I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4526 
To amend the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act to protect consumers 
from deceptive practices with respect to online booking of hotel reserva-
tions and to direct the Federal Trade Commission to conduct a study 
with respect to online shopping for hotel reservations, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 10, 2016 
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida (for herself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. 
DEUTCH, Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California, Mr. MURPHY of Florida, 
Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. HECK of Nevada, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. MIL-
LER of Florida, Mr. POLIQUIN, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. TAKANO, and Mr. 
JOHNSON of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act to 
protect consumers from deceptive practices with respect 
to online booking of hotel reservations and to direct 
the Federal Trade Commission to conduct a study with 
respect to online shopping for hotel reservations, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:23 Feb 11, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4526.IH
H4526
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Online Booking 
Scams Act of 2016’’. 
SEC. 2. PROTECTION FROM DECEPTIVE ONLINE BOOKING 
PRACTICES. 
The Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (15 
U.S.C. 8401 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 2, by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(9) Hotel reservation transactions can be eas-
ily made online. Online commerce has created the 
opportunity for third party sellers to offer hotel res-
ervations online while another company owns the 
hotel or provides the services purchased by the con-
sumer. A consumer should have the utmost clarity 
as to which company such consumer is transacting 
with online. Actions by third party sellers that mis-
appropriate brand identity, trademark, and other 
marketing content are harmful to consumers.’’; 
(2) in section 3— 
(A) by redesignating subsections (c) and 
(d) as subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and 
(B) by inserting after subsection (b) the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS
FOR THIRD PARTY ONLINE 
HOTEL RESERVATION SELLERS.— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:23 Feb 11, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4526.IH
H4526
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlawful for a 
third party online hotel reservation seller to charge 
or attempt to charge any consumer’s credit card, 
debit card, bank account, or other financial account 
for any good or service sold in a transaction effected 
on the Internet, unless the third party online hotel 
reservation seller clearly and conspicuously discloses 
to the consumer all material terms of the trans-
action, including— 
‘‘(A) before the conclusion of the trans-
action— 
‘‘(i) a description of the good or serv-
ice being offered; and 
‘‘(ii) the cost of such good or service; 
and 
‘‘(B) in a manner that is continuously visi-
ble to the consumer throughout the transaction 
process, the fact that the third party online 
hotel reservation seller is a third party seller 
and is not affiliated with the person who owns 
the hotel or provides the hotel services or ac-
commodations. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) COMMISSION.—The term ‘Commis-
sion’ means the Federal Trade Commission. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:23 Feb 11, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4526.IH
H4526
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(B) THIRD PARTY ONLINE HOTEL RES-
ERVATION SELLER.—The term ‘third party on-
line hotel reservation seller’ means a person 
that sells, or offers for sale, hotel reservations 
on the Internet and is not affiliated with the 
person who owns the hotel or provides the hotel 
services or accommodations.’’; and 
(3) in section 6(a), by striking the period at the 
end and inserting ‘‘, damages, restitution, or other 
compensation on behalf of residents of the State, or 
such other relief that the court determines appro-
priate.’’. 
SEC. 3. STUDY AND REPORT. 
(a) STUDY.—The Federal Trade Commission shall 
conduct a study on online hotel reservation shopping. Such 
study shall include an assessment of— 
(1) the capacity of a consumer to understand 
which company such consumer is transacting with 
during online hotel reservation shopping; 
(2) the extent to which consumers are harmed 
by uncertainty as to which company such consumers 
are transacting with during online hotel reservation 
shopping; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:23 Feb 11, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4526.IH
H4526
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(3) whether any practice by a third party online 
hotel reservation seller violates the Restore Online 
Shoppers’ Confidence Act (15 U.S.C. 8401 et seq.). 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Trade Commis-
sion shall make publicly available on the website of the 
Commission a report that contains the results and conclu-
sions of the study conducted under subsection (a). 
(c) THIRD PARTY ONLINE HOTEL RESERVATION 
SELLER DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘third party 
online hotel reservation seller’’ has the meaning given such 
term in subsection (c)(2) of section 3 of the Restore On-
line Shoppers’ Confidence Act (15 U.S.C. 8402). 
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Federal Trade 
Commission should revise its website to make it easier for 
consumers and businesses to report complaints of decep-
tive practices with respect to online booking of hotel res-
ervations. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:23 Feb 11, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H4526.IH
H4526
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS