European hotels are suing Booking.com in a massive, fast‑growing collective legal action centred on the platform’s long‑term use of price‑parity clauses, rules that allegedly prevented hotels from offering cheaper rates on their own websites or other channels.

More than 10,000 hotels have already joined, and the number is expected to reach around 18,000 by autumn 2026.

Hotels across Europe are suing Booking.com for billions of euros, claiming the platform’s pricing rules restricted competition and caused major financial losses.

What’s happening

Collective action led by SHCA (Stichting Hotel Claims Alliance) Hotels argue Booking.com’s price‑parity clauses (2004–2024) forced them to keep prices equal or higher than those on Booking.com, blocking them from offering better deals elsewhere.

10,783 hotels already filed claims An additional 7,696 hotels were added in July–August 2026, bringing the total to over 10,000. A final expansion is planned for autumn 2026.

Expected total: ~18,000 hotels Registration is free until 11 September 2026.

Case heard in Amsterdam District Court Booking.com’s own terms specify Dutch jurisdiction, and the court has handled related cases since 2020.

Damages could reach several billion euros Supported by HOTREC and 30+ national hotel associations.

Spain-specific angle

Spain’s hotel sector is also preparing two major collective lawsuits over the same clauses, with thousands of businesses already involved.

These actions rely on a 2024 EU court ruling confirming the clauses violated competition law.

Why hotels say they were harmed

Hotels claim Booking.com’s rules:

blocked them from offering cheaper direct prices

inflated Booking.com’s commissions (around 20%)

strengthened Booking.com’s dominance

caused years of financial losses