EU pushes for unified reporting in short-term rental sector
The reforms target a rapidly growing European short-term rental sector where differing national rules have made cross-border data comparison and market assessment difficult.
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Amsterdam Court Backs Key Booking.com Arguments in German Hotel Price Parity Case
An Amsterdam court has upheld key elements of Booking.com’s position in a long-running dispute over hotel price parity rules in Germany, a decision that could have significant implications for online travel agency relationships and hotel…
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OpenAI's 'stunning admission': Maybe people don't want to book stuff inside ChatGPT
Not so long ago, OpenAI would announce a grand expansion, and stocks in the relevant sector would swoon. Now, the opposite is happening.
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Food for Thought: Why Hospitality is Over Dependent on the OTAs?
Hospitality is the most dependent on the OTAs, compared to all other travel sectors: airlines, car rental companies and cruise lines.
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Booking.com and hotels increasingly go their separate ways
Hotels are reporting a significant recent drop-off in sales from online travel agencies (OTAs), particularly Booking.com, after “leaning” away from them in recent years, alongside other broader industry trends…
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OTAs Undercut Hotel Direct Rates in 75% of Searches
Biannual World Parity Monitor reveals the scale of price pressure on hotel direct channels — and where hotels still hold the advantage
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Research: OTAs Dominate as Primary Source in AI-Powered Hotel Discovery
Cloudbeds has released a new report titled The Signals Behind Hotel AI Recommendations. The study is the first in the hospitality industry to examine in detail how generative AI platforms identify and recommend hotels to travelers…
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Should the Government be Regulating Commissions Hotels Pay to the OTAs?
Recently, the Switzerland’s price watchdog (Der Preisüberwacher / Le surveillant des prix) ruled that Booking’s hotel commissions were 'abusively high' and ordered the OTA to lower them by 25% for Swiss hotels…
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What is a metasearch engine? The ultimate guide for hotels
When travellers search for a hotel, they’re not just browsing, they’re comparing…
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How GDS Commission Shares Impact Global Hotel and Agency Revenue
Part one of this two-part series explores the global landscape for GDS commission shares, which represent tens of millions of dollars in revenue for travel management companies and agencies. A better understanding of gaps by region, country, and…
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New study: If You Spend $89 on OTA Commissions, Your Hotel's Occupancy Will Be 100%
According to research undertaken by Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in February 2025, hotels see strong financial returns from commissions paid to the OTAs.
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How to overcome revenue managers’ aversion to the direct online channel?
Recently, a revenue manager reacted to my LinkedIn post about independent hoteliers’ overdependence on the OTAs by stating Even with the best intentions, money and talent, there's no way independents can beat the big OTA's in search and make money…
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Hotels + OTAs: A love-hate relationship that needs to change
Online travel agents (OTAs) have been made the arch-enemy of hotel direct bookings – a narrative we’ve seen across the sector due to the volume of bookings and high commission costs they command. But if hotels can reframe their thinking, OTAs are a…
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Europe gains pricing control as hotels tackle rate parity
The European hotel market is leading in price parity by outperforming OTAs and Metasearch engines with more aggressive pricing, according to the World Parity Monitor by 123Compare.me, giving hotels real-time control of its pricing distribution…
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How the DMA Protects OTA Giants and Destroys Independent Hotels. The EU’s Digital Market Disaster
When the European Union introduced the Digital Markets Act (DMA), it was supposed to revolutionize the digital economy, it promised fairness but delivered chaos.
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German Hotel Association Sees Optimism in Greece’s Case Against Booking.com
Markus Luthe, Chief Executive Officer of the German Hotel Association (IHA), has extended an invitation to Greek hoteliers to join a collective legal action challenging Booking.com’s controversial use of rate parity clauses. These clauses restrict…
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