10 Minutes News for Hoteliers 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers
  • Top News
  • Posts
    • CSR and Sustainability
    • Events
    • Hotel Openings
    • Hotel Operations
    • Human Resources
    • Innovation
    • Market Trends
    • Marketing
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Regulatory and Legal Affairs
    • Revenue Management
  • 🎙️ Podcast
  • 👉 Sign-up
  • 🌎 Languages
    • 🇫🇷 French
    • 🇩🇪 German
    • 🇮🇹 Italian
    • 🇪🇸 Spain
  • 📰 Columns
  • About us
10 Minutes News for Hoteliers 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers
  • Top News
  • Posts
    • CSR and Sustainability
    • Events
    • Hotel Openings
    • Hotel Operations
    • Human Resources
    • Innovation
    • Market Trends
    • Marketing
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Regulatory and Legal Affairs
    • Revenue Management
  • 🎙️ Podcast
  • 👉 Sign-up
  • 🌎 Languages
    • 🇫🇷 French
    • 🇩🇪 German
    • 🇮🇹 Italian
    • 🇪🇸 Spain
  • 📰 Columns
  • About us

Europe vs. Booking.com: The $billion reckoning

  • Automatic
  • 27 June 2025
  • 2 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

This article was written by Hospitality Today. Click here to read the original article

Consumer groups and hotel associations launch sweeping legal action against Booking.com, accusing the platform of price manipulation, unfair competition, and misleading travelers for over a decade

Jun 27, 2025

Booking.com is facing a major legal backlash across Europe, accused of exploiting anti-competitive practices that inflated hotel prices and misled consumers for over a decade. Consumer rights groups from Belgium and the Netherlands have filed lawsuits seeking compensation, claiming the platform used so-called “dark patterns” and restrictive pricing policies that unfairly profited the company at the expense of both travelers and hotels. These lawsuits add to a growing list of regulatory actions and allegations—including war crimes profiteering and market abuse—against one of the world’s dominant online travel agencies.

Key takeaways

  • Legal action filed: The Dutch Consumers’ Association and the Consumers’ Competition Claims Foundation (CCC) have launched legal proceedings against Booking.com, claiming unfair practices since 2013 that potentially affect millions of consumers.
  • Allegations of price fixing & misleading tactics: Booking allegedly prevented hotels from offering better deals elsewhere, misled users with fake discounts and incomplete prices, and created false urgency through scarcity messaging—practices known as “dark patterns” now banned in the EU.
  • Consumer compensation in sight: Consumers who booked hotels through Booking.com (or its affiliates like Agoda) since 2013 may be entitled to compensation, with the CCC managing the case and the Dutch Consumers’ Association coordinating participant registration.
  • Regulatory history of scrutiny: Booking.com has faced mounting legal pressure:
    • A €530M fine from Spanish regulators in 2024 for violating competition law.
    • A €413M antitrust penalty (later suspended) for market dominance abuse.
    • A criminal complaint for profiting from alleged war crimes in occupied Palestinian territories.
  • Billions in overpaid commissions: Reports estimate hotels have overpaid Booking.com billions in commissions due to imposed rate parity clauses and aggressive practices favoring high-fee listings.
  • Pan-European industry pushback: Hotel associations in 25+ European countries have united in a coordinated legal offensive, aiming to restore pricing autonomy and recover damages from Booking’s long-standing dominance.

Get the full story at EuroWeekly

Trending
UK: More people using agents and operators to book vacations

Please click here to access the full original article.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
You should like too
View Post
  • TOP NEWS

Most spas don’t make money. | Oliver Corrin

  • Oliver Corrin
  • 1 August 2025
View Post
  • TOP NEWS

HOSPITALITY. The Product the Guest Doesn’t Pay For.

  • Mark Fancourt
  • 31 July 2025
View Post
  • TOP NEWS

Hidden in plain sight: How hotels can monetize non-room spaces and amenities

  • Guest Contributor
  • 29 July 2025
View Post
  • TOP NEWS

Influence Society Releases Q3 Edition of Societies – The Industry-Leading Quarterly Tracking Hospitality Trends

  • 10minhotel
  • 29 July 2025
View Post
  • TOP NEWS

The Three Imperatives: A New Playbook for Hotel Commercial Leaders

  • Anders Johansson
  • 29 July 2025
View Post
  • TOP NEWS

MEININGER: Accommodation Partner of ESN

  • Automatic
  • 25 July 2025
View Post
  • TOP NEWS

10 Hotel Technology Trends to Watch in 2025

  • Vanshikha Dhar
  • 24 July 2025
View Post
  • TOP NEWS

Hotel & Resort  Innovation Expo – 30th September & 1st October, ExCeL London

  • Sophie Weir
  • 24 July 2025
Sponsored Posts
  • The Future of Revenue Management Is Strategic Leadership – LodgIQ

    View Post
  • Influence Society Publishes Q2 Edition of Societies Quarterly for Visionary Hoteliers

    View Post
  • Case Study: Refinery Hotel Redefines Revenue Management with LodgIQ

    View Post
Last Posts
  • STAAH Launches New eBook to Help Hoteliers Master the Right Channel Mix
    • 4 August 2025
  • Belgian wellness hotel achieves digital harmony with STAAH
    • 3 August 2025
  • Hilton, Wyndham smell the rose-tinted spectacles
    • 3 August 2025
  • Digital Detox Done Differently: How Hector Hughes Built Unplugged into a Hospitality Phenomenon
    • 3 August 2025
  • Philippe Starck fills Brach Madrid hotel with “an infinite number of surprising and mysterious objects”
    • 3 August 2025
Sponsors
  • The Future of Revenue Management Is Strategic Leadership – LodgIQ
  • Influence Society Publishes Q2 Edition of Societies Quarterly for Visionary Hoteliers
  • Case Study: Refinery Hotel Redefines Revenue Management with LodgIQ
Contact informations

contact@10minutes.news

Advertise with us
Contact Marjolaine to learn more: marjolaine@wearepragmatik.com
Press release
pr@10minutes.news
10 Minutes News for Hoteliers 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers
  • Top News
  • Posts
  • 🎙️ Podcast
  • 👉 Sign-up
  • 🌎 Languages
  • 📰 Columns
  • About us
Discover the best of international hotel news. Categorized, and sign-up to the newsletter

Input your search keywords and press Enter.