Booking Holdings and Expedia Group control more than 85% of hotel bookings from online travel agencies (OTAs) in Europe, according to research.
HOTREC’s European Hotel Distribution Study 2026, based on feedback from 2,713 properties, found the OTA channel accounts for 29.9% of bookings, while the remainder is made up of bookings from offline travel agencies, tour operators and wholesale companies.
The organization, which represents hotels in Europe, also revealed that 51% of booking are made directly with hotels.
Of the OTA bookings, almost 69% go through Booking Holdings, according to the study.
Given the dominance of OTAs, HOTREC wants European regulators to enforce the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Its figures show that in 2013 only 19% of bookings went through OTAs, and that by 2025 this had risen to 29.9%.
The body also wants to ensure that transparency and redress elements within the Platform-to-Business (P2B) regulation, which established fairness rules for e-commerce platforms, are maintained. HOTREC believes the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus, aimed at cutting red tape, puts the P2B at risk.
Booking Holdings was designated a gatekeeper under the DMA in 2024.
HOTREC said in its study that the increasing control by the two online travel companies “matters particularly for Europe’s independent hotels and SMEs, due to increasing dependency and risks to innovation in the sector.”
“Hotels need digital platforms, but they also need genuine choice. Growing concentration must not translate into growing dependency,” said Alexandros Vassilikos, president of HOTREC. “Europe’s hotels, most of them SMEs, need a competitive and transparent marketplace where they can choose how to reach their guests and remain in control of their own business.”
The innovation concern was also raised by the European Commission when it blocked Booking Holdings’ acquisition of Etraveli Group in 2023.
The study also asserted that OTAs undercut prices “frequently or occasionally,” according to 51% of hotels, an increase of eight percentage points since 2023.
Many hotels (44%) also reported “OTA multi-sourcing,” with rates or availability redistributed through other platforms with the potential for “price inconsistencies, guest confusion, billing difficulties, incorrect information and reduced control over inventory.”
Expedia Group declined to comment on the study. PhocusWire has also reached out to Booking Holdings.
The study also revealed that the adoption of artificial intelligence is at an early stage, with only about a quarter of hotels (26%) using the technology. Those using it tend to be larger hotels, chains, urban hotels and higher-category properties.