A significant shift in the online booking landscape is underway as Booking.com voluntarily adopts transparency measures across Europe. This move follows a regulatory dialogue with the European Commission to ensure compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), effectively decoupling hotel pricing policies from platform rankings.
The End of Ranking Penalties
Under the new commitments, accommodations can now offer lower prices or more favorable terms through their own websites or alternative platforms. Crucially, offering a lower price elsewhere will no longer negatively impact a property's default ranking on Booking.com.
Booking.com stated its satisfaction with the European Commission's findings regarding parity obligations, emphasizing its goal to maintain competitive pricing for customers while fulfilling its regulatory duties.
Greek Regulatory Scrutiny Remains
The Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC) welcomed the measures as a positive step toward transparency and contestability in digital markets across the European Economic Area. However, the HCC clarified that these European-level measures do not prejudice the outcome of its ongoing domestic investigation.
The Greek case focuses on several key areas:
- Alleged abuse of a dominant position by Booking.com in the online travel agency (OTA) market.
- Preliminary concerns regarding the potential exclusion of competing OTAs from the Greek market.
- Barriers to entry or expansion for rival booking platforms.
Booking.com has submitted a set of commitments to the HCC, which were put forward for public consultation in July 2026. A final decision by the HCC plenary is expected in the coming months.
