Tuesday, November 18, 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.
Cyclists enjoy a car-free Paseo Dominical along Reforma Avenue in Mexico City.

99 facts you need to know about Mexico: 1-20

12
What is the most common household appliance? How many tortillerías are in operation? What is the average combined monthly household income? Find out or test your knowledge of the 99 facts you need to know about Mexico.
Line 1 trains

A totally renovated Metro Line 1 — Mexico City’s oldest — is up and running again 

0
The capital's most important metro line, serving commuters since its inception in 1969, has been completely refurbished. As Mayor Brugada put it: "Every last screw has been replaced."
Smuggled parakeets

US man caught smuggling Mexican parakeets in his pants faces 20 years in prison

1
An American citizen living in Tijuana who was caught trying to smuggle two parakeets across the border into the U.S. last month was indicted in San Diego last week on federal smuggling charges.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity