Reserving Holdings and Expedia Workforce have greater than 85% of the Ecu marketplace of on-line trip company (OTA)-facilitated bookings, in step with new analysis via HOTREC that still discovered 51% of all lodge bookings in Europe are made at once with the valuables.
The Ecu Resort Distribution Learn about 2026, in accordance with responses from 2,713 houses, discovered the OTA channel accounted for 29.9% of general lodge bookings in Europe, when put next with 51% direct and the rest 19% from offline trip businesses, excursion operators and wholesale corporations.
Some 69% of OTA bookings are facilitated throughout the channel’s two dominant avid gamers Reserving Holdings and Expedia Workforce, with a emerging pattern: OTA-facilitated bookings grew from 19% in 2013 to 29.9% in 2025.
With the Ecu lodge distribution sector now overwhelmingly concentrated within the arms of simply two OTAs, HOTREC – the consultant frame for the Ecu lodge sector – is urging Ecu regulators to put in force the Virtual Markets Act (DMA) and give protection to the transparency and redress provisions within the Platform-to-Industry (P2B) law, which units out equity requirements for on-line platforms. The Ecu Fee’s Virtual Omnibus initiative to lighten regulatory burden runs the danger of undermining the ones P2B provisions, in step with HOTREC.
“The expanding marketplace energy of the 2 on-line trip giants must be addressed to keep away from additional predation of motels via OTAs, in particular unbiased motels and SMEs,” mentioned HOTREC. “Lodges want virtual platforms, however in addition they want actual selection. Rising focus will have to no longer translate into rising dependency. Europe’s motels, maximum of them SMEs, desire a aggressive and clear market the place they are able to make a selection how they wish to succeed in their visitors and retain regulate in their trade.”
Issues about festival problems and the risk to innovation within the sector have been cited via the Ecu Fee in its choice to dam the proposed Reserving Holdings’ acquisition of Etraveli Workforce in 2023.
The learn about discovered 51% of motels see OTAs undercutting their charges on a common or occasional foundation – up 8 share issues since 2023 – and 44% of respondents cited OTA-multi sourcing of charges or availability as a topic, which creates pricing inconsistencies, confusion for visitors, billing demanding situations, unsuitable knowledge and diminished regulate of stock.
Expedia Workforce and Reserving Holdings didn’t remark at the findings.
In the meantime, the usage of synthetic intelligence via motels remains to be at an early degree, the learn about discovered: 26% of motels use the era – concentrated in better houses, lodge chains, city motels and higher-category motels.
