The Online Travel Booking Game in Europe Is About to Get Really Interesting
Photo Credit: Proposed rule changes in Europe about hotel prices may spur travelers to use travel-comparison sites even more to figure out which company offers the lowest room rates. Pictured is the pitchman for Trivago, Europe's Trivago
Skift Take
Greed may or may not be good, but in travel metasearch complexity is good. New rules in Europe may make searching for a hotel room online all the more difficult.
Despite contracts between hotel chains and online travel agencies that mandate all distributors get the same room rates as displayed on the hotels' own websites, in recent years there have been plenty of pricing disparities, irregularities, and promotions to make comparison shopping worthwhile.
But the news from Europe this week that Booking.com, the leading online hotel player, has reached a proposed agreement with regulatory authorities in France, Italy
