Authority concerned that Booking.com may be presenting accommodation providers in the “Preferred Partner” and “Preferred Plus” programmes as selected on the basis of service quality and value for money, even though the relevant eligibility criteria do not appear to ensure that those standards are met.

The Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation into Booking.com B.V., Booking.com International B.V. and Booking.com (Italia) S.r.l. for engaging in unfair commercial practices. In particular, Booking.com seems to offer accommodation providers belonging to the Preferred Partner Programme (and its premium tier Preferred Plus) greater visibility in search results within the platform, increased graphic prominence, and claims highlighting service quality and value for money. This is despite the fact that the eligibility criteria for those programmes do not appear to justify the advantages afforded to those providers.

In the Authority’s view, selection for the Preferred Partner Programme appears to be driven largely by criteria that favour accommodation providers paying higher commissions to Booking.com, rather than by the quality of what they offer. As a result, the way those providers are presented, together with claims by Booking.com highlighting their quality, may mislead consumers into believing that, all else being equal, they offer better overall value for money than providers not in the programme. This could even lead consumers to book accommodation that is, on average, more expensive.

Inspections at the premises of Booking.com (Italia) S.r.l. were carried out yesterday by the Authority’s officials, assisted by the Special Antitrust Unit of the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza).

Rome, 22 April 2026