Baltimore City Council Bill 18-0293 would assess an as-yet-undetermined fee - but maybe 2% of room revenue - on all hotels in the city to raise funds for tourism rebranding and marketing. Hotels would be free to collect a "Baltimore Tourism Assessment" charge from guests to cover the tax levy paid to the city.
The new fee might add $7M to city revenue annually. Local DMO Visit Baltimore is actively advocating for the new fee, despite the fact that Baltimore already has a municipal 9.5% lodging tax.
The call for rebranding comes about as a result of survey data indicating that Baltimore is perceived not to be a safe destination for visitors, related at least in part to civil unrest following the 2015 death of a man in police custody.
