Thousands of hotels are taking legal action against Booking.com
European Hotels Pursue Class-Action Lawsuit Against Booking.com
Thousands of European hotels have banded together in a class-action lawsuit against Booking.com, seeking damages for two decades (2004–2024) of enforced "best price" or "parity" clauses. These clauses, ruled as anti-competitive by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in 2024, prevented hotels from offering lower room rates on their own websites or other platforms.
The lawsuit, coordinated by the Hotel Claims Alliance, has received support from over 30 national hotel associations, including Germany’s IHA and Italy’s Federalberghi. The case is being heard in a Dutch court, specifically in Amsterdam where Booking.com's headquarters are located.
The hotels claim compensation for losses caused by these unfair pricing rules over the past two decades. Preliminary estimates suggest hotels may seek refunds amounting to about 30% of commissions paid to Booking.com during the affected period.
Booking.com dropped the parity clauses in 2024 following the ECJ ruling and the enforcement of the EU Digital Markets Act. The exact filing date for the claim has not been announced, but the window to join the collective legal action remains open until at least August 29, 2025.
Alexandros Vassilikos, the president of Hotrec, has stated that the class action aims to obtain damages for the period from 2004 to 2024. The ECJ judges determined that platforms like Booking.com could exist economically without such provisions, and the ruling stated that best price clauses could potentially harm competition.
Despite the legal action, Booking.com remains indispensable for many hotels as it helps them reach a large number of potential guests. The deadline for registration in the class action lawsuit has been extended to August 29 due to the great response. The case is ongoing and expected to proceed in Dutch courts, with the Hotel Claims Alliance leading the effort.
[1] European Court of Justice ruling, September 2024. [2] Hotel Claims Alliance press release, October 2024. [3] German Hotel Association (IHA) statement, November 2024. [4] Federalberghi press release, December 2024.
- The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling in September 2024 determined that platforms like Booking.com could exist economically without best price clauses, which were ruled anti-competitive.
- Over 30 national hotel associations, including Germany’s IHA and Italy’s Federalberghi, support the class-action lawsuit against Booking.com, seeking compensation for two decades (2004–2024) of losses caused by enforced "best price" or "parity" clauses in the business financing sector.
