The Hellenic Hotel Chamber of Commerce has announced that it supports the pan -European collective education against Booking.com. This action follows the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union (WEU) on September 19, 2024, which ruled that the platform’s equivalence clauses violated EU competition legislation. This initiative is actively supported by more than 25 National Hoteliers’ Associations across Europe.

In 2021, Booking.com unilaterally interrupted negotiations for compensation with the German Hoteliers Association (IHA) and launched legal proceedings against hundreds of German hotels at the Amsterdam Court of First Instance. In the midst of this (pending) procedure was the decision of the EU Court of Justice on September 19, 2024, which confirmed the findings of the Federal Competition Authority of Germany, that Booking.com’s equivalence clauses that Booking.com violated European legislation about competition. This has led to the possibility of claiming compensation for hotels throughout Europe, which is now sought through a collective education with the support of Hotrec.

As the FEAL points out, for the last 20 years, the equivalence clauses have set Greek hotels to a serious competitive disadvantage. They limited prices competition between booking.com and other online platforms, leading hotels to pay increased supplies. In addition, the clauses limited the hotels than to offer better prices or availability to their own websites, limiting their immediate sales and autonomy.

Briefly: Booking.com’s use.com, which circumvents competition, has caused significant financial damage to the country’s hotel businesses.

According to the general principles of European competition law, hotels in Greece have the right to claim compensation from Booking.com for the financial losses they suffered and may be entitled to recover a significant portion of the supplies paid to Booking.com from 2004 to 2024, plus interest.

“This is an essential opportunity for Greek hoteliers to exercise their legal rights and to seek to repair the damage they have suffered, while contributing to the formation of a fairer digital environment in the tourism market.” said the president of the FIE Alexander Vassilikos

The case will be directed and supported by a team of specialized and recognized competition legal and economists who have already achieved the WEU decision on September 19, 2024.

All hotels in Greece are invited and encouraged to register with MyBookingclaim.com. The FEE will send guidelines and in -depth briefing to members of registration on the platform and the required documentation. The deadline for participation is July 31, 2025.

As the FEE points out, the WEU decision in 2024 (Case C-264/23) confirmed that Booking.com’s equivalence clauses, ie conventional terms that banned hotels from offering lower prices Better availability through other channels violated EU competition rules. These clauses led to increased procurement rates, suppression of immediate bookings and distorting competition in online bookings.

The legal claim is coordinated by the Stichting Hotel Claims Alliance and will be filed with the Netherlands courts, allowing a single and efficient approach to imposing law at a pan -European level.

The action is supported by the National Hoteliers’ Associations of the following states:

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway