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Germany to Booking.com: End ‘best price’ clause

Germany’s antitrust regulator ordered online travel agent Booking.com to end a practice that restricts hotels from offering rooms at lower prices on their own websites.

The Bundeskartellamt said on Wednesday that the “best price” clauses in Germany violate fair competition rules and must be discontinued by January 31, 2016. The hotels had to offer Booking.com their lowest room prices, maximum room capacity and best booking and cancelation conditions.

Cartel office president Andreas Mundt said the clause restricts competition among hotel reservation portals and among hotels themselves. The cartel is also investigating portal Expedia.com.

Booking.com NV is based in the Netherlands and is part of the Priceline Group. 

Read more at the Telegraph Times.

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