Booking.com taken to court

The Consumer Competition Claims Foundation (“CCC”) and the Consumentenbond are taking the next step in their collective redress case against Booking. The platform is being taken to court for abuse of dominance, restricting competition, and misleading consumers. CCC demands that Booking stops these practices and that the company is ordered to compensate Dutch consumers for the damages suffered. 
 
Bert Heikens, chairman of CCC: "At the end of June 2025, we launched a collective action against Booking together with the Consumentenbond. We then entered into discussions with Booking, but these did not lead to the desired outcome. Therefore, a next step was necessary. We have now summoned Booking to court. We are asking the court to stop Booking’s unlawful practices and to award damages to affected consumers." 
 
Underhanded practices
Sandra Molenaar, director of the Consumentenbond: “Over the past years, European regulators have repeatedly reprimanded Booking for restricting competition. The company claims that it has since stopped imposing illegal obligations on hotels. But in practice, it still pressures hotels, just not as explicitly. And consumers are the ones who suffer. They have been overpaying for their hotel rooms for years.”
 
Dark patterns
In addition to measures that restrict competition and drive up prices, Booking also uses dark patterns. The platform unfairly entices consumers to book a room. For example, the site pretends that there are only a few rooms left or that certain prices are temporary discounts. Such practices are not permitted. 
 
You can still register
All Dutch consumers who have booked at least one hotel room through Booking.com since January 1, 2013 can still register for the claim. This also applies to reservations made through other online hotel booking websites, such as Agoda and Expedia, or through a hotel's own website. Consumers suffered damages due to Booking’s conduct in all these cases. Depending on how often someone booked, the damages may amount to hundreds of euros per person.
 
Over 267,000 registrations
Since the campaign launched, more than 267,000 consumers have already registered. Molenaar: "Registration is still open, and the more victims join, the stronger our position against Booking becomes."