SAEDNEWS: Over 10,000 European hotels have joined a class action lawsuit against the hotel booking platform Booking.com over its long-standing pricing policy, according to the DPA news agency.
The lawsuit is linked to a 2024 ruling by the European Court, which deemed the platform’s use of a "parity clause" potentially harmful to competition and excessive for Booking.com’s business model.
The clause, included in agreements between the booking service and hotels, prohibited the latter from offering rooms on their own websites or on competing platforms at lower rates than those listed on Booking.com, TASS reported.
Booking.com discontinued its use of the "parity clause" in 2024. The plaintiffs are seeking compensation for losses stemming from the company’s pricing policy from 2004 through 2024. The case is expected to be heard by a court in the Netherlands, where the platform’s headquarters are located. The filing date of the lawsuit has not been disclosed, but the initiators have extended the deadline for hotel owners to join the legal proceedings against Booking.com until August 29, reportedly due to heightened interest.
Exact compensation volumes have not been specified. However, according to the website of the campaign’s organizers, preliminary estimates suggest that hotels may be entitled to a refund of 30% of the commissions paid to Booking.com since 2004.
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