Meeting planners no longer have to worry about their attendees being zapped with an energy surcharge from your host hotel—if your hotel happens to be a Hilton or Hyatt, that is. The surcharge was instituted in some areas earlier this year to offset the rising energy costs that were draining hotels, some of which were already taking a hit from the slowed economy. Hyatt, which lead the pack by dropping the surcharge in July, said in a statement that the decision "was based on apparent stabilizing of energy prices as well as input from Hyatt’s hotel owners and guests."

Hilton agrees. "Our evaluation of energy prices in the markets where the charge has been in place indicates that energy costs appear to be stabilizing," says Dieter Huckestein, executive vice president, Hilton Hotels Corp., and president, hotel operations owned and managed, of his chain’s decision to drop the surcharge as of Sept. 1. "That, combined with the energy conservation efforts we have undertaken at our hotels, has led us to conclude that it is appropriate at this time to eliminate what was always intended to be a temporary measure."

Marriott and Omni Hotels are expected to follow suit over the next several months.