14 DAY TRIAL // Hotel booking service Booking.com has agreed to make a series of changes to the platform following discussions with the European Commission and national consumer authorities, according to an EU press announcement.
Booking.com has been accused of using misleading tactics to trick customers into paying for accommodation, including misrepresentation of discounts and deceptive time-limited offers.
The European Commission says Booking.com will make changes to “the way it presents offers, discounts, and prices to consumers,” and the platform says all updates would be implemented by June 16, 2020.
Promised changes
First and foremost, Booking.com will modify the way it informs consumers of the “last room available.” This message will clearly indicate that it only refers to Booking.com, and it doesn’t represent the last room available in a specific hotel.
Additionally, Booking.com will no longer display an offer as time-limited if the same price is available after the time expires. Total prices for consumers, including taxes and other fees, will also be displayed in a clearer way, Booking.com says, and sold-out accommodation will be placed in a position that makes more sense on search results page (not among the first results).
Furthermore, the platform says it will implement clearer indicators of accommodation offered by private hosts and professionals and make sure that price comparisons presented to users are genuine savings.
National consumer protection authorities will work with Booking.com to make sure these changes are correctly implemented, the EU Commission says.
“As a market leader, it is vital that companies like Booking.com meet their responsibilities in this area, ensuring that online accommodation reservation systems are free from manipulative techniques such as hiding sponsoring in ranking, unduly putting time pressure on users or misrepresenting rebates. The European Commission and national consumer authorities will continue to monitor all online travel platforms to ensure a fair online environment for consumers,” Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice and Consumers, said.
Earlier this year, Booking.com reached 3 billion reservations at all property offerings since 2007. The platform provides accommodation in 148,000 destinations and 220 countries.