European Court of Justice shows Booking the red card

Booking.com has faced multiple protests in front of its headquarters in Amsterdam in the last months, driven by allegations of listing properties in Israeli settlements within the occupied Palestinian territories. The company’s dominant position in Europe has also come under criticism as the EU officially designates Booking.com a "gatekeeper".

Is Booking.com's "Travel Sustainable" program considered greenwashing? The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) didn't use that word but certainly highlighted a lack of clarity. 

Booking Holdings reported a record year in 2023 - and is also defending itself against a hefty fine from the Spanish supervisory authorities for alleged anti-competitive practices. The company must also notify the European Commission of its potential categorisation as a "gatekeeper", which entails new regulations.

The Italian tax authorities and the online travel portal booking.com have settled a long-standing dispute over the payment of more than 150 million euros in VAT. The tax authorities are also putting pressure on Airbnb over several hundred million euros. At the same time, the EU is demanding more data transparency.