The value of antitrust class actions targeting Booking across Europe has risen above €4.5 billion, with that total set to grow as further estimates are finalised.

The Italian authorities accuse Booking of misleading consumers, whilst in Amsterdam nearly 11,000 hoteliers are taking legal action against the booking platform. Its CEO, Glenn Fogel, feels he has been misunderstood.

The Stichting Hotel Claims Alliance (SHCA) has expanded its collective action proceedings against Booking.com before the Amsterdam District Court by filing claims on behalf of an additional 7,696 hotels.

A critical procedural step in favor of European hoteliers has been taken in the pan-European collective action against Booking.com, as the Regional Court of Amsterdam granted permission to the Stichting Hotel Claims Alliance (SHCA) to secure evidence that may prove decisive for compensation claims.

A recent decision by the Berlin Regional Court has opened the door for more than 1,000 German hotels to seek compensation from Booking.com for damages arising from anticompetitive best-price clauses.

Hotels are reporting a significant recent drop-off in sales from online travel agencies (OTAs), particularly Booking.com, after “leaning” away from them in recent years, alongside other broader industry trends.

‘Abusive practices in the digital marketplace will not go unchallenged,’ said hotel association president

Booking.com is facing a class-action lawsuit from more than 10,000 European hotels arguing that the accommodation mega-site used its muscle to distort the market to their detriment over a 20-year period.

Booking.com could face Dutch damages claims running into millions of euros after 26 hotel associations across Europe said they would back their members in such litigation following an EU court judgment last year over its price curbs on hotels.