Booking vs. hotels: Greek regulator examines possible abuse of dominant position

Greek Επιτροπή Ανταγωνισμού (Competition Commission) checks Booking.com in a case regarding possible abuse of a dominant position in the online hotel booking market.

The company proposed a set of obligations that, according to its version, should alleviate the regulator’s concerns.

We are talking about the market for electronic intermediation when booking hotel properties through online platforms known as Online Travel Agencies, or OTA. It is through such platforms that a significant part of tourists today search for, compare and book hotels.

As part of the investigation, Επιτροπή Ανταγωνισμού made proposals Booking.com B.V. for a public consultation. Market participants may submit comments in writing and under their own names before July 20, 2026. Late comments will not be considered.

As follows from the regulator’s message, the procedure is carried out on the basis of Article 25Γ of Law 3959/2011. This is not a final verdict or a fine. Now we are talking about checking the obligations proposed by Booking, which can be accepted if the regulator considers them sufficient to stop a possible violation.

What exactly does the regulator check?

The case concerns a possible violation of Article 2 of Law 3959/2011 and Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of EU. Both rules relate to the prohibition of abuse of a dominant position.

According to Επιτροπή Ανταγωνισμού, during the investigation, inspections were carried out at companies operating in the online travel platform market, both in Greece and abroad. Data from hotel properties across the country were also examined.

The regulator’s preliminary assessment points to serious concerns: Booking.com may be using a combination of commercial tools that limit the ability of other platforms to enter the Greek market or expand their presence.

In other words, the question is not only how much Booking charges hotels for bookings. The question is whether the system itself is structured in such a way that it is more profitable for the hotel to give the best conditions to Booking, while leaving competitors with worse prices, worse visibility and worse chances for a client.

Rating, promotion programs and discounts

Several Booking.com mechanisms came into focus:

• a mechanism for preset sorting of results, or Default Ranking Mechanism;
• “Recommended Accommodation Program”;
• Recommended Plus program;
• Booking Sponsored Benefit discount scheme.

According to the preliminary position of Επιτροπή Ανταγωνισμού, the combination of these tools can create incentives for hotels to offer Booking more favorable prices and conditions than competitive platforms.

Of particular interest is Booking Sponsored Benefit. As part of this scheme, the platform itself can reduce the apparent price of an object for the user to make the offer look more attractive. For the consumer, this looks like a discount. For competitors and hotels – as a tool that can increase dependence on the largest platform.

And here begins the most unpleasant question for the market: if the platform simultaneously controls the visibility of the hotel, the conditions for participation in promotion programs and the size of the discount, does the hotel still have real freedom to sell the room where it is more profitable for it?

Why is this important for Greek hotels

For Greece this story is especially sensitive. Tourism remains a key economic sector, with thousands of small and medium-sized hotels depending on online bookings.

For many properties, Booking.com has become not just a sales channel, but actually the main entrance to the client. This gives the platform enormous commercial power. The hotel may be dissatisfied with the commission, conditions or ranking rules, but often cannot completely leave Booking: then it simply disappears from the sight of a significant part of tourists.

Athens News has already written that European hoteliers are demanding compensation from Booking for many years of practices that, in their opinion, limited freedom of pricing and imposed unfavorable conditions on hotels.

See also: More than 10,000 hotels in Europe are demanding compensation from Booking.

The current Greek review fits into the same European context. Claims against Booking have long gone beyond the borders of one country: the dispute is about where a convenient platform for tourists ends and a digital intermediary begins, capable of dictating terms to an entire sector.

European background: Booking has already received a large fine

This is not the first time Booking.com has faced antitrust claims in Europe. In 2024, the Spanish Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia imposed a fine of €413 million on the company for abuse of a dominant position. Booking said it would appeal the decision.

They wrote about this Kathimerini And Money Review. The Spanish regulator, in particular, studied the terms of cooperation between the platform and hotels and the impact of these terms on competition.

In addition, there is an ongoing debate in Europe around the so-called “best prices” or rate parity clauses. These terms limited hotels’ ability to offer better rates on other channels, including their own websites. The EU Court of Justice indicated in 2024 that such conditions cannot automatically be considered necessary for the operation of the platform.

What can change

If Επιτροπή Ανταγωνισμού takes over Booking.com’s obligations, the company will have to change some of its commercial practices in the Greek market. This may affect how hotels appear in search results, how promotion programs work, and what incentives a hotel receives for providing better conditions to the platform.

For hoteliers, this potentially means more freedom in choosing sales channels. For competing platforms, this is a chance not to lose to the largest player even before the tourist has seen their offers. For tourists, the effect is more complex: in the short term, they may see fewer aggressive discounts, but in the long term, healthier competition should work in favor of choice and transparency.

But for now we are not talking about punishment or a recognized violation. Booking has proposed commitments, the market must express its opinion, and Επιτροπή Ανταγωνισμού must decide whether these measures are enough.

Main

The Greek regulator has not fined Booking.com and has not yet made a final decision. It checks for possible abuse of dominance and, until July 20, collects market opinions on the obligations proposed by the company itself.

For Greek tourism, this check is no less important than for Booking’s lawyers. Because behind the dry words about rankings, OTAs and Article 102 lies a simple question: who actually controls the price of a hotel room – the hotel, the market or the platform through which the tourist finds out that this room exists in the first place?

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