Booking.com allegedly threatens travel widget with legal action
The online booking firm has accused Travel SaaS start-up Triptease of “unlawfully accessing Booking.com’s data” in an email sent to hotel partners, according to reports.
While several different hotels have received this email, the exact number is unclear. According to the email, which has been re-published on Hotel Speak, Booking.com has asked its hotel partners “to remove the Booking.com brand and rates from the widget on [their] website prior to Friday 27 November 2015. If you are unable to do this, we ask that you remove the TripTease widget from your website entirely”.
Triptease has addressed the content of the email on Hotel Speak, claiming that “Booking.com has threatened hotels with punishments such as legal action, reduced visibility, or termination of their partnership. We think this is highly unreasonable.” Company GM EMEA James Osmond told the site: “We have taken legal advice and remain confident that we have done nothing wrong other than try to provide price transparency and convenience for consumers. We have been in touch with Booking.com since learning about these letters. We haven’t heard back yet.”
Please contact [email protected] or comment below if you have received one of these letters or would like to share your thoughts.
accomnews has approached both parties for comment.
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