Over 1,000 Greek hoteliers have joined the escalating legal battle against the online travel agency (OTA) platform Booking.com. This collective action, announced by Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH) President Alexandros Vassilikos during the 13th General Assembly at the Xenia 2025 exhibition, is part of a much wider, pan-European lawsuit.
The core of the dispute challenges the platform’s long-standing rate-parity clauses. Hoteliers argue that these contractual terms distort competition and severely undermine their ability to manage and price their own room inventory freely, effectively limiting direct booking incentives.
The legal momentum stems from a pivotal ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). This decision determined that “narrow” or “most-favored-nation” (MFN) parity clauses are not necessary to ensure the economic viability of OTAs.
Greek hoteliers join 15,000 hospitality businesses across Europe against Booking.com
What are parity clauses? These contractual terms typically fall into two categories:
- Narrow parity: Prevents the hotel from offering lower rates on its own website than on the OTA’s platform. (This is the primary target of the current lawsuit.)
- Wide parity: Prevents the hotel from offering lower rates on any other channel (including rival OTAs) than on the OTA’s platform. (This has been largely outlawed in many EU countries already).
The ruling opened the door for individual hotels and national hotel associations, such as the HCH, to pursue damages and contest practices viewed as restrictive or unfair business conduct under EU competition law. This legal shift has inspired more than 15,000 hospitality businesses across Europe to take legal steps against Booking.com.
Related: Short-Term Rentals in Greece Hit Record High in July as Hotels See Decline
Sector urgency and the EU’s Digital Markets Act
HCH President Alexandros Vassilikos emphasized the significance of this joint action, stating that hoteliers must be the “true owners of their product” and have worked with European partners to stop the unfair practices of major digital platforms.
The industry’s focus is now heavily centered on ensuring compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA aims to make digital markets fairer and more contestable by imposing strict rules on large online platforms designated as “gatekeepers”—a group that includes major OTAs.
Related: The Top Ten Most Luxurious Hotels and Resorts in Greece
