Finance
Swiss price watchdog orders Booking.com to lower prices
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 21, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 21, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Swiss watchdog orders Booking.com to cut hotel commission rates by nearly 25%, citing high fees. Booking.com plans to appeal the decision.
ZURICH (Reuters) -Switzerland's price watchdog has ordered Booking.com to lower its prices in the country, finding that the online travel agency's commission rates for hotels are "abusively high," the supervisory body said on Wednesday.
In accordance with the order, Booking.com must reduce its commission rates for Swiss hotels by almost a quarter, the watchdog said in a statement.
Booking.com vowed to appeal the decision and said its rates would not change until the appeal process was resolved.
"We don't agree with a forced reduction in the cost of a product that is entirely optional," it said in a statement.
The Swiss watchdog said the cost reduction must be implemented three months after the ruling becomes legally binding, and would remain in effect for three years.
Earlier this week the Spanish government ordered Airbnb to withdraw over 65,000 listings for holiday rentals which it said violated existing rules from its platform.
The step was part of a broader Spanish crackdown on tourism rentals via sites such as Airbnb and Booking.com, which critics blame for contributing to a housing crisis in the country.
(Writing by Dave GrahamAdditional reporting by Paul ArnoldEditing by Madeline Chambers)
The Swiss price watchdog ordered Booking.com to lower its commission rates for hotels in Switzerland by almost a quarter.
Booking.com vowed to appeal the decision and stated that its rates would not change until the appeal process was resolved.
The cost reduction must be implemented three months after the ruling becomes legally binding and will remain in effect for three years.
Earlier this week, the Spanish government ordered Airbnb to withdraw over 65,000 listings for holiday rentals that violated existing rules.
The ruling is part of a growing scrutiny of online travel agencies like Booking.com and Airbnb, which are criticized for contributing to housing crises in various regions.
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