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DW
5 days ago
- Business
- DW
Over 10,000 hotels join complaint against Booking.com – DW – 08/04/2025
European hotel owners are angry over the "best price" clause at the online booking giant they say had kept them from offering rooms for less on their own websites. European hotel owners are joining together in a class action suit against the online platform with more than 10,000 hotels have now signed on to the damages suit. According to the Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes in Europe HOTREC, which represents the industry within the EU, hotel owners will seek compensation for losses incurred between 2004 and 2024 as a result of so-called "best-price" clauses that keep hotels from offering rooms for less on their own sites. The initiative is also backed by 30 national hotel associations, including the German Hotel Association (IHA). Netherlands-based used the clauses as a way to prevent what it called "free-rider" bookings, which it defined as a customer discovering a hotel on but then booking directly with the hotel and not the online giant. These clauses had required hotels not to offer rooms at lower prices on other platforms, including their own websites. A suit to be brought before an Amsterdam court by the Hotel Claims Alliance — and supported by HOTREC and 30 more hotel associations — cites a September 19, 2024 European Court of Justice (ECJ) verdict finding best-price clauses illegal. The ECJ ruled that online platforms could operate without putting such restrictions on partner hotels. did away with the clause in 2024 as a result of the European Union Digital Markets Act. "European hoteliers have long suffered from unfair conditions and excessive costs," according to HOTREC President Alexandros Vassilikos. "This joint initiative sends a clear message: abusive practices in the digital market will not be tolerated by the hospitality industry in Europe." HOTREC on Monday announced an extension of the time limit to join the suit against until August 29. "The class action is receiving overwhelming support," IHA Managing Director Markus Luthe told Germany's DPA news agency. said has not received an official lawsuit, according to reporting by DPA. "This is a statement from HOTREC, not a filed class action," the company said in response to an inquiry. It also rejected the claims by the hotel associations, and the legal arguments based on the ECJ ruling. "Each of our accommodation partners is free to set their own distribution and pricing strategies and can offer their rooms wherever they choose," the statement said.
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Over 10,000 hotels across Europe take Booking.com to court for unfair pricing rules
Over 10,000 European hotels have launched a class-action lawsuit against a major online travel platform, seeking compensation for two decades of alleged antitrust violations related to its 'best price' clauses. Following a European Court of Justice ruling against these clauses, hoteliers claim the platform restricted competition and undermined direct bookings. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads More than 10,000 hotels across Europe have filed a class-action lawsuit against , seeking compensation for alleged antitrust violations spanning 20 years. The legal action follows a 2024 ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that deemed the online travel platform 's 'best price' clauses clauses had prohibited hotels from offering cheaper rates on other platforms or their own websites. The European court held that such practices restricted competition and violated antitrust laws. The clauses have since been scrapped within the European Economic Area following the enforcement of the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) Hotel Claims Alliance is leading the lawsuit, which is being heard in the Netherlands, where is headquartered. The effort is backed by over 30 national hotel associations, including Germany's IHA and Italy's Federalberghi, and coordinated by the European Hotel Alliance Hotrec.'European hoteliers have long suffered from unfair conditions and excessive costs,' said Alexandros Vassilikos, President of Hotrec. 'Abusive practices in the digital market will not be tolerated by the hotel industry in Europe.'The lawsuit seeks damages for the years 2004 to 2024. Hoteliers argue that former pricing clauses restricted competition and undermined their ability to attract guests through direct channels. According to IHA Executive Director Markus Luthe, 'The class action lawsuit has received overwhelming support.' As a result, the registration deadline has been extended to August the friction, many hotels still rely on for visibility and bookings. A joint study by Hotrec and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland Valais found that Booking Holdings controlled 71% of Europe's online hotel booking market in 2023, rising to 72.3% in Germany. Over the same decade, direct bookings in Germany fell by more than eight percent.
