The Consumer Competition Claims Foundation (CCC) and the Consumers' Association claim that Booking.com has abused its market power, causing consumers to pay excessive prices for hotel rooms for years. A procedure is now being initiated to recover the damages from Booking.com. Booking.com states that price parity clauses have now been removed throughout Europe and states that the platform actually ensures transparency.
The Consumers' Association calls on everyone who has made a hotel booking since 2013 to report to the Consumers' Association. Even if the booking was made via another platform or directly via a hotel website. The Consumers' Association states that due to the great market power of Booking.com, hoteliers were not allowed to offer lower prices via other platforms or their own website. As a result, consumers paid too high a price. (Also for bookings that were not made via booking.com.)
The focus of the consumer organisations is on 'hotels', because that is where the market power of Booking.com and its sister companies is particularly great.
Artificially high prices
Bert Heikens, Chairman of the CCC: “Consumers have been paying too much for their hotel rooms for years. We have conducted research, which shows that Booking has been violating competition rules and consumer law since January 2013. Through illegal agreements and conduct, Booking.com ensures that hotels cannot offer lower prices and better conditions . Various European regulators have also already determined that Booking.com is acting unlawfully.”
Fake discounts, incomplete prices, invented scarcity
Sandra Molenaar, director of the Consumers' Association: 'We already demonstrated in 2024 that Booking is guilty of misleading practices. For example, the platform uses fake discounts, incomplete prices and made-up scarcity. With these kinds of 'dark patterns', Booking.com influences the choices that consumers make. And that is not allowed under Dutch and European regulations.'
Sign up
All consumers who have booked a hotel room via Booking.com at least once since 1 January 2013 have suffered damages. They can register for the claim. This also applies to consumers who have booked via other websites for online hotel bookings, such as Agoda and Expedia. Or via the website of a hotel itself. These consumers are also the victims of the unlawful actions by Booking.com.
Total damage: hundreds of millions
The damage suffered is different for each consumer, depending on the number of bookings, room rates and destinations. The damage can vary from tens to several hundred euros per consumer. In total, for all Dutch people together, it amounts to hundreds of millions of euros in damage.
No cure no pay
CCC is taking action against Booking.com. The Consumers' Association supports CCC and collects and registers consumers who want to participate in the Booking Claim. Members and non-members of the Consumers' Association can register for the claim via the Consumers' Association website (link to registration form). Participation in the claim is on a 'no cure no pay' basis. If successful, consumers contribute a maximum of 25% of the result achieved for them.
The campaign is currently only running in the Netherlands. "It is certainly possible that consumer organizations from other countries will join in soon," a spokesperson for the Consumers' Association added.
More information: www.consumentenbond.nl/acties-claims/claims/booking
Booking.com response
“We have always been committed to providing travellers with the best possible prices and a transparent booking experience and reject any claims to the contrary. We are currently reviewing the content of this claim and will respond accordingly. Although price parity clauses have now been removed across Europe, we believe that these clauses have helped consumers access competitive prices everywhere.”