Congressman Vicente Gonzalez Demands Transparency on Predatory Practices from Online Travel Agents
Travel demand has already taken a hit due to higher costs and travel delays under the current Administration, yet popular booking sites continue to mislead consumers.
Contact: Alexis Torres
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), a member of the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter demanding that the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Expedia Group, Booking.com, Airbnb, Priceline and Tripadvisor Group address an alarming pattern of failures, deceptions, and consumer abuse practices from Online Travel Agents (OTAs), which serve as intermediaries between consumers and suppliers.
In the letter, Congressman Gonzalez wrote, “My constituents have described arriving at hotels after long journeys, often across time zones, only to be told their reservation is not in the system. Why, because your platforms routinely fail to transmit guest details to hotels in a timely fashion, creating overbooking and travel delay scenarios that leave guests without rooms they paid for and their travels over budget. Often times, travelers are stranded late at night in unfamiliar cities with no available accommodations. They are also denied refunds for mistakes caused by your platforms or downstream booking partners. Additionally, hotels frequently assign inferior rooms to OTA customers compared to those who booked directly, and guests have no recourse due to obscured terms in your booking flows. Resort fees, service fees, booking fees, and taxes are not displayed clearly, often buried within the fine print. This practice is a reason why in 2025, Booking Holdings, the parent company of Booking.com, paid $9.5 million in a settlement with the State of Texas over hidden fees charged to consumers. Compounding this is the prevalence of prepaid, non-refundable bookings that have become the default offering on your platforms.”
With higher inflation caused by the current Administration’s policies, South Texas families are already budget conscious and deserve to know where their money is going, have peace of mind when arriving at their destination, and receive timely customer service when an issue arises.
To ensure consumers are protected as demand surges for summer travel and the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Congressman Gonzalez requested detailed proposals on how they will assume full responsibility for resolving consumer issues instead of shifting blame to hotels or third parties; implement automatic, penalty-free rebooking or refunds with real-time support for travelers who face cancelations, medical emergencies, or other documented crises that are out of their control; comply with the Federal Trade Commission’s disclosure rule requiring all mandatory fees to be displayed upfront; provide accurate inventory reflecting all available rooms at the stated price, with real-time verification and platform liability for false listings; immediately send booking confirmation and guest details to properties to prevent overbooking; apply responsible Artificial Intelligence standards; and issue refunds to affected consumers within five business days.
If the CEOs fail to promptly respond, Congressman Gonzalez concludes that he is “...prepared to introduce legislation and pursue other means, such as committee hearings to improve fee transparency, clarify refund timelines, enhance inventory accuracy standards, and address deceptive practices, as well as potential avenues for consumer recourse.”
The full letter can be viewed here.