Spanish antitrust watchdog CNMC announced on Monday that it will investigate Dutch hotel booking company Booking.com for any potential unfair business practices that could be harming hotels and competing online travel firms in the nation.
The procedures were the result of two complaints made by the Madrid Hotel Business Association and the Spanish Association of Hotel Managers (AEDH), according to the regulator’s statement. Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which forbids businesses from exploiting a dominating market position, as well as Spain’s antitrust rules were mentioned as reasons to suspect that Booking.com may have violated them.
“Those activities need to stop,” AEDH President Manuel Vegas told Reuters.
According to reports, the watchdog will look into the situation over the following 18 months. Booking.com might be subject to fines ranging from €100,000 (almost $98,000) to more than €10 million ($9.8 million) for each violation of Spanish antitrust legislation.
The complainants claimed the booking website had introduced regulations that might have an exclusive effect on other online travel agents and online sales channels, as well as unfair terms on hotels in Spain. According to the watchdog, it could have also taken advantage of Spanish hotels that depend on the well-known website for lodging for their financial support.
In a statement, Booking.com stated that it would assist the inquiry by providing any information pertaining to its operations in Spain.
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