European hotels can now offer better prices than the Booking platform

Until now, listed hoteliers had the obligation to align with Booking prices. A constraint experienced with difficulty by many professionals, who felt they were “taken hostage” by the rental giant. It’s now ancient history. This Thursday, the European Commission announced that European hotels will now be free to offer better rates on their own website or other channels than those on the Dutch booking platform.

Last May, Booking was designated as one of the few “tech” giants subject in the EU to new, stricter competition rules, alongside Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft, under of the new Digital Markets Regulation (DMA).

“Booking will not have the right to increase commission rates or delist offers” from companies that offer different prices on a site other than Booking, she clarified. “This means that other platforms and service providers will be able to (THE) compete on fairer conditions, stimulating innovation and reducing prices,” assures the European executive.

“Develop more innovative and personalized offers”

In addition, hotels and other tourism services will have “real-time and continuous” access to the data that they and their customers generate through the use of Booking. “Professional users can now choose to transfer the data they have generated on Booking.com to alternative platforms” in order to “develop more innovative and personalized offers”.

To demonstrate its full compliance with the DMA, Booking presented the measures taken in a report accessible on the Commission’s website. The Commission will “carefully analyze” this document and “assess” whether the measures implemented actually meet the obligations. In the event of a violation of the DMA rules, the Commission can impose fines of up to 10% of the company’s global turnover, or up to 20% in the event of a repeat offense.

Brussels may go in extreme cases as far as forcing the company concerned to sell certain activities or prohibiting it from making certain acquisitions. “As of today, Booking.com meets the requirements of the Digital Markets Act,” said the Dutch platform. “Consultations with the European Commission and relevant stakeholders have shaped our compliance solutions,” she said.

The Digital Markets Regulation (DMA), which entered into force at the beginning of March, aims to monitor and stem abuse of a dominant position to better protect the emergence and growth of start-ups in Europe and improve the choice offered to users.