The manner in which hotel room prices are advertised does not meet consumer law and is misleading consumers.

57% of consumers do not understand hotel room price advertisements.
A survey of vacation service providers' advertisements conducted by the Israel Consumer Council reveals that the manner in which hotel room prices are advertised may be misleading to the public.  Presentation of the prices as "price per person per night in a double room" is incomprehensible to most of the general public, in addition, fundamental terms or restrictions that are obligatory to consumers who wish to book a vacation, do not appear in the advertisements.
The survey reviewed advertisements published in the dates 11.8-19.8/2010 in daily newspapers. The ads offered the consumer to purchase a night's stay in a hotel at a certain price. Following these publications phone calls were made to the offices of the companies in order to check what the final price of the room is compared to the advertised price. The price for a single person in the same hotel was requested as well.
The findings show that the advertised price is not the final price that the consumer is required to pay, this against the provision of the law and while misleading the consumers as to the actual price and downplaying fundamental terms of the transaction, probably with the intention to make the consumer sense that the price is much lower and to draw consumers' eyes.
The Israel Consumer Council survey shows that in actual fact it is impossible to book a hotel room at the advertised price since the agencies usually advertise hotel room prices as "price per person in a double room" or "price per person in a room". By this wording the price indicates the cost for a single person in a transaction including at least two people. Even if a single person wishes to book a room for a night, he will not be able to book it at the advertised price but at double or close to double that price.
In addition, the consumer is sometimes obligated by the transaction to book the room for more than one night, when the fact that it is obligatory to book a minimum number of nights as a condition of the price, or the information about a minimum number of nights included in the deal, is not always mentioned in the ad.
A survey conducted by the Council through the Geocartography Institute in August 2010 examined how the term "price per person in a double room" is perceived by consumers and if they are mislead by it. The survey revealed that 57% of the public is mislead by advertising that presents the price as "per night per person in a double room".
As to the question how would you prefer the price be advertised, 66% preferred the advertising to note the price for one night for a couple in a double room or an overall price for a room for one night. Only 18% preferred the advertising as it is.
The Israel Consumer Council believes that room price advertisement does not meet consumer law demands and is misleading consumers. By advertising in this manner travel agencies avoid stipulating the overall price of the deal, advertise a much lower price and mislead the consumers to think that the advertised price is a possible price when in fact it is unattainable. It appears that in this business a norm has developed of advertising a very low fictitious price that does not reveal the much higher price that is the actual price of the deal.
The Consumer Council's CEO Adv. Ehud Peleg says that common decency and the law necessitate presentation of all the information to consumers in a clear and coherent manner. Any attempt to outsmart or evade this obligation is an attempt to obtain customers in an unlawful fashion and this method must be condemned and stopped.
The Council's CEO recommends that consumers be cautious and wary as to advertised sleeping arrangements, and to insure when comparing prices before purchase, the actual price of the offers  in accordance with the booking they wish to make and the minimal number of nights they will be obligated to book.