Trendspotting: From Hillbilly Heaven to Hidden Fees
Written by: Jules Flesner
For better or worse, I have a gift for starting + spotting trends before the masses catch on.
Ten years ago, I was working remotely from my favorite spot in Nashville, Robert’s Western World. (IYKYK.) When the band granted my request for Buck Owens’ “Close Up the Honky Tonks,” I jumped off my bar stool like I’d been zapped into hillbilly heaven. One hand clutched my heart, the other shot up swaying in praise.
Before the song even ended, a bold idea hit me. My flight back to the West Coast was just hours away, but there was no way I was leaving Lower Broadway without capturing that divine moment and taking it home with me. Within the hour, I was a few doors down with a tattoo artist permanently engraving Robert’s serif “R” bar entrance stamp on my right wrist.
Fast forward ten years. The New York Times publishes an article “A Nashville Block Party for a Beloved Honky-Tonk.” What were all the cool kids lining up to get inked on their wrists? You guessed it: the Robert’s serif R.
Around this same time as the cool-kid block party in summer 2024, the Times also published a podcast on Biden’s war on hidden fees.
Now, hold that thought and rewind to early 2023.
Picture me in a corporate boardroom, my arm swaying in the air like I was back at Robert’s, passionately telling a room full of company leaders, “Pay attention to this Junk Fees thing! It will change the way apartment prices are advertised! Regulators + renters will come after multifamily!”
Here’s the thing: being the first to call something out never changes anything. Companies, colleagues are too busy putting out today’s fires to think about what’s coming tomorrow, let alone 1-3+ years down the road.
Even a federal agency teaming up with a U.S. state to sue the largest multifamily management firm in the U.S. in January of this year, barely raised eyebrows across multifamily marketing, operations + software teams.
I had nearly given up hope that anyone would listen to my calls to fix outdated marketing practices, until May 2025’s AIM Huntington Beach conference. There, presenting attorneys were warning the crowd: states are already cracking down on advertised pricing transparency. Some laws are already rolling out. Colorado’s kicks off just months from now in 2026.
So, I ask you: are your software partners + integrations ready? Is ownership budgeting for this new pricing reality? Are graphic design teams auditing and updating collateral yesterday? Because this work takes months. If you wait any longer, you’ll already be out of compliance by the time you’re done.
Healthcare and multifamily real estate has been among the worst offenders when it comes to confusing pricing. In rental housing, “lowest base rent” has forever been the industry’s default advertising practice, with mandatory and/or optional fees disclosed later in the customer experience.
Hotels have always done the same thing… but as of May 2025, that game ended. All hotels + short-term rentals in the U.S. are now required to display “all-in” pricing up front, following the Federal Trade Commission’s Junk Fees Rule.
Every business operator in 2025-2026, especially in the multifamily industry, who isn’t already preparing for this drastic shift: picture me right now, one hand clutching my heart, the other arm raised high in the air, passionately trying to get your attention: Your business is at risk.
Great customer experience (CX) design moves people the same way a Buck Owens steel guitar can. When your customers, renters, or patients find what they need and leave your site or store/office feeling good, with no frustration or pricing confusion, they’re sold. When they don’t, your business loses more than income. You lose trust and reputation.
Calling in a specialist (*ahem*) to help improve your customer experience (CX) design + pricing transparency is one of the smartest investments you can make in this AI, litigation-crazy era that no one predicted (not even me!?).
As Buck Owens might put it, businesses that don’t modernize their advertising + outreach strategies risk having to close up the honky-tonks and throw away the key.
Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Always consult a qualified attorney for guidance on your business and compliance related to pricing transparency, software and emerging technology. I am not an attorney. I am an award-winning creative visionary who makes people, businesses, and their legal/HR/training materials and sales collateral sexy and seamless so companies survive + thrive in the AI era.