Italian authorities carried out inspections at the premises of Booking.com (Italia), the local company supporting Booking.com in Italy, Thursday (March 21) as part of an antitrust investigation.
The inspections were done by the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) and the Special Antitrust Unit of the Italian Financial Police, AGCM said in a Friday (March 22) press release.
The investigation is focused on allegations that Booking.com abused its dominant position in the online intermediation and booking services market, according to the release.
“According to the authority, Booking is implementing a strategy aimed at reducing the freedom of Italian hotels in setting prices for the online sales channels,” the release said. “This strategy is likely to result in exclusionary effects in the market for online hotel intermediation and booking services.”
Reached for comment by PYMNTS, a spokesperson from Booking.com said the company is fully…