Greece’s Competition Commission has launched a public consultation regarding a series of behavioral commitments proposed by Booking.com. The platform’s proposal follows a thorough investigation into whether the global travel giant has systematically abused its dominant market position within the Greek hotel booking ecosystem. To determine if these measures adequately restore fair competition, the regulator is inviting local hoteliers, rival platforms, and industry stakeholders to submit formal feedback.
The initial antitrust probe was triggered by a formal complaint looking into Booking.com’s operations as an Online Travel Agency (OTA). Following extensive local and international market sweeps across Greece, the Competition Commission raised severe concerns that Booking.com has been leveraging its market power to box out competing OTAs and throttle industry expansion.
At the heart of the antitrust investigation is a calculated ecosystem of platform incentives and algorithms that the regulator suspects blocks fair market play. The probe targets three core mechanisms:
- Algorithmic Favoritism: The combined deployment of the platform’s Default Ranking Mechanism, the Preferred Accommodation Program, and the Preferred Plus Program.
- Enforced Best Prices: Regulators preliminarily estimate that these visibility programs give Greek hotels heavy structural incentives to offer Booking.com much more favorable room rates and booking terms than they provide to rival, third-party platforms.
- Unilateral Under-pricing: The system is further compounded by the Booking Sponsored Benefit (BSB) program, under which Booking.com can unilaterally discount hotel room rates. The regulator notes this practice ensures the platform keeps a tight grip on the lowest online prices, rendering local and smaller digital competitors incapable of undercutting it.
Taken together, the Competition Commission believes these practices work to the extreme detriment of third-party platforms and local tourism businesses, potentially violating both Greek antitrust law and Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
To avert formal anti-monopoly prosecution and halt the suspected violations, Booking.com executives held intensive preparatory meetings with Greek officials, culminating in the newly proposed package of remedy commitments.
The antitrust authority has given market participants a distinct, time-sensitive window to scrutinize and evaluate Booking.com’s proposed concessions. Interested entities must submit their formal, named feedback electronically to the regulator before the fast-approaching deadline on July 20, 2026. Submissions must outline whether these proposed changes go far enough to loosen Booking.com’s pricing chokehold and re-establish a level playing field for Greek hospitality operators.