§4.3.6 Issues relevant in particular to travel booking websites

The UCPD is applicable not only to the traders offering the travel service, but also to intermediaries such as travel booking websites (416), which must comply with the key provisions addressed in previous sections. Consumers need to receive material information about the traders’ identity, contact details, applicable cancellation policies and core aspects of travel safety, e.g. whether tourist accommodations are equipped with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors or whether passenger transport services are offered with vehicles that are adequately inspected and insured. In 2019, the Commission and national authorities received commitments from Airbnb, in accordance with EU consumer law concerning the following practices (417): — Consumers must see the total price in the search results page, including all the applicable mandatory charges and fees (e.g. service, cleaning charges and local taxes); — Clearly distinguishing if an accommodation offer is put on the market by a private host or a professional; — Providing an easily accessible link to the ODR platform (418) on its website and all the necessary information related to dispute resolution; — Making it clear that consumers can bring a case before the courts of their country of residence and respecting the right to sue a host in case of personal harm or other damages; — Not unilaterally changing the terms and conditions without clearly informing users in advance and without giving them the possibility to cancel the contract. In 2020, the Commission and national authorities received commitments from Booking and Expedia, in accordance with EU consumer law, including on the following practices: (419) — Ensuring the clear presentation of price reductions and discounts, including not presenting prices calculated in relation to different stay dates as a discount (e.g. by using a strikethrough or terms such as ‘% off’) and making it clear if lower prices are only available to members of reward programmes; — Making it clear when payments received by accommodation providers have influenced their rankings in search results and including information in search results if it corresponds to the search criteria (e.g. in case the results show hotels that are not available in the specified dates, then they should only be presented in an appropriate manner); — Displaying statements about the number of visitors and availability in a clear manner and including the relevant qualifications, such as ‘limited rooms on this website’ or ‘for the same stay dates’; — Not falsely presenting an offer as time-limited if the offer will continue to be available at the same price also afterwards; — Not limiting or totally excluding liability in connection to the performance of contractual obligations, and not imposing a general and absolute obligation on the consumer to assume all possible risks.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-09-07