EU law boosts hotel room sales freedom

An EU legislative package will soon make it easier for Danish hotels to sell more rooms, according to Pia Voss, CEO of the Danish hospitality industry association Horesta. The new rules allow hotels to offer prices on their own websites that are lower than those on Booking.com, promoting free competition and addressing the issue of unsold rooms. Previously, agreements with Booking.com prevented hotels from setting lower prices, which could lead to difficulty in selling rooms. Horesta had appealed to EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager for changes. Recently, Booking.com was designated a ‘gatekeeper’ under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which took effect in early March, indicating the end of price clauses with hotels.