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UK: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld complaints that four hotel and travel companies used misleading minimum prices
Accor, Booking.com, Hilton and Travelodge have all had complaints upheld by the ASA over their use of ‘from’ prices.
The watchdog said that because only a small number of rooms were available to book at the promoted price, the adverts overstated deals and were unfair to customers.
Emily Henwood, operations manager at the ASA, said: “Advertised prices must match what’s really available. If only a few rooms are actually offered at the price shown, or it only applies to a specific date, then this information must be made clear to avoid misleading people. Otherwise, it’s unfair to anyone trying to find a good deal or make informed choices about where to book. People should be able to trust the prices they see in ads and these rulings show that we will take action if the rules are broken.”
The ASA used AI to identify the misleading adverts as part of a wider project into the availability of advertised hotel prices. The ads in question ran during April and May 2025.
Accor was challenged over an advert for £27 rooms at its Ibis Budget Birmingham Centre. While the price was genuinely available (across 212 rooms on 30th July), ASA said it was “not a true reflection of the price most consumers could expect to pay”.
Similar findings were issued against Booking.com, Hilton and Travelodge – where advertised prices were only available for a specific date.
The ASA ruled for the removal of the adverts, and that when using ‘from’ price claims in the future, a significant proportion of rooms across a range of dates are made available at the advertised price.
A representative for Accor said: “While the advertised ‘from’ prices were available and reflected rates which could be booked by guests at the time the advertisements were seen, we recognise that the range of dates available wasn’t aligned with the Committee of Advertising Practice Code.”
Booking.com said: “Our aim is to consistently provide travellers with transparent information when planning and booking trips on our platform. This includes accurately showing rates and availability at the time of advertising.”
Travelodge said: “The prices shown in the ads were generated from our live pricing feed and represented the cheapest bookable date available. We recognise that customers expect clarity and transparency in pricing, and we continue to work closely with Google to ensure all ad formats are clear and fully compliant. This particular ad format was removed prior to the ASA ruling, and we remain committed to transparent, accurate, and great-value pricing for all our customers.”
Hilton has been contacted for comment.
Highlights:
- The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned adverts from Accor, Booking.com, Hilton and Travelodge for using misleading ‘from’ prices.
- ASA found that only a very small number of rooms were available at the promoted rates, making the ads unfair and not reflective of typical customer pricing.
- All four companies said the advertised prices were technically available but acknowledged the need for clearer date ranges and transparency.
- ASA ordered the ads’ removal and said future ‘from’ prices must apply to a significant proportion of rooms across a range of dates.
