Aphort is joined by European action against Booking

The Portuguese Association of Hospitality, Restoration and Tourism (Aphort) announced on Wednesday that it will join the European collective action against Booking. The action against the digital platform for worldwide accommodation reserves is due to anticoncurrent commercial practices.

Booking.com, one of the largest accommodation reserve sites in the world, is facing a European collective hotel action from various countries, including Portugal, due to abusive and anti -confidential practices.

In a statement, Aphort indicates that it is associated with “a historic European collective action against Booking.com, following the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (TJUE) of September 19, 2024.

The decision concluded that the parity clauses imposed by the platform to hotels violate the right to competition from the European Union (EU).

The action has the support of the National Hospitality Associations of Germany, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Islandia, Italy, Lithony, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania and Switzerland.

The initiative also has the support of Hotrec – the European Hospitality Confederation – and more than 25 sector’s national associations across Europe.

« As an association that represents and defends the interests of the hotel sector, in the national and European context, Aphort wants, with this support, to give the Portuguese entrepreneurs the opportunity – whether or not our associates – who can have been impaired by the work of Booking.com over the years to enforce their rights, recover losses and contribute to a fairer online market, » Aphort President Inês cited in the same statement sent to the media.

In 2021, Booking.com unilaterally decided to end compensation negotiations with the German Hospitality Association and advanced with legal proceedings against several hundred German hotels with the Amsterdam District Court.

One of the results of the case was the judgment of the European Union Court of September 19, 2024, which confirmed the conclusions of the German competition authority, recognizing that the parity clauses violate the EU competition rules.

Aphort, quoted by Lusa, says that « the use of anti -centered parity clauses by Booking.com caused significant financial losses to hotel units in Portugal and throughout Europe. »