Are you planning on booking accommodation soon?
October 6, 2015
Booking.com, Europe’s largest online travel agent has made changes to its terms and conditions following an investigation by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. The Commission looked at certain pricing and availability restrictions that Booking.com placed on Irish accommodation providers who advertised with them. As a result of this investigation accommodation providers can now offer cheaper rates through different online travel agents and consumers who contact them directly. For example, by email, over the phone, face to face or through the ‘members only’ section on their website.
Our main area of concern related to the “Best Price Guarantee” offered by Booking.com to consumers. They agreed to match lower rates for the same room found by consumers elsewhere. To ensure this “Best Price Guarantee” offer Booking.com restricted accommodation providers from offering a lower price through other online travel agents or directly to consumers. If a consumer found a cheaper rate for the same room elsewhere, accommodation providers had to pay the difference in cost to Booking.com. This meant that the lowest price available to consumers was controlled by Booking.com, limiting competition across other channels. Booking.com can continue to offer consumers a ‘Best Price Guarantee’ but it must now pay the cost of that guarantee.
Book the best deal for you
You may think that by using one travel comparison website this will guarantee you the cheapest rate but this is not always the case. As well as checking the cost of accommodation on an online travel site, it is also worthwhile contacting the hotel directly to see if you can get a better deal.
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