European Union hotels, led by approximately 200 Romanian establishments, have banded together in a legal action against Booking.com, accusing the online travel platform of price manipulation.
Romanian Hotels Join Class Action Lawsuit Against Booking.com
Romanian hotels are actively participating in a class action lawsuit against Booking.com, as part of a broader European action. This legal proceedings, coordinated by the Hotel Claims Alliance Foundation, aims to challenge Booking.com's use of price parity clauses and high commission fees, which have been alleged to restrict hotels from offering cheaper rates outside the platform and impose excessive costs on them.
The lawsuit follows a 2024 ruling by the European Court of Justice that found price parity clauses violate antitrust law, as these clauses prevented hotels from setting different prices on their own sites or other channels. Booking.com removed such clauses in the European Economic Area due to the EU Digital Markets Act 2024, but hotels claim they suffered revenue losses and unfair business practices before that change.
The case is being supported by HOTREC and over 30 national hotel associations, including Romania’s Federation of the Hotel Industry (FIHR). The FIHR is encouraging all hotels in Romania to register to recover part of the commissions collected by Booking.com under the contractual clause known as the "parity clause" for the period 2004-2024. The registration deadline for hotels to join the class action has been extended to 29 August 2025.
The lawsuit seeks compensation for years of forced price fixing by Booking.com. It is being carried out by over 110 operators running around 200 hotels in Romania, along with thousands of hotels across Europe. The lawsuit is taking place before a Dutch court and is expected that several hundred hotels from Romania will have registered by the end of the registration period.
Despite the criticism, Booking.com remains essential for many hotels as they strive to reach guests online. The outcome of this lawsuit could reshape the relationship between online travel agencies and hotels across the continent.
In a recent development, representatives of the FIHR plan to provide support to actors in the local hospitality industry to join the initiative. This pushback by hotels against Booking.com’s dominant market position and contractual policies in Europe, seeks fairer terms and more independent control over pricing.
The lawsuit is primarily focused on the "parity clause" in contracts between Booking.com and hotels, which required hotels to offer the same room prices on Booking.com as they did on their own websites. These practices were declared illegal by the European Court of Justice.
Several German hoteliers have received a favorable decision at the European Court of Justice in this case. The lawsuit is backed up by a ruling from the European Court of Justice, which found that so-called best price clauses, preventing hotels from offering rooms at lower prices outside platforms like Booking.com, violate antitrust law.
The goal of the "parity clause" was to stop "free-rider" bookings, but the ECJ judges decided that platforms like Booking.com can exist economically without such requirements. The lawsuit against Booking.com is a significant step towards ensuring fair competition and a level playing field for hotels in the digital marketplace.
- The legal proceedings, supported by HOTREC and Romania’s Federation of the Hotel Industry (FIHR), aims to challenge Booking.com's use of price parity clauses and high commission fees, which have been alleged to restrict hotels from offering cheaper rates outside the platform and impose excessive costs on them – a matter related to the finance and business sectors.
- The FIHR is encouraging all businesses within the local hospitality industry to join the initiative, seeking fairer terms and more independent control over pricing to reshape the relationship between online travel agencies like Booking.com and hotels in Europe, addressing issues within the industry.
