After several months of proceedings, Booking.com has revised its contractual terms applicable to French hoteliers. The online booking platform made these changes following a formal notice from the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), which highlighted clauses deemed unbalanced to the detriment of establishments.
Summary
Booking.com under scrutiny by the French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF)
As reported by L'Écho Touristique, the DGCCRF (French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control) issued a formal notice to Booking.com in July 2025 following an investigation into the commercial relationships between booking platforms and French hoteliers. The agency considered that certain clauses in the platform's terms and conditions of service did not comply with European law.
The Fraud Control Agency was targeting in particular provisions likely to restrict the pricing freedom of hoteliers, by limiting their ability to offer, on their own sales channels, prices different from those displayed on Booking.com.
Clauses modified before the set deadline
The French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) had granted Booking.com until December 31, 2025, to bring its contracts into compliance, under penalty of financial sanctions that could reach tens of millions of euros. According to information published by L'Écho Touristique, the platform made the required changes within the given timeframe.
In a press release published at the end of January 2026, the DGCCRF (French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control) confirmed that Booking.com had indeed amended its contractual terms. However, the agency indicated that it would remain vigilant regarding their compliance and effective implementation in the relationships between the platform and hoteliers.
A structured adaptation, without strategic reversal
Booking.com responded to the formal notice in the summer of 2025, stating that it was cooperating with the French authorities while contesting the substance of the analysis. The platform maintained at the time that its practices remained compliant with European regulations, while agreeing to adapt certain aspects of its contracts.
This development allows Booking.com to avoid legal proceedings, without calling into question its economic model based on intermediation and the visibility offered to partner establishments.
A signal awaited by hoteliers
From the professionals' perspective, this decision is seen as an important signal. Representatives of the hotel industry had been denouncing for several years what they considered unbalanced practices in their relationships with major booking platforms.
The changes to the terms and conditions could give establishments greater flexibility in their pricing strategy and direct distribution. It remains to be seen what the concrete impact of these changes will be on the ground and how they will translate into the day-to-day interactions between Booking.com and hoteliers.
Sources
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