High-profile hotel booking websites including Expedia and Trivago were accused of misleading customers about room prices and availability. 

Investigations conducted by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that six travel sites regularly used tactics such as:

• Hidden charges (not displaying the full cost of a room upfront, including taxes, fees, and additional charges)

• Misleading discounts (claiming discounts that were not genuine or comparing different types of rooms), and 

• Pressure selling (using tactics to encourage customers to book quickly without fully considering their options.)

Investigations also revealed discrepancies between prices offered on mobile devices and laptops, with some "mobile exclusive" deals not providing actual savings.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) took enforcement action against six major booking sites - Agoda, Booking.com, ebookers, Expedia, Hotels.com, Trivago -  giving them until September 1, 2019, to make required changes or face further action. 

➕ September 2019. Booking.com was found to be using misleading availability claims after the deadline.