Price parity: Industry torn

Bonn. The German Federal Cartel Office expressed its competitive concerns about the "best rate clause" of the online travel agent HRS from Cologne in an official communication yesterday at noon. "After examining the statement of the hotel portal HRS and all other leading market participants, the German Federal Cartel Office issued another written warning to HRS for violating German and European competition law", says the statement. After the first warning in February 2012, HRS received the second and more detailed warning from the competition authorities. Tobis Ragge, Managing Director of HRS, has not given in, however. The German Hotel Association is "exceptionally" pleased about the Cartel Office's decision and hopes that the rate sovereignty will now fall back to the hotels.