Groningen Hotels Join Mass Lawsuit Against Booking.com
Local hotels among 10,000+ across Europe demanding compensation for years of price restrictions and unfair contract terms.
Several hotels in Groningen have joined a growing Europe-wide class action lawsuit against Booking.com, accusing the platform of imposing illegal price clauses that restricted fair competition and cost the hospitality industry millions in lost revenue.
The legal action, coordinated by the European hotel umbrella organisation Hotrec, now includes over 10,000 hotels across Europe. In the Netherlands, hotels in Groningen, Hoogezand, and Aduard have publicly confirmed their participation.
Hotels demand fairer terms
At the heart of the lawsuit is Booking.com’s long-standing practice of enforcing price parity clauses, which required hotels to offer their lowest room rates exclusively through Booking.com. This prevented hotels from advertising cheaper rates on their own websites or other booking platforms, even if they would save on commission fees.
In 2024, the European Court of Justice ruled these clauses violated competition law: a decision that opened the door for legal action. The claim now covers damages potentially spanning from 2004 to 2024.
Jan Akkermans, who owns two hotels in Groningen and chairs the local branch of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland, described the platform's dominance as deeply problematic:
“Hotels that tried to offer a lower price elsewhere could be penalised or lose visibility in the rankings. Booking.com has a lot of power, and that needs to change.”
While some local hotel owners, such as those at Eemshotel in Delfzijl and Parkzicht in Veendam, say they weren’t significantly impacted and are not joining the lawsuit, many others see this as a necessary correction to an unequal playing field.
Consumers are also taking legal action
The lawsuit from hotels comes alongside a separate class action being prepared by the Dutch Consumers’ Association (Consumentenbond). The consumer case argues that Booking.com customers have overpaid for years, not just because of the parity clauses, but also due to so-called “dark patterns” — tactics like fake scarcity warnings and misleading discounts.
According to Consumentenbond, 180,000 consumers signed up to join the claim in its first week. They estimate Booking.com earned around €1 billion through these practices.
Booking.com denies wrongdoing
In response, Booking.com has rejected all claims, stating that prices were not artificially inflated and that its business model has always aimed to deliver transparent, competitive rates. The company argues the lawsuits are based on misinterpretations of past court rulings.
Booking.com has since abandoned parity clauses in Europe, especially following the implementation of the Digital Markets Act, which prohibits such terms for dominant online platforms.
Still, the lawsuits reflect a wider reckoning over the power of major digital platforms in the travel and hospitality sector. As Groningen hotelier Frank Faber puts it:
“It already felt unfair. The ruling confirmed what many of us knew — it’s a one-way street.”
What’s next?
The class action by Hotrec is ongoing, and hotels can still join the claim. Legal proceedings are expected to begin if negotiations fail. Booking.com has indicated it will fight the case in court if necessary.
As the debate continues, stakeholders across the Netherlands and Europe hope the case will result in more transparent pricing, greater autonomy for hotels, and a fairer digital booking landscape for both businesses and consumers.