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EU: Booking.com makes an offer to end competition probes

By  |  December 15, 2014

Online travel agency Booking.com has reportedly offered concessions in an effort to end several investigations throughout the EU into the company.

The company, a unit of US-based Priceline, has reportedly proposed a settlement with the competition authorities of France, Sweden and Italy. The European Commission, which announced the concession offer Monday, is coordinating the cases, though is not conducting its own probe.

According to the Commission, Booking.com has proposed abandoning the parity requirement regarding hotel prices hotel groups can offer to rival online travel agents. That parity requirement, included in Booking.com contracts, forces hotels to offer the same or better hotel room prices to Booking.com as they do to other online or offline travel agencies.

Reports say the three regulators have until January 31 to respond to the offer.

Full content: Reuters

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