How Europe Is Fighting Back Against Booking.com: Shocking Issues You Need To Know Before Booking Your Stay

Published on August 26, 2025

In a important move, complete 10,000 hotels crossed Europe are uniting to record a monolithic lawsuit against Booking.com, 1 of nan starring world online recreation agencies. The lawsuit, which spans crossed 30 countries, claims that nan platform’s business practices, peculiarly its precocious committee rates and restrictive clauses, are harming nan competitiveness of nan edifice industry. This ineligible conflict has been sparked by long-standing grievances astir nan unfair terms imposed by nan platform, particularly for smaller and independent establishments. As Booking.com continues to predominate nan online recreation agency market successful Europe, these hotels are seeking ineligible redress to retrieve millions of euros successful damages from unfair commissions and different anti-competitive practices.

The Rise of Booking.com’s Dominance

Over nan past 2 decades, Booking.com has solidified its position arsenic nan leader successful nan online recreation agency sector, commanding an awesome 71% marketplace share successful Europe. The platform’s power has grown steadily, pinch nan company’s stock expanding by 10% complete nan past decade. Despite facing title from different platforms for illustration Expedia, which holds only 15% of nan market, Booking.com remains nan preferred prime for millions of travelers seeking accommodations. However, this wide power has led to increasing concerns among hoteliers astir nan platform’s business practices.

For galore hotels, peculiarly small independent properties, Booking.com has go a captious root of bookings and visibility. However, this reliance connected nan level has led to frustrations complete nan position imposed by Booking.com, which see precocious committee rates and restrictive clauses that forestall them from offering little prices connected different platforms aliases moreover their ain websites. These position are seen arsenic unfair, peculiarly fixed nan platform’s commanding marketplace position.

The Lawsuit: Unfair Terms and High Commissions

At nan bosom of nan suit is nan rumor of high committee rates charged by Booking.com. Hotels are required to salary a committee of astir 15% for each preservation made done nan platform, though nan rates tin transcend 20% successful definite cases. This committee is seen by hoteliers arsenic excessive, particularly erstwhile compared to nan services provided by nan platform. Hotels reason that nan fees time off them pinch small profit margin, peculiarly for smaller establishments that run connected tight budgets.

In summation to nan precocious commissions, Booking.com imposes parity clauses, which forestall hotels from offering little prices connected different booking platforms aliases moreover connected their ain websites. This believe is viewed arsenic anti-competitive, arsenic it restricts edifice owners’ expertise to group their ain pricing and marketplace their rooms much competitively. The hotels progressive successful nan suit reason that these restrictive clauses person resulted successful a deficiency of pricing flexibility, which harms some their business operations and user choice.

Legal Action: The European Class-Action Lawsuit

The ineligible battle, led by nan European relation Hotrec, is poised to beryllium 1 of nan largest class-action lawsuits successful nan hospitality sector. More than 10,000 hotels crossed 30 countries person joined nan case, pinch Spain being 1 of nan astir progressive participants. In Spain, nan level holds a staggering 90% marketplace share, pinch 200,000 establishments relying connected Booking.com for bookings. The Spanish edifice manufacture has besides expressed beardown dissatisfaction pinch nan platform’s practices, pinch galore businesses reporting that up to 60% of their gross comes from Booking.com.

The suit seeks compensation for nan unfair commissions paid by hotels, arsenic good arsenic nan damages caused by nan restrictive position imposed by Booking.com. The hotels progressive reason that these practices person caused important financial losses complete nan years and that nan level has abused its marketplace power to enforce conditions that use itself astatine nan disbursal of nan hospitality industry.

The scheme is to record nan class-action suit successful Amsterdam, nan office of Booking.com, successful nan coming months. If successful, nan hotels could person compensation for nan excessive commissions paid, on pinch interest. Experts estimate that nan full damages could magnitude to hundreds of millions of euros. This ineligible situation is expected to group a precedent for early cases involving online platforms and their business practices successful Europe.

Impact of nan CJEU Ruling and National Actions

The European Court of Justice (CJEU) has already ruled that Booking.com’s parity clauses restrict competition. This ruling, which came aft a title by 2,000 German hoteliers, confirmed that nan clauses are anti-competitive and limit marketplace competition. Following this decision, nationalist title authorities, including Spain’s CNMC, person besides declared that Booking.com’s practices break European title laws.

Despite nan CJEU ruling, Booking.com has maintained that nan parity clauses do not person an anti-competitive effect and has vowed to situation nan determination successful court. The institution argues that these clauses are basal to guarantee consistency successful pricing crossed different platforms. However, critics contend that these practices yet harm some edifice owners and consumers by limiting value title and inflating booking costs.

In Spain, Booking.com was fined €413 million successful 2024 by nan CNMC for utilizing parity clauses and different unfair commercialized practices. The level has appealed this decision, and a provisional suspension of nan good has been granted while nan lawsuit is being reviewed. This ongoing ineligible conflict underscores nan increasing tensions betwixt nan level and nan edifice industry, which is calling for a much equitable and transparent system.

The Road Ahead: Spain’s Legal Challenge

While nan European lawsuit is progressing, Spanish hoteliers person opted to prosecute their lawsuit successful Spanish courts alternatively than joining nan European class-action lawsuit. The ineligible action successful Spain is being led by CCS Abogados, a Madrid-based rule firm, and intends to retrieve nan excessive commissions paid to Booking.com since 2004. Over 600 Spanish hotels, including ample edifice chains, person already joined nan lawsuit, and nan number is expected to summation arsenic much establishments admit nan financial effect of nan platform’s practices.

The Spanish suit is expected to beryllium revenge successful 2026, pinch a target of reaching 2,000 plaintiffs. Hoteliers tin subordinate nan lawsuit aliases waste their authorities to claim, which offers an replacement for those concerned astir imaginable retaliation from Booking.com. If nan suit is successful, nan plaintiffs will person 70% of nan compensation obtained, pinch nan remaining 30% allocated to screen ineligible costs.

The suit against Booking.com represents a awesome situation for nan platform, which has agelong enjoyed a ascendant position successful nan European online recreation market. As nan ineligible action progresses, hotels crossed Europe are calling for a much transparent and adjacent strategy that ensures title and benefits consumers. The result of this lawsuit could person wide-reaching implications for nan early of online recreation agencies and their relationships pinch nan hospitality industry. If nan courts norm successful favour of nan plaintiffs, it could lead to important changes successful nan measurement Booking.com operates and could service arsenic a blueprint for akin lawsuits successful different regions.

[Source: en.ara.cat]