Across Europe, More Than 10,000 Hotels Are Suing Booking

What was the cause?

For years, the popular online accommodation booking service Booking forced hotels not to display lower room rates anywhere than on the site itself. Violators of this rule could be removed from the platform, and it lost customers. At the same time, the service took up to 17% of the booking amount for commission and payment fees. Now more than 10,000 hotels in Europe are filing a class action lawsuit against Booking, writes BILD.

Although the fixed-price rule was abolished after a ruling by the European Court of Justice last year, hotels now want compensation for losses over the past 20 years - from 2004 to 2024.

"European hoteliers have suffered for years from unfair conditions and inflated costs. Now more than 10,000 businesses are participating in a class action lawsuit, sending a clear message to Booking: abuses in the digital market will not go unanswered," says president of European hotel alliance Hotrec Alexandros Vasilikos.

The lawsuit is being heard in the Netherlands, as Booking is headquartered in Amsterdam. The case is being coordinated by the Hotel Claims Alliance organization, supported by Hotrec and more than 30 national hotel associations. According to organizers, the class action lawsuit has generated a huge response, so the deadline for submitting applications has been extended to August 29.

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