Skift Take
Should Booking.com have the right to compel Spanish hotels what rates they can charge on their own websites? That is the heart of the issue.
Spain's competition authority in February levied a draft fine of $530 million against Booking.com, but issued a final ruling today lowering the penalty to around $446 million.
In its announcement Tuesday, the CNMC didn't specify why it lowered the fines some $90 million.
Parent company Booking Holdings already took a $530 million loss for the penalty in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The CNMC said Tuesday that Booking.com "committed two abuses of its dominant position," starting January 1, 2019. The regulator said Booking.com's hotel market position in Spain h