It’s easy to assume you’re getting the best deal when booking online. But behind those flashy discounts and “only 1 room left” messages, things aren’t always what they seem.
Here are some of the hotel booking tactics under scrutiny:
Price parity clauses
Booking platforms often prevent hotels from offering lower prices elsewhere, even on their own websites. This keeps prices artificially high and limits your ability to shop around.
Fake discounts
“Was £200, now £150!” sounds like a bargain. But that “original price” might never have been real. Platforms can inflate starting prices to make discounts seem bigger than they are.
Incomplete pricing
Taxes and fees are often added late in the booking process, making it harder to compare offers fairly.
Made-up scarcity
Messages like “Only 2 rooms left!” or “12 people viewing this now!” can pressure you into rushing a decision, even if the urgency isn’t real.
Booking platforms in the spotlight
These tactics are being challenged in court in the Netherlands, and there’s growing interest in launching similar claim in the UK against Booking.com.
If you’ve booked a hotel room online since 2013, it’s worth checking if you might be affected – even if you booked through a different platform or directly with a hotel.
What can you do to get the best deal?
While the legal action is ongoing, there are a few things you can do right now to avoid being caught out by unfair pricing tactics:
- Compare prices across multiple sites – but also check the hotel’s own website. You might find a better rate or added extras like free breakfast or late checkout.
- Clear your cookies or use incognito mode to prevent dynamic pricing based on your browsing behaviour.
- Watch out for fake urgency – don’t let countdown timers or “1 room left” messages pressure you into a quick booking.
- Read the small print so you’re not surprised by extra fees at checkout or on arrival.
- Take screenshots of prices or discounts in case you need to challenge them later.
Ultimately, these issues shouldn’t fall on you to navigate. That’s why legal action is so important – to bring accountability and transparency to the platforms themselves.
Join the Claim
Want to be the first to know if a UK legal claim is launched? Register your interest now.
