A storm is brewing in Europe’s hospitality sector. More than 10,000 hotels from across the continent have filed a massive collective lawsuit against Booking.com, accusing the platform of abusing its market dominance and enforcing unfair pricing rules for nearly two decades.

For years, Booking.com required hotels to maintain price parity – a controversial policy, as it prevented them from offering lower room rates on their own websites. Any hotel that broke this rule risked being delisted, effectively disappearing from one of the world’s most powerful booking channels. On top of that, hotels had to surrender up to 17% in commission and fees on each reservation.

Although the European Court of Justice ruled against this pricing policy in 2024, hoteliers are now seeking financial compensation for the period between 2004 and 2024, arguing that the long-standing restrictions caused significant financial harm.

“European hoteliers have endured unfair conditions and excessive costs for far too long,” said Alexandros Vassilikos, president of HOTREC, the umbrella association representing hotels across Europe. “This lawsuit sends a clear message: digital market abuse will not go unanswered.”

The case is being brought in the Netherlands, where Booking.com is headquartered. It is being coordinated by Hotel Claims Alliance, a legal coalition backed by HOTREC and over 30 national hotel associations.

Organizers say the response has been overwhelming. Thousands of independent and chain hotels alike have already signed on. Due to the high volume of interest, the deadline to join the lawsuit has been extended to August 29.

If successful, the lawsuit could become a landmark case in the evolving battle over fair competition in the digital economy, and may force booking platforms worldwide to rethink how they deal with the hospitality industry.