Collective Action against Booking.com

Following strong demand and in light of the summer season, the deadline to register for the European class action lawsuit against Booking.com has been extended to 29 August 2025.

Hotels across Europe, including Northern Ireland, can now join a collective legal action against Booking.com due to unfair contract terms known as “parity clauses.” These clauses stopped hotels from offering better rates on their own websites than what was listed on Booking.com. This practice inflated commission fees and restricted fair competition.

Why Does This Matter?

• Legal Rulings Confirmed the Problem: Courts in Germany and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) have ruled that Booking.com broke competition laws by using these clauses from 2004 to 2024.
• Hotels Lost Money: Due to these clauses, hotels paid artificially high commissions (often around 30% more) and were blocked from promoting their own, cheaper direct booking options.
• You Can Claim Compensation: Hotels are entitled to financial compensation for these losses.

How It Works

• A group called Hotel Claims Alliance (HCA) has been created under Dutch law to manage this legal process.
• The action is supported by HOTREC and national hotel associations.
• NIHF is working with the Irish Hotels Federation to support this action.
• A professional legal team and economists are handling the case, with costs covered by a litigation funder (you pay nothing unless the case wins).
• If successful, hotels will receive damages minus a small share for legal costs.
• If your hotel was on Booking.com between 2004–2024, you are eligible.
• This includes Northern Ireland hotels, even though the UK left the EU in 2020.

Next Steps

1. Register before 29 August 2025 at: www.mybookingclaim.com
2. Make sure you choose Northern Ireland has your region using the dropdown GB-NIR.
3. The process is quick, risk-free, and handled by experienced professionals.

You can find more details in the attached documents including a summary, the main brochure for the Collective Action, a summary of the Participation Agreement and some Frequently Asked Questions.

We are here to help answer any other queries you might have.