Booking.com soon to be designated as Gatekeeper
The OTAs announcement on its gatekeeper status is the first step to its formal designation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA)
The European hotel industry has been long warning of unfair business practices of the largest Online Travel Agent (OTA) and calls for more fairness and transparency in the online accommodation market. Hotrec hopes that the European Commission will designate the company as a gatekeeper as soon as possible.
Key takeaways
The notification of Booking.com represents an important milestone after over a decade-long struggle of European hoteliers with unfair practices of Booking;
Hotrec expects that the company will adjust its business behavior such as removing all price parity clauses, enabling access to data generated by listings and allowing hoteliers to opt out of various services that entrench them in Booking services;
Hotrec expects Booking.com to conduct a transparent process and inform of proposed changes in a timely manner when changing various aspects of its business operations.
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