Guidance

Being transparent with your customers: a short guide for online accommodation booking sites

Published 26 February 2019

The CMA has identified serious concerns about certain practices commonly used in the online accommodation booking sector after an investigation into Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Hotels.com, ebookers and trivago who have given commitments to change their practices.

Following this investigation we have published principles to help your business comply with consumer law. If your business is using any of the practices highlighted, you need to make changes by 1st September 2019. We have set out our expectations on what you should and shouldn바카라 사이트檛 do below.

Why consumer law compliance matters

Using sales tactics like misleading pressure selling, misleading discount claims, not disclosing the role that money your business earns plays in search results바카라 사이트� rankings, and hidden charges can harm customers and the reputation of your industry. It also puts you at risk of breaking consumer protection law.

Who these principles apply to

• all online accommodation booking sites which offer services to UK consumers, including online travel agencies, search engines, big hotel groups and short-stay apartment rentals, as well as smaller businesses selling travel accommodation online, should make necessary changes by 1 September 2019

• online retailers who operate in other markets where similar marketing practices are prevalent should also consider reviewing their practices to ensure compliance with the law

Sales practices you must assess:

Search rankings

• prominently tell customers if the money you earn on bookings or 바카라 사이트渃licks바카라 사이트� affects the order of results the customer sees
• clearly label 바카라 사이트榩aid for바카라 사이트� search results 바카라 사이트� for example, if a hotel has paid for a pre-determined or prominent position, say so
• clearly differentiate 바카라 사이트榩aid for바카라 사이트� listings with those that aren바카라 사이트檛 바카라 사이트榩aid for바카라 사이트�

Reference prices

• don바카라 사이트檛 present something as a discount 바카라 사이트� by using 바카라 사이트渟trikethrough바카라 사이트� prices or savings claims 바카라 사이트� unless the offer gives a real saving on a 바카라 사이트渓ike for like바카라 사이트� basis
• if you바카라 사이트檙e making a 바카라 사이트渨as/now바카라 사이트� discount claim, make it clear what the 바카라 사이트渨as바카라 사이트� price relates to 바카라 사이트� was it for different stay dates or different occupancy?

Hidden charges

• be upfront about unavoidable fees, charges and taxes and always give the total price
• never try to hide unavoidable costs - revealing them towards the end of a purchase can be misleading and unfair

Pressure selling

• don바카라 사이트檛 use false or misleading messages about popularity and availability
• when making statements about availability, make sure you tell the whole story, for example 바카라 사이트榅X people have viewed this property in the last 30 minutes for different dates바카라 사이트�, 바카라 사이트楧estination Y is XX% booked on this site for your dates바카라 사이트� and 바카라 사이트極nly X rooms left at this price on this site바카라 사이트�

Businesses in the online accommodation booking sector must be fully compliant with the principles and consumer protection law by 1 September 2019.

Those who aren바카라 사이트檛 risk facing CMA enforcement action, which could lead to the CMA seeking a court order.

To find out more, see the CMA바카라 사이트檚 Consumer law: principles for online accommodation booking platforms.

If you are unsure whether a marketing practice complies with consumer protection law always seek legal advice.

This document is not legal advice and should not be relied upon as such.