More than 10,000 European hotels are taking action against Booking.com, which they claim has prevented them from offering better prices and availability direct to guests through contract terms over a 20-year period.
The class action follows the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) 2024 ruling that confirmed Booking.com’s parity clauses violated EU competition law.
“European hoteliers have long endured unfair conditions and inflated costs,” said Alexandros Vassilikos, President of the Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes in Europe (Hotrec), which is leading the legal action backed by 25 hotel associations.
“Now is the time to stand together and seek redress.
“This collective action sends a strong message: abusive practices in the digital marketplace will not go unchallenged.”
Hotrec said Booking.com’s clauses “lead to inflated commission rates, suppressed direct bookings and distorted online market competition”.
But the site described the claims as “incorrect and misleading”, and in a statement indicated it is yet to receive a “formal notification of a class action”.
Meanwhile, the booking platform said that the ECJ ruling did not find its “best price” clauses as anti-competitive, but “simply stated that such clauses fall within the scope of EU competition law and that their effects must be assessed on a case-by-case basis”.
