A law firm has filed class-action lawsuits against four of the nation's largest hotel chains (Hilton Hotels Corp., Hyatt Corp., Marriott Corp., and Starwood Hotels & Resorts), saying that guests are being blindsided by energy surcharges that do not become apparent until checkout time..."When they agree to sell you a room at a particular price, you're entitled to the room at that price, and no more"..."They can't charge you extra for heat and light any more than they could charge you extra for air and water.".... Full Story: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2001/05/12/MN199246.DTL Natural Gas: Experts Says Market Probably Fixed – California's argument that a Texas energy company drove natural gas prices in the state sky high by improperly manipulating the market won support from federal regulators' main witness...Evidence strongly indicates that El Paso Corp. inflated natural gas prices through its dominance of the company's pipeline into Southern California..."It is likely that El Paso Corp. had and exercised market power during the contract term"..."Market power is the ability of a seller profitably to maintain the price of a good or service above the competitive level for a significant period of time."....

related: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2001/05/15/MN220514.DTL