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NOVEMBER MARCH 2025
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Billion battle from Booking SPANISH hotels are gearing up for a $4billion battle with Booking.com. In what could be one of Spain’s biggest legal battles, hundreds of hotels are expected to join a lawsuit. The joint action estimates hotels lost around 2% of their annual revenue due to unfair practices from the giant holiday portal.. Under controversial pricing rules it forced firms to sign contracts containing ‘parity clauses’ - meaning they couldn’t offer cheaper rates elsewhere. It meant any discount or special seasonal
Hundreds of Spanish hotels are set to sue holiday giant for a cool €4 billion over illegal practices By Walter Finch
rate had to also be offered to Booking.com, and this even included direct bookings to the hotel website. The practice came under scrutiny when the European Court of Justice ruled the clause could breach competition laws.
The landmark ruling last September has opened the floodgates for hotels to seek compensation. It comes after the country’s finance watchdog CNMC slapped a record €413 million fine on the giant for abusing its dominant market position - the biggest penalty in its history. Now law firm Eskariam is spearheading the joint action, estimating a total of around €4 billion, with €1 billion lost to hotels in An-
dalucia alone. The lawyers’ analysis suggests hotels suffered damage worth between 1.65% and 2.12% of their annual revenues during the years these clauses were active. It meant a hotel earning €5 million annually over a decade might claim €750,000 plus interest - or around €1 million in total. Eskariam is expecting around 500 hotel firms to join and the first lawsuit is planned for next year. Booking.com disputes the claims, insisting the EU ruling doesn’t cite anti-competitive practices.