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Booking.com

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Booking.com
Basic information
Founded 1996
Legal Structure Subsidiary
Industry Online Travel Agency
Also known as Booking.com B.V.,BKNG
Official website https://www.booking.com/

Booking.com is a Dutch online travel agency (OTA) and subsidiary of Booking Holdings Inc. that lists approximately 3.4 million properties across 220 countries and processed 1.1 billion room nights in 2024.[1] Regulators in the UK, Hungary, Spain, Texas, and Italy have all taken enforcement action against the platform for hidden fees, misleading discount claims, fake scarcity tactics, and anti-competitive pricing restrictions. The European Commission designated Booking.com a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act in May 2024.[2]

Consumer impact summary

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  • Fake listings abound and consumers who are swindled face no recourse if they pay with other than a credit card.[3]
  • The platform's booking flow has allowed hosts to impose terms on consumers after payment, including charge-back waivers and uncapped fee authorizations. Booking.com's Terms of Service cap its own liability at the cost of the booking.[4]
  • In August 2025, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a $9.5 million settlement with Booking Holdings for hiding mandatory fees under a "Taxes and Fees" line at checkout, the largest US state settlement against an OTA for junk fees.[5]
  • Spain's CNMC fined Booking.com €413.24 million in July 2024 for abusing its dominant position by imposing unfair conditions on Spanish hotels and restricting competition from other OTAs.[6]
  • Hungary's GVH fined Booking.com HUF 2.5 billion (approximately €7 million) in 2020 for misleading free cancellation advertising and pressure tactics,[7] then fined it again (HUF 382.5 million) in 2024 after finding it hadn't stopped.[8]
  • The UK CMA found Booking.com didn't display the full cost of rooms upfront and used false availability claims to pressure consumers. Booking.com committed to changes in 2019.[9]
  • The European Court of Justice ruled in September 2024 (Case C-264/23) that Booking.com's price parity clauses violated EU competition law.[10]
  • Booking.com USA holds an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau, with 5,060 complaints in three years and 720 left unanswered as of 26 March 2026.[11]

Incidents

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Post-payment terms disclosure (2025)

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Main article: Booking.com Post-Payment Terms Disclosure

Booking.com's platform permits hosts to present contractual terms to consumers only after payment has been processed, including charge-back waivers, liability releases, and uncapped fee authorizations. The platform's Terms of Service cap its own liability at the booking cost and route disputes back to the host. The FTC's Junk Fees Rule, effective 12 May 2025, now requires Booking.com to display all mandatory fees upfront for US customers.

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Curry, David (21 May 2026). "Booking Revenue and Usage Statistics (2026)". Business of Apps. Archived from the original on 16 Jul 2026. Retrieved 16 Jul 2026.
  2. ↑ "Commission designates Booking as a gatekeeper and opens a market investigation into X". European Commission Digital Markets Act. 13 May 2024. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 16 Jul 2026.
  3. ↑ Brasler, Kevin; Suiters, Katie (Nov 2025). "Our Investigation Found Widespread Problems, Including Fake Listings and Stolen Deposits; Many Victims Get Little Help from Booking.com or Vrbo". Consumers' Checkbook. Archived from the original on 4 Mar 2026. Retrieved 16 Jul 2026.
  4. ↑ "Terms and Conditions". Booking.com. 25 Aug 2025. Archived from the original on 16 Jul 2026. Retrieved 16 Jul 2026.
  5. ↑ "Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures Historic $9.5 Million Settlement with Booking for Engaging in Deceptive "Junk Fee" Practices". Office of the Texas Attorney General. 19 Aug 2025. Archived from the original on 19 Aug 2025. Retrieved 16 Jul 2026.
  6. ↑ "The Spanish Competition Authority fines an online hotel booking platform €413M for abusing its dominant position between 2019 and 2024". Concurrences. 29 Jul 2024. Archived from the original on 21 Feb 2025. Retrieved 16 Jul 2026.
  7. ↑ "Gigantic fine imposed on Booking.com by the GVH". Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH). 28 Apr 2020. Archived from the original on 8 Aug 2020. Retrieved 16 Jul 2026.
  8. ↑ "Record fine: the GVH fined Booking almost HUF 400 million". Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH). 15 Jul 2024. Archived from the original on 15 Jul 2024. Retrieved 16 Jul 2026.
  9. ↑ "Hotel booking sites to make major changes after CMA probe". gov.uk. 6 Feb 2019. Archived from the original on 6 Feb 2019. Retrieved 16 Jul 2026.
  10. ↑ "European Hotels Applaud EU Court Ruling Against Booking.com's Price Parity Clauses". GTP Headlines. 20 Sep 2024. Archived from the original on 17 Jul 2026. Retrieved 16 Jul 2026.
  11. ↑ "Booking.com USA, Inc. | BBB Business Profile". Better Business Bureau. Archived from the original on 23 Apr 2026. Retrieved 16 Jul 2026.
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