Booking Holdings

Italy's antitrust authority (AGCM) opened an investigation into Booking.com over alleged unfair commercial practices in how it ranks and presents hotels. The probe targets the 'Preferred Partner' and 'Preferred Partner Plus' programs, which Booking.com markets as selecting properties based on service quality and value for money, but which regulators allege actually favor hotels that pay higher commissions with better search placement and visual prominence. Booking.com said the programs are optional and compliant with consumer protection rules; the investigation is ongoing.

Booking.com confirmed that unauthorized third parties accessed customer data including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and reservation details (financial information and postal addresses were not affected). Within about two weeks, security researchers observed criminals using the stolen booking details to run 'reservation hijack' phishing scams via WhatsApp and other channels, impersonating hotels with real reservation data to trick guests into sending money. Booking.com updated PIN numbers for affected reservations and notified customers, but declined to disclose how many customers or which regions were affected.

Poland's UOKiK (Office of Competition and Consumer Protection) ruled on August 12, 2025 (decision RKR-3/2025) that Booking.com breached Polish consumer rights law by failing to clearly disclose whether accommodation listings were offered by entrepreneurs or private individuals, misinforming consumers about which legal protections applied to non-entrepreneur bookings, and leaving the division of responsibility between Booking.com and suppliers unclear when handling complaints. The authority ordered platform transparency changes within one month and required compensation for consumers who booked between January 1, 2023 and implementation, including automatic Genius loyalty-tier upgrades or travel credits.

Booking Holdings announced layoffs of 'more than 200 and fewer than 1,000' employees at Booking.com, primarily affecting its Amsterdam workforce of 7,000. This came despite reporting a 37% increase in net profit to $5.9 billion in 2024. The company claimed layoffs were 'not a cost-cutting measure' but 'an effort to operate more efficiently.' Previous layoffs: 2,700 in 2022, 4,000 in 2020.

Spain's competition authority (CNMC) fined Booking.com €413 million for abusing its 70-90% market dominance over 5 years. Violations included: enforcing price parity clauses preventing hotels from offering lower prices elsewhere, unilaterally reducing room prices, opaque commission programs (Preferred, Genius), and manipulating search rankings to restrict competition from other OTAs.

Dutch Public Prosecutor is investigating Booking.com following a criminal complaint by human rights NGOs (SOMO, ELSC, Rights Forum, Al-Haq) alleging the company profits from war crimes by listing vacation rentals in illegal Israeli settlements. Evidence showed listings in East Jerusalem tripled from 13 to 39 in one year. Complaint filed under anti-money laundering legislation. Booking denies allegations.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Booking.com launched a program on March 21, 2022 allowing property owners to offer free accommodation or discounts of up to 100% to Ukrainian refugees, with Booking.com waiving its commission fees on these bookings. The program launched in 10 countries and expanded to 22 by mid-2022, covering last-minute bookings of up to 30 days.