12:08 PM EDT, 05/21/2025 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with Booking.com's response in the last paragraph.)

Booking Holdings' ( BKNG ) Booking.com's commission rates for hotels in Switzerland are "too high," and the company must cut its prices in the country, the Swiss Federal Council said Wednesday.

The price supervisor has ruled that Booking.com must lower its prices in Switzerland by an average of roughly a quarter.

"Despite intensive negotiations, it was not possible to reach an amicable settlement," according to the watchdog agency, which said it had reached out to the company to try to reach a consensus before issuing its findings.

The Federal Council also said that the Booking.com price reduction must take place three months after the ruling becomes final and will be applied for three years.

Booking.com told MT Newswires that its accommodation partners can choose how and where they market their properties; listing with the company is voluntary. "We do not agree with forcibly reducing the cost of a product that is entirely optional. We will appeal. There will be no changes to our commission rates based on this decision, pending the outcome of our appeal."

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