The DMA and what it means for your direct bookings

In 2024, the EU introduced a law that bans Booking.com from forcing you to charge equal prices on their platform. Most owners of small accommodations now know this. Almost nobody uses it.

What the DMA actually regulates

The Digital Markets Act, shortened to DMA, is a regulation from the European Union that came into force in 2024. The core of the law: large digital platforms that act as gatekeepers for entire markets can no longer use certain practices.

Booking.com is designated by the EU as a gatekeeper. That sounds abstract, but the practical consequence for you is concrete.

Before the DMA, Booking.com contracts contained a price parity clause. Such a clause said, in legal language, that the price on your own site couldn't be lower than on the platform. If you never checked, you paid commission on every booking even though the guest had no reason to try booking directly with you.

The DMA bans broad price parity clauses. That means: Booking.com can no longer force you to maintain the same or lower price on their platform as elsewhere, including your own site. You keep the freedom to set your own rates and terms, regardless of what the platform wants.

Why this matters to hoteliers, and why most still miss it

On paper, the situation is now different than three years ago. In practice, not much changed for most accommodations, because the space the law creates sits unused.

The problem isn't the law. It's habit. For years, the reflex was: match your price to the platform, because otherwise you risk your search position or your relationship with the account manager. That reflex is stubborn, even though its legal foundation has been removed.

Add to that the fact that Booking.com doesn't actively communicate that you now have more freedom. That's not in their interest either. Platforms earn commission. The more you sell direct, the less they get.

The result: the DMA exists, the opportunity exists, but the average B&B, small hotel, or glamping spot in the Netherlands does nothing with it. Even though the opportunity has been there for over a year. If you want to structurally become less dependent on Booking.com, you start right here: with the freedom the law already gave you.

What you can do right now

The DMA gives you leverage. Here's how to use it.

1. Set a direct booking price

You can charge less on your own site than on Booking.com. You don't need to make the difference big. In most cases, 5 percent is enough to tip a guest who's uncertain. State it clearly next to your booking button: "Book directly on this site and pay less than on Booking.com."

How to formulate that advantage exactly and keep it legally clean is explained in explaining the best price guarantee on your own site.

2. Offer better terms, not just a lower price

Price isn't the only difference you can make. You can also offer better cancellation terms on your own site, add a welcome benefit, or promise personal service the platform can't offer. A guest who knows direct booking also means easier cancellation has two reasons to skip the platform.

3. Communicate it actively, not hidden

The freedom the DMA offers only works if the guest sees it. That means: not in the footer, not in the fine print, but right next to the button the guest is about to click. Four in five guests check your own site before booking. Half go back to the platform anyway. Not because you're more expensive, but because they saw no reason to stay. How your site compares to the platform in trust and convenience is in Booking.com versus your own website.

4. Check your commission and calculate what the shift is worth

The DMA opportunity only matters if you know what the commission costs you. At an average booking of 120 euros and 15 percent commission, you pay 18 euros per booking. At 20 percent, that jumps to 24 euros. Over a year, at 60 bookings per month, that's thousands of euros difference.

The commission calculator explains how to find your actual percentage and what a 20 percent shift to direct nets you. For your own numbers, start right away with the savings calculator.

5. Make sure your booking system supports it

A direct booking benefit without a working booking button is pointless. If you don't yet have a booking engine that processes direct payments, that's the first step. Some systems let you also set a separate direct booking price, lower than your OTA rate, so you don't have to maintain it manually.

What this means for you

Concretely: you're still paying commission today on bookings you could have captured directly, while the law has allowed you since 2024 to be cheaper and more attractive on your own site. This isn't a future plan, it's a switch that's already on.

A simple calculation makes it sharp. If you shift 20 percent of 60 monthly bookings from the platform to direct, at 18 euros commission per booking you're already talking over 2,500 euros per year you keep. The effort: one sentence next to your booking button and a benefit you can stick with.

The complete approach, from pricing to booking system, is bundled in the direct bookings hub. There you tackle it step by step, in the order that brings the most return for your accommodation.

The law gives you the space. You have to take it.

The DMA is no guarantee of more direct bookings. It's a license to do something that used to be contractually blocked. That license only has value if you use it.

What that means in practice:

Small accommodations in the Netherlands have the advantage of being agile. You can set this up tomorrow. A large chain waits for a decision from headquarters. You don't.

Start by finding your commission via the savings calculator, formulate a benefit you can stick with, and put it where the guest is already about to click.