Saturday, November 22, 2025

Canadian travelers may have been overcharged for hotel quarantine stays

Mexico News Daily has received a tip from a reader and former hotel owner that some Canadian hotels misapplied taxes on hotel quarantine packages, and as a result may have overcharged many customers up to CAD $100.

Canada’s quarantine for returning travelers in early 2021 included a mandatory hotel stay. Quarantine packages often cost upward of CAD $1,000, plus tax.

The former hotel owner was himself wrongfully taxed. After speaking with the hotel manager, he was refunded part of the taxes he had paid.

He advised that travelers request an itemized breakdown of their bill from the hotel to see if taxes were correctly applied. The destination marketing fee (DMF) should only be applied to the room, not the entire package. In British Columbia, the same goes for the short-term accommodation provincial sales tax (PST). Gratuities should not be taxed, he said.

• If you paid for one of Canada’s mandatory quarantine hotel packages, were you wrongfully taxed? Did you get a refund? Send us an email to news@mexiconewsdaily.com.

Mexico News Daily

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Aerial view of the line-up before the start of the parade and civic-military ceremony marking the 115th anniversary of the start of the Mexican Revolution in the Zócalo square.

Mexico’s week in review: Sheinbaum weathers the storm

1
A week that began with Mexico's sovereignty under siege ended with security wins, record investment and a Miss Universe crown.
Lake Texcoco Park

Lake Texcoco recovery continues with over 4,000 hectares now underwater

2
Migrating birds, flora and fauna are returning to what's left of the Mexican capital's foundational lake as water levels rise.
An older woman in colorful Indigenous clothing speaks into a microphone, next to a young Mexican woman dressed in black

99 facts you need to know about Mexico: 81-99

1
How many people live in an average Mexican home? How many Mexicans speak an Indigenous language? Which active volcano is surrounded by the greatest number of towns? Test your knowledge with these must-know facts about Mexico.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity