The Spanish antitrust authorities have imposed a fine of more than 400 million euros on the booking platform Booking.com for anti-competitive behavior. Booking.com has abused its dominant market position for years, the CNMC announced on Tuesday. It imposes unfair conditions on hotels and hinders competitors. The company rejected the allegations and announced that it would appeal against the decision.
According to the CNMC, Spanish hotels are not allowed to offer rooms cheaper on their own websites than on Booking.com. At the same time, the booking platform often grants its customers discounts without first consulting the hotels. In the event of disputes with the US company, Spanish hotels must also appeal to Dutch courts. The antitrust watchdogs also criticize the bonus program for hotels that do a lot of business via the platform. This makes it more difficult for competitors to also conclude contracts with these accommodations.