ROME, April 22 (Reuters) - Italy's antitrust regulator said on Wednesday it had opened an investigation into Booking.com and two of its units for alleged unfair commercial practices linked to how
Italy's antitrust probes Booking.com over partner programmes
Overview of the Antitrust Investigation
Background and Allegations
ROME, April 22 (Reuters) - Italy's antitrust regulator said on Wednesday it has opened an investigation into Booking.com over alleged unfair commercial practices linked to how hotels are ranked and presented on its platform.
Booking.com's Response
Booking.com said that it was cooperating with the Italian watchdog, which said that the company presents hotels and other lodgings enrolled in its "Preferred Partner" and "Preferred Partner Plus" programmes as being selected on the basis of service quality and value for money.
Criteria for Programme Inclusion
The Italian authority said in a statement that inclusion in the programmes, which receive better positioning in search results and greater visual prominence, however, appeared to be based on criteria that favour accommodation providers offering higher commissions to Booking.com.
Booking.com's Defence
Booking.com said in a statement that its partner programmes were optional for accommodation providers and complied with consumer protection regulations, "while ensuring a balance between the interests of our partners and allowing customers to continue benefiting from a wide range of choice".
Regulatory Actions and Next Steps
The Italian regulator said it had carried out inspections on Tuesday at the premises of Booking.com's Italian unit, with the assistance of Italy's finance police, as part of the probe, which is targeting Booking.com B.V. and its units Booking.com International B.V. and Booking.com (Italy) S.r.l.
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti; Editing by Gavin Jones and Alexander Smith)
