Concentration in Europe’s hotel distribution market has reached an unprecedented level. According to the seventh edition of the European Hotel Distribution Study, published by HOTREC on 15 September 2026, Booking Holdings and Expedia Group together account for more than 85% of bookings made via online travel agencies (OTAs) across the continent. Booking Holdings alone captures close to 70% of this market, up from around 60% in 2013.
HOTREC (Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés in Europe) is the European confederation of national associations for the hospitality, restaurant and café sector (the CHR/HORECA sector at European level). Some key facts about the organisation:
Headquarters: Brussels
Role: it represents the interests of the hospitality and restaurant sector before European institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the EU)
Members: national federations from more than 30 European countries (in France, this includes organisations such as UMIH or GNI, depending on the topic)
Topics covered: tourism regulation, VAT, employment law, online booking platforms (OTAs), sustainability, European tourism taxation, etc.
The study, conducted by Professor Roland Schegg of HES-SO Valais-Wallis in partnership with HOTREC and national hotel associations, draws on responses from 2,713 establishments across 28 countries, including 1,882 independent hotels and aggregated data covering 831 chain properties. It covers the 2025 financial year and forms part of a series of biennial barometers launched in 2013.
Direct booking holds up as OTAs gain ground
Despite this concentration, direct booking remains central to hotel distribution in Europe: 51.3% of bookings are made directly with hotels. OTAs account for 29.9% of total volume, up from 19.7% in 2013 — a rise of more than 10 percentage points in twelve years. Over the same period, the direct-booking share has fallen by 6 points.
This structural shift benefits a narrow group of players above all. Booking.com alone accounts for 66.1% of OTA bookings in Europe, a level that illustrates the extent of hoteliers’ dependence — particularly independents and SMEs in the sector — on a very small number of platforms.
Rate undercutting and multi-sourcing on the rise
Beyond commission-related concerns, the study documents a deterioration in commercial practices between OTAs and hoteliers. 51% of establishments surveyed report frequent or occasional rate undercutting by OTAs, up from 43% in 2023. Among the hotels affected, 80% say they did not agree to the lower rate.
Multi-sourcing — the redistribution of rates or availability by third-party intermediaries without the hotelier’s approval — affects 44% of establishments. Hoteliers report tangible consequences: rate inconsistencies, guest confusion, billing difficulties and loss of control over inventory.
HOTREC calls for firm enforcement of the DMA
For HOTREC, these findings reinforce the urgency of effective digital regulation. Booking Holdings has been designated a “gatekeeper” under the Digital Markets Act, while the Platform-to-Business (P2B) Regulation — which guarantees protections around transparency and fairness — is potentially being weakened by the Digital Omnibus proposal currently under discussion at the European Commission.
Alexandros Vassilikos, President of HOTREC, said that hotels need digital platforms, but they also need genuine choice, and that growing concentration must not translate into growing dependency. He added that Europe’s hotels, most of which are SMEs, need a competitive and transparent market in which they can choose how to reach their customers and retain control of their business.
Marie Audren, Director General of HOTREC, stressed the sector-wide reach of these rules. She said Europe’s digital rules do not concern only search engines, social networks or app stores, and that for thousands of hotels, a gatekeeper platform sits directly between the business and its customer. With 85% of OTA bookings passing through just two global groups, she added, rigorous enforcement of the Digital Markets Act is essential to protect competition, widen consumer choice, support innovation and safeguard Europe’s SMEs.
A still-moderate level of digital dependency
The study also finds that the use of artificial intelligence remains limited in the hotel sector, with only 26% of establishments currently using it. On the digitalisation of distribution tools, 66% of hotels use a channel manager, 58% are connected to metasearch engines, and 83% of connected establishments use Google Hotel Ads.
This publication comes as legal pressure on Booking.com also intensifies on the litigation front. More than 10,000 European hotels have joined a class action before the Amsterdam District Court, brought by the Stichting Hotel Claims Alliance and supported by HOTREC, over former rate-parity clauses.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
HOTREC’s 2026 European Hotel Distribution Study
Booking Holdings and Expedia Group together account for 85.4% of OTA bookings in Europe
Booking Holdings alone holds 68.8% of the OTA market; Booking.com represents 66.1%
Direct bookings remain resilient at 51.3%; OTAs account for 29.9%, up from 19.7% in 2013
51% of hotels report frequent or occasional OTA price undercutting, versus 43% in 2023
44% of hotels report OTA multi-sourcing affecting pricing, availability and inventory control
Study based on 2,713 hotels across 28 European countries, conducted by HES-SO Valais-Wallis and HOTREC
