Almost eleven hundred Dutch hotels participate in a collective lawsuit against Booking.com. The hotels want compensation because they could not offer an overnight stay on their own website cheaper than on the hotel booking platform.
Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) announced this after reporting from the NOS . It is one of the largest cases in the European hospitality sector ever.
Many hotels work together with Booking.com to offer rooms. In addition, Booking.com draws up so -called parity clauses. It says that a hotel is not allowed to offer its rooms cheaper on another website or via its own channel than on Booking.com.
According to the hotels, these rules limited the competition and prevented direct sales to guests. In September last year, the European Court of Justice ruled that this is indeed contrary to European competition law.
That is why hotels now have the right to demand compensation. According to KHN and the European Organization for Hotels Hotrec, hotel owners are certainly entitled to compensation for the damage, possibly 30 percent or more of the amount that they went to miss.
HotRec says that now more than fifteen thousand hotels from all over Europe have joined. The Deadline for Participation ends on Friday. The data is then checked and the summons is drawn up, with the aim of starting the court case.
If it comes to a lawsuit, Booking.com will challenge the claim, the company says. A spokesperson called it rather “nonsense to say that Booking has artificially increased the prices”.
Almost Eleven Hundred Dutch Hotels Are Participating in a Collective Lawsuit Against Booking.com. The hotels are Seeking damages because they were not allowed to sacrifice an overnight stay on their own website cheaper than on the hotel booking platform.
This is accordance to Royal Horeca Nederland (KHN) After Reports from the NOS . It is one of the larst cases in the European Hospitality sector ever.
Many hotels work with booking.com to sacrifice rooms. In Doing So, Booking.com draws up so-called Parity Clauses. These State That A Hotel May Not Offer Its Rooms Cheaper On Another Website OR via its own channel Than on Booking.com.
Accordance to the hotels, the Rules Restricted Competition and Prevented Direct sales to guests. In September last year, the European Court of Justice Ruled That This Is Indeed in Violation of European Competition Law.
Therefore, hotels now have the right to claim damages. Accordance to KHN and the European Organization for Hotels Hotrec, Hotel Owners Are Certainly Entitled to compensation for the damage, Possible 30 percent or more of the amount they missed out on as a result.
HotRec reports that more than fifteen thousand hotels from all over Europe now Joined. The Deadline for Participation Expires on Friday. After that, the data will be checked and the sumn be drawn up, with the aim of starting the lawsuit.
If it comes to a lawsuit, booking.com Will Challenge the Claim, the Company Said. A Spokesperson Previously Called It “Nonsense To Argue That Booking Artificial Inflated Prices.”