Booking.com again accused of hotel price fixing

Hotel booking site Booking.com is once again in trouble with the German regulator Bundeskartellamt for price fixing and distorting the competition, news wire ANP reports. Earlier this year the regulator already reprimanded the site for making illegal agreements with hotels which meant that Booking.com could always guarantee the lowest price and best conditions for booking rooms. These agreements were adjusted in July so that hotels no longer have to promise customers that bookings through Booking.com will always be cheaper. But on the hotel's own websites, they are still not allowed to offer their rooms at a lower price than Booking.com. According to the watchdog, that agreement is also unacceptable and has to be scrapped from all contracts with German hotels by the end of next month.