BOOKING.COM COMPLIED WITH THE REMEDIES IMPOSED BY FAS TO CEASE PARITY CLAUSES

The Dutch company informed FAS about the compliance with its remedies. Booking.com B.V. amended its General Conditions of Service and the Privileged Program and ceased to apply parity clauses to Russian hotels.

In December 2020, FAS completed antitrust investigations in relation to Booking.com B.V., following a complaint by the all-Russian Public Organization of Small and Medium-Sized Business OPORA RUSSIA.

FAS concluded that the company abused its dominant position in the market for the provision of services by aggregators of information about accommodation facilities.* Booking.com imposed on hotels and hostels an obligation to observe price and room parity, as well as the conditions for interaction with closed user groups.

This meant that hotels could not set lower prices for their services in other sales channels than on booking.com. They were also limited in their ability to freely provide their services on other websites.

FAS established that these parity clauses lead (or may lead) to restriction of competition in the market and harm the interests of hotels. Consequently, the authority ordered to the company to cease parity clauses.

*Violation of paragraph 2 part 1 article 10 of the Law on Protection of Competition.