Tourism Hotels are increasingly suffering from price undercutting by platforms
According to Hotelleriesuisse, more and more Swiss hotels are being confronted with price undercutting on booking platforms. As a result, hotels are coming under pressure and increasingly losing control over their pricing.
19.05.2026, 11:41
SDA
According to a new study by the industry association Hotelleriesuisse, Swiss hotels are coming under increasing pressure from so-called price undercutting on online booking platforms. Undercutting involves hotel rooms being offered cheaper on platforms such as Booking.com or Expedia than by the hotels themselves - often without their consent.
Around half of the hotels surveyed were affected by such price undercutting in 2025, compared to 40 percent in the previous year. In 83 percent of cases, the hotels did not agree to the lower prices, according to the study published on Tuesday.
The association warns of a downward spiral. Hotels would be forced to lower their direct prices in order to remain competitive. As a result, they are increasingly losing control over their pricing and distribution.
At 58.5 percent, most bookings are still made directly with hotels. At the same time, the influence of online travel agencies (OTAs) remains high. According to the study, around a third of all bookings are made via such platforms.
Resale by third parties
Although price parity clauses are now prohibited, the platforms continue to influence prices indirectly according to the study - for example via rankings, visibility or discount programs. Just under 30 percent of hotels report concrete interventions in their direct prices.
In addition, the resale of rooms via third-party providers is increasing. More than half of the hotels are affected by so-called multi-sourcing. This makes it even more difficult to control prices and offers.
The market remains highly concentrated: Booking.com accounts for more than 70 percent of online real-time bookings, according to the study, while Expedia comes in at around 15 percent. The study is based on a survey of 171 Swiss hotel companies.
