MTÜ: thousands of accommodations can be made impossible by Booking’s delayed payment

By: Trademagazin Date: 2023. 08. 09. 10:24

The Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ) uses a questionnaire to assess the effects of late payments by Booking.com among accommodation providers. Based on the almost 6,000 responses received so far, the interruption affects every second service provider, mostly private and other accommodations operated by family businesses – MTÜ informed MTI on Tuesday.

They pointed out that the situation is critical: every second accommodation provider has been experiencing problems with the operation of the site for more than a month, and 80 percent of those affected have not yet been transferred by the global accommodation brokerage site for the last weeks’ accommodation fees. Moreover, 34 percent of respondents indicated that, according to the system, they owe the site. MTÜ is launching a legal aid service to support aggrieved service providers and initiate negotiations with the relevant authorities.

Referring to the summer maintenance of the financial system of the online accommodation booking platform, Booking previously informed the accommodation provider’s partners in a statement about the expected slippage of transfers and the restoration of the usual payment schedule after July 27. Although transactions have started on behalf of Booking.com since then, after the deadline, accommodation providers continue to report stuttering customer service and late payments – explained the MTÜ.