Accommodation firms fight back: Legal battle ensues with Booking.com in the courtroom
In a historic move, over 10,000 hotels across Europe have filed a class-action lawsuit against Booking.com, challenging the company's "best price" or price parity clauses. This legal action, coordinated by the Hotel Claims Alliance Foundation, seeks compensation for alleged antitrust violations spanning about 20 years, from 2004 onward [1][2][3][5].
The lawsuit follows a September 2024 ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that declared these best price clauses illegal under EU antitrust law. As a result, Booking.com abolished these clauses in the European Economic Area (EEA) in accordance with the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) of 2024 [1][2][3].
The hotels argue that these clauses restricted competition, significantly harmed their revenues, and imposed unfair conditions and excessive costs. The central demand of the lawsuit is compensation for two decades of financial losses due to anti-competitive best price clauses [1][4].
The case is being heard in the Netherlands, where Booking.com is headquartered. The lawsuit is supported by over 30 national hotel associations, including Germany’s IHA and Italy’s Federalberghi, under the umbrella of the European Hotel Alliance Hotrec [1][4].
The ECJ ruling in September 2024 declared both "wide" and "narrow" best price clauses from Booking.com as violating EU competition law. The best price clauses prevented hotels from offering their room prices cheaper on other channels [6].
The hotels are not only seeking redress but also a fairer competitive environment. If successful, this lawsuit could redefine the power dynamics in the online travel agency market [7].
As of early August 2025, the dispute is currently in the litigation phase in Dutch courts, representing a major collective legal challenge against Booking.com’s historic pricing policies in Europe [1][4][5]. This legal battle is one of the largest in the history of the hotel industry and has sparked a wave of solidarity among European hotels.
References: [1] European Hotelier. (2025). European Hotels Sue Booking.com Over Best Price Clauses. Retrieved from https://www.europeanhotelier.net/news/european-hotels-sue-booking-com-over-best-price-clauses/
[2] The Guardian. (2025). Booking.com Sued by European Hotels Over Best Price Clauses. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/05/booking-com-sued-by-european-hotels-over-best-price-clauses
[3] Reuters. (2025). European Hotels File Class-Action Lawsuit Against Booking.com. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/business/european-hotels-file-class-action-lawsuit-against-booking-com-2025-08-05/
[4] Hotel Management. (2025). European Hotels Extend Deadline for Booking.com Lawsuit. Retrieved from https://www.hotelmanagement.net/news/european-hotels-extend-deadline-for-booking-com-lawsuit
[5] Skift. (2025). A Look at the European Hotel Lawsuit Against Booking.com. Retrieved from https://skift.com/2025/08/05/a-look-at-the-european-hotel-lawsuit-against-booking-com/
[6] Hotel News Resource. (2025). ECJ Rules Against Booking.com's Best Price Clauses. Retrieved from https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article100143.html
[7] Hotel Business. (2025). European Hotel Lawsuit Against Booking.com Could Rewrite Online Travel Agency Market. Retrieved from https://hotelbusiness.com/articles/european-hotel-lawsuit-against-booking-com-could-rewrite-online-travel-agency-market/
The hotels are seeking fairer business conditions and compensation for financial losses due to antitrust violations in the finance sector, specifically in the online travel agency market and the industry. If successful, this lawsuit could redefine the power dynamics and competition within the business domain, particularly for hotels.
