as the Doubletree Sedona) in Sedona, Arizona; (6) The Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix, Arizona; (7) The Pointe Hilton Tapatio Clifffs Resort in Phoenix, Arizona; (8) The Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort in Waikoloa, Hawaii; (9) The Hilton Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida; (10) The Hilton Myrtle Beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and (11) The Hilton Palm Springs in Palm Springs, California. Members of the class include all persons who stayed at a Participating Hotel prior to January 1, 2004, paid a resort fee, and either did not receive notice that the resort fee was being charged, or believe they were misinformed about the resort fee. Excluded from the class are persons who stayed at a Participating Hotel pursuant to a written group contract, persons residing in Mississippi or Montana, and all current and former employees of Hilton Hotels Corporation.

After several years of litigation, the parties in the case have reached a Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement provides that each of the Participating Hotels will discount its resort fee, on an ongoing basis, by 75%, until it has foregone a total of 22.5% of the total resort fee it collected prior to January 1, 2004. If the Court approves the settlement, future lawsuits by class members against Hilton Hotels Corporation related to the resort fee will be prohibited. St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Michael J. O' Malley will decide whether to approve the settlement at a hearing in Belleville, Illinois on November 14, 2006, at 10:00 AM. In order to remain in the class, you need to do nothing. To request exclusion from the class, you must send a letter so stating to counsel for the class before October 16, 2006. To file an objection to the settlement, you must send a letter to counsel for the class and the Court before October 16, 2006. You can find out more information about this class action and the Final Approval Hearing, get a complete copy of the parties' Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement and Release of Claims and other related documents, and locate contact information for the court and counsel for the class, at www.hiltonresortfeesettlement.com, or by calling the toll-free information line, (866) 702-3588.

 

[Tiffer]

IT says right in it:

"Members of the class include all persons who stayed at a Participating Hotel prior to January 1, 2004, paid a resort fee, and either did not receive notice that the resort fee was being charged, or believe they were misinformed about the resort fee. Excluded from the class are persons who stayed at a Participating Hotel pursuant to a written group contract, persons residing in Mississippi or Montana, and all current and former employees of Hilton Hotels Corporation."

So I presume that's what it's about.

Any DIS-ers part of the "class"?

 

[druidia]

I got this email, too. We've only stayed after Jan 1, 2004.

I do hate those ethereal "resort fees." Why should I have to pay them if I'm not parking at your hotel or reading your "free" newspaper you leave at the door??

 

[DJT]

I got the same e-mail but I've only stayed at the Doubletree Club.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Note that this does not mean it will eliminate the resort fees... apparently the lawsuit was over whether they were accurately telling people what the fee was for. The settlement is that the hotels will reduce their resort fee by 75% (if it was $10/night, it will now be $2.50 a night), until the remaining $7.50/night they would have charged adds up to 22.5% of the total amount they collected in fees prior to 2004.

But, if you did incur resort fees, you can get your whopping $10/night back! All you have to know is when you stayed, where you stayed, what room number you stayed in (this is optional-- thanks class action counsel!), how much you paid, oh-- and to provide evidence you paid. Yep. That's worth going back at least two years worth of records to get.

Class actions are useless.

 

[wayneg]

I got this email today but did not stay until Dec 2004 thru Jan 2005.
I still have my original booking confirmation there is nothing on there telling me I paid a resort fee it says total paid includes all fees and services but it was not itemised.
This is all it told me, I wonder why they have only gone up to Jan 1 2004?
"There is a 11.50 % per room per night tax. Parking charges: self parking: 0.00 valet parking: 10.00."

 

[DizziDezi2]

Class actions are useless.

 

[Tiffer]

Note that this does not mean it will eliminate the resort fees... apparently the lawsuit was over whether they were accurately telling people what the fee was for. The settlement is that the hotels will reduce their resort fee by 75% (if it was $10/night, it will now be $2.50 a night), until the remaining $7.50/night they would have charged adds up to 22.5% of the total amount they collected in fees prior to 2004.

But, if you did incur resort fees, you can get your whopping $10/night back! All you have to know is when you stayed, where you stayed, what room number you stayed in (this is optional-- thanks class action counsel!), how much you paid, oh-- and to provide evidence you paid. Yep. That's worth going back at least two years worth of records to get.

Class actions are useless.

I agree that class actions are useless to most, but not to plaintiff's counsel and not to the lead plaintiff. Useless to everyone else though, froma financial aspect.

The idea is similar to that of punitive damages, if, theoretically, the defendant has to pay $10 to a million people.....it is to disourage or punish the defendat for their wrong. Not for a finacial windfall for all involved.

AS far as the suit, it also says that people who had written contracts are exempt from the class as well. As they knew or should have know about the fee.