Expedia Faces Antitrust Suit Over 15% to 30% Hotel Price Inflation
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 16
Expedia Faces Antitrust Suit Over 15% to 30% Hotel Price Inflation
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 16
Summary
An Oct. 2 lawsuit in federal court in Washington accuses Expedia Group of forcing millions of travelers to pay inflated hotel rates and seeks class-action status.
The complaint says Expedia used rate-parity clauses to stop hotels from offering cheaper prices on their own websites, loyalty portals or call centers, while making hotels less visible if they undercut Expedia elsewhere.
Plaintiffs allege the practice pushed hotel prices up 15% to 30%—roughly Expedia’s commission—even for customers who never booked through Expedia’s platforms.
Expedia, whose brands include Hotels.com, Travelocity, Orbitz and CheapTickets, called the allegations meritless and said it has delivered transparency and competitive value for more than 30 years.
The case argues Expedia’s leading U.S. online travel-agency position left hotels little choice but to accept the terms, framing the dispute as a broader antitrust challenge to hotel pricing.