Expedia Group Rules Out Charging Commissions on Hotel Resort Fees

Just three weeks after Booking Holdings began charging hotels commissions on their resort fees, Expedia Group ruled out doing likewise but will begin downgrading hotels in the sort order on the online travel company's websites when hotels charge consumers such resort fees. Cyril Ranque, president of Expedia Lodging Partner Services, told Skift exclusively that the company heard from "several disenchanted and even furious" hotel partners about Booking.com's move to impose commissions on hotels' resort fees globally. "Booking's unilateral and, frankly, blunt move is pretty typical of their playbook with hotels," Ranque said. "We've seen this many times in Europe where their position allows them to get away with this kind of approach. And this is simply not how Expedia Group conceives the partnership we want to have with the lodging industry." Ranque added: "I'm not particularly surprised at their action," referring to Booking Holdings' new hotel commission stance. B