I couldn't read the paywall article but here's the hotel.
https://scphotel.com/hilo/
From the pics it's the Hilo Seaside Hotel.
"IT'S REALLY SIMPLE. HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
Guests book a reservation at our "suggested rate" via scphotel.com. You will need to guarantee the reservation using a credit card.
After check-in enjoy your SCP Hotel experience. If the quality of your experience does not meet your expectations for any reason, we simply ask that you give us the opportunity to make it right during your stay. Just ask.
At checkout, if you are not satisfied with your stay for any reason, simply tell us what you feel would be an appropriate price and your bill will be adjusted accordingly. We just ask that you share any areas for improvement with us so that we may improve the SCP Hotel experience for future guests."
To me it sounds like a gimmick. If you stay at any chain hotel and ask a problem to be fixed, and they can't or won't do it, its generally considered that they give you some kind of concession. That didn't used to be the case, but with Yelp and Tripadvisor and everything else, they will typically bend over backwards to avoid a negative review. "Fair Trade Pricing" seems to simply promote that outcome to their advantage. I'm sure that if somebody abuses the system, they won't be allowed to book future stays.
https://scphotel.com/hilo/
From the pics it's the Hilo Seaside Hotel.
"IT'S REALLY SIMPLE. HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
Guests book a reservation at our "suggested rate" via scphotel.com. You will need to guarantee the reservation using a credit card.
After check-in enjoy your SCP Hotel experience. If the quality of your experience does not meet your expectations for any reason, we simply ask that you give us the opportunity to make it right during your stay. Just ask.
At checkout, if you are not satisfied with your stay for any reason, simply tell us what you feel would be an appropriate price and your bill will be adjusted accordingly. We just ask that you share any areas for improvement with us so that we may improve the SCP Hotel experience for future guests."
To me it sounds like a gimmick. If you stay at any chain hotel and ask a problem to be fixed, and they can't or won't do it, its generally considered that they give you some kind of concession. That didn't used to be the case, but with Yelp and Tripadvisor and everything else, they will typically bend over backwards to avoid a negative review. "Fair Trade Pricing" seems to simply promote that outcome to their advantage. I'm sure that if somebody abuses the system, they won't be allowed to book future stays.