Developing
Booking.com's response, incident figures and any penalty are not stated; the Commission acts "as a matter of priority".
In 60 seconds
- Three areas: fake and non-compliant listings, phishing risks tied to reservation and guest data and messaging, and paid higher-commission rankings that may not be clearly identifiable as ads.
- Suspected breaches: Articles 34 and 35 (systemic risk duties for very large platforms) and Article 26(1) (advertising transparency).
- Booking.com was designated a Very Large Online Platform on April 25, 2023; the case is IP/26/2223, with the Dutch ACM cooperating.
- Henna Virkkunen: "Europeans should be able to book their holidays without fear of being scammed."
Impact Layer
- What changed
- The EU is formally investigating how a major travel marketplace labels paid placements and handles scams.
- Why it matters
- Paid ranking labelled unclearly is an advertising transparency issue, which affects every marketplace that sells placement.
- Who is affected
- Marketplaces, travel and hospitality marketers and compliance teams.
- Martech stack area
- Advertising, Commerce
- Stack impact
- If you sell or buy paid placement on a marketplace, check how it is labelled to users and keep records of what you pay for.
- Business impact
- Moderate Based on PPC Land's reading of Commission documents. Fine amounts, deadlines, Booking.com's response, incident figures and whether boosted listings currently carry a label are not stated.
- Related technologies
- What to watch
- Booking.com's response and any commitments.
The European Commission opened formal Digital Services Act proceedings against Booking.com on October 21, 2026 (reference IP/26/2223), according to PPC Land. The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets cooperates, since Booking.com is established in the Netherlands.
Three areas of investigation
- Fake and non-compliant listings, including non-existent properties and impersonation fraud.
- Phishing risks tied to sharing reservation and guest data and to the messaging service.
- Paid higher-commission rankings that may not be clearly identifiable as ads.
Suspected breaches
Articles 34 and 35 (systemic risk duties for very large platforms) and Article 26(1) (advertising transparency). Booking.com was designated a Very Large Online Platform on April 25, 2023. The Commission’s review drew on information requests sent September 23, 2025 and May 26, 2026.
Official statement
Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen: “Europeans should be able to book their holidays without fear of being scammed.”
Not stated
Any fine or penalty ceiling, a deadline or expected length (“as a matter of priority” only), Booking.com’s response, figures on fake listings or phishing, the specific Booking.com legal entity and whether boosted listings currently carry a label.
Our read
If a placement is paid, say so clearly. That is the transparency rule the Commission is testing.
Sources
- PPC Land: Booking.com faces EU probe over scams and paid listings not labelled as ads (opens in a new tab)
Source for the proceedings, articles cited and what is not stated.