UK Watchdog Probes Marriott, Hilton, IHG Over Suspected Data Sharing

Key Points

• The UK's Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and CoStar over suspected sharing of sensitive pricing data via the STR analytics platform.
• Hotel companies and CoStar are cooperating with the investigation, which aims to determine if data sharing has impacted competition and consumer pricing.
• Similar concerns have arisen previously, including lawsuits in the U.S. alleging price-fixing among hotels using STR, though some cases have been dismissed.

Summary

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and CoStar over alleged sharing of sensitive pricing and commercial information through the STR hotel data analytics tool. The inquiry seeks to determine whether this data sharing has dampened competition and led to higher prices for consumers. While the companies involved are cooperating with the investigation, the CMA emphasized that no conclusions have been reached regarding any breach of competition law. Similar cases involving hotel data analytics have also surfaced in the U.S.