The City of Houston and the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority are currently suing multiple travel websites such as Orbitz and Priceline over tax revenues it claims the sites owe it. Online travel sites pay wholesale prices to hotels for rooms and then customers book those rooms at a mark-up from that wholesale price. The sites pay taxes on the wholesale price, and keep whatever is made from the customer booking the room at the marked-up price.Houston, along with cities and counties across t
Photo courtesy GHCVB​If yesterday's Chron story on projected drops in hotel tax revenues gave you the frightening impression that Minute Maid Park might shutter its doors, or at least make the entire Astros roster sweep the bleachers and maintain the field, you may exhale -- at least for now.
Janis Schmees, executive director of the Harris County/Houston Sports Authority -- which pays stadium bonds through hotel occupancy and car rental tax revenue -- told Hair Balls
