LONDON: Britain’s competition regulator said on Friday it would investigate hotel booking websites over its concerns that they did not help people find the best deals and were potentially breaking consumer law.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was concerned about the clarity, accuracy and presentation of information on sites, which could mislead consumers.
Major hotel booking site operators include US companies Expedia, Booking.com, which is owned by The Priceline Group, Hotels.com and Germany’s Trivago, which is majority owned by Expedia.
The CMA said it would examine how hotels were ranked, for example whether results were influenced by how much commission a hotel pays over the customer’s requirements, and the use of pressure selling, such as claims about how many rooms were left.
It also had concerns over the discounts advertised for the rooms and hidden charges, including taxes and booking fees.
CMA chief executive Andrea Coscelli said around 70 percent of people looking for a hotel last year used the sites and they should all be confident they were getting a good deal.
“To do this, sites need to give their customers information that is clear, accurate and presented in a way that enables people to choose the best deal for them,” he said.
“But we are concerned that this is not happening and that the information on sites may in fact be making it difficult for people to make the right choice.”
If the CMA finds that sites’ practices or claims are false or misleading and are breaking consumer law, it can take enforcement action.
Britain’s competition watchdog to investigate hotel booking sites
Britain’s competition watchdog to investigate hotel booking sites
No Saudi acquisition offers: FC Barcelona tells Al-Eqtisadiah
CAIRO: FC Barcelona has not received any offers, whether from Saudi Arabia or elsewhere, to acquire the club, according to an official source who spoke to Al-Eqtisadiah.
According to the source, the circulating news regarding the possibility of finalizing a deal to acquire the club in the coming period is a mere rumor.
Recent Spanish reports had indicated the possibility of a Saudi acquisition of Barcelona shares for around €10 billion ($11.7 billion), a move considered capable of saving the club from its financial crises if it were to happen, especially as it suffers from debts estimated at around €2.5 billion.
Sale not in management’s hands
Joan Gaspart, the former president of the club, confirmed that the current board of directors, chaired by Joan Laporta, does not have the right to dispose of the club’s ownership.
He added: “FC Barcelona is owned by about 150,000 members, and selling the club is something the owners will not accept. FC Barcelona possesses something no other club in the world has; money is very important, and so is passion, but the sentiment of the members today is to continue what the club has been for 125 years.”
High market value
Despite the financial crisis the club has been going through in recent years, FC Barcelona ranks sixth on the list of the world’s highest market value clubs, with an estimated value of €1.12 billion, according to Transfermarkt. Meanwhile, its rival Real Madrid tops the list with a market value of €1.38 billion.
