by Jamie Freed, The Sydney Morning Herald
The competition regulator will consult with Australian hotel operators to help determine if "price parity" clauses imposed by online travel agents Expedia, Wotif and Booking.com are unfair.
The beginning of a consultation process follows Expedia's $703 million takeover of Wotif last year, which resulted in a jump in commission rates at the major online travel agents to 15 per cent from 12 per cent previously. Global giants Expedia and Priceline, the owner of Booking.com, now control about 80 per cent of the market for online hotel bookings in Australia.
Expedia and Priceline pricing practices under ACCC scrutiny
