CEO Glenn Fogel says Booking.com supports hotels. Thousands say otherwise.

[final number] European hotels are seeking several billion euros in damages from Booking.com over its historic use of price parity clauses.

Europe’s hotels are the driving force of Booking.com’s business, and a fair relationship with them is essential to the company’s “connected future.”

It is time to pay what is owed.

See the case timeline and find out more.

Across Europe, Booking.com has upwards of 70% market share of online hotel bookings. Its global EBITDA margin is also nearly 38% - placing Booking in the top 8% of global businesses.

Price parity clauses helped Booking.com to dominate by enabling the company to charge inflated commissions to Europe’s hotels.

Read more about how price parity clauses gave Booking.com an unfair advantage.

In May 2024, the European Commission designated Booking.com as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act. Placing it in the company of Meta, Google, and Amazon.

This raises its compliance bar, and the cost of falling short.

Parity clauses are not just illegal under EU competition law but were also prohibited by the Digital Markets Act in 2024. And yet, they made a significant contribution to Booking.com’s excessive profits.

The SHCA is a non-profit foundation created to champion Europe’s hotels. The action is supported by HOTREC and more than 30 national hotel associations across Europe.

Find out more about the SHCA and our team.

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For more information on the case, the SHCA or the impact of price parity on Europe’s hotel industry, get in touch with our team.