“We are fully cooperating with the AGCM in its investigation and maintain that our partner programmes (which are optional for accommodation partners) comply with consumer protection law requirements, while balancing the interests of our partners and ensuring that customers continue to benefit from a wide range of choice.” This was the response Booking gave to money-tourism, following yesterday’s exclusive report published by the website.
It should be noted that money-tourism was the only media outlet to publish the relevant report yesterday.
According to the report, the Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation into Booking.com, examining potential unfair commercial practices related to the “Preferred Partner” and “Preferred Plus” programmes.
According to the Authority, the platform appears to grant accommodation providers participating in these programmes increased visibility in search results, greater visual prominence, and labels highlighting service quality and value for money.
However, it is pointed out that the criteria for joining these programmes do not appear to justify the advantages granted. In the Authority’s assessment, the selection of participating accommodation providers seems to be based to a large extent on criteria that favor those paying higher commissions to Booking.com, rather than necessarily on the quality of the services provided.
This practice may create a misleading impression for consumers, leading them to believe that these accommodations offer better overall value, and consequently steering them toward choices that are, on average, more expensive.
As part of the investigation, inspections were carried out at Booking.com’s offices in Italy by officials from the Authority and the financial police.
The consumer association Codacons welcomed the launch of the investigation, stressing that users of digital booking platforms have the right to full transparency, since the results and information displayed directly influence their financial decisions. According to the association, promoting accommodation providers on the basis of non-objective criteria, such as the level of commission paid, may lead to additional financial burdens for users.
According to figures cited by Codacons, around 70% of hotel bookings in Italy are now made through specialised websites, with Booking.com accounting for 42% of digital bookings.
For its part, Booking.com stated that it is cooperating with the authorities, maintaining that its partner programmes are optional and compliant with consumer protection legislation, while also ensuring a balance between the interests of accommodation partners and users’ ability to access a wide choice of properties.
