Ban on parity clauses leaves Booking.com cold

Despite regulatory intervention, Swiss hotels face rising commission costs, limited data access, and increased dependency on online travel agencies

Two years after Switzerland banned parity clauses through the Lex Booking law, a new study shows that online travel agencies (OTAs) like Booking and Expedia continue to exert significant pressure on hotels. Despite the law's aim to strengthen direct bookings, OTA usage has actually grown, especially among larger hotels.

Key takeaways

• Direct bookings still account for 60% of reservations, especially benefiting small, rural hotels.
• OTA share increased from 27% to 36%, particularly among larger, internationally-oriented hotels.
• High commissions of 12–20% per OTA booking strain hotel profitability.
• Major issues persist, including limited access to guest data and lack of transparency in OTA discount campaigns.
• Undercutting practices by OTAs continue despite the ban, undermining hotel revenue.

Get the full report HotellerieSuisse (in German)