Booking.com says it is only a middleman connecting you to hotels and other travel suppliers — it is not responsible if a property fails to deliver what was advertised, causes harm, or refuses a refund.
Consumers who suffer harm, financial loss, or disappointment from a booking made through Booking.com cannot hold Booking.com directly liable for the supplier's failures, which significantly limits available remedies and may require consumers to pursue legal action against foreign businesses.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Intermediary Liability Disclaimer and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →This clause means that if your hotel is unsafe, misrepresented, or refuses to honor your reservation, Booking.com has explicitly disclaimed legal responsibility, leaving consumers to pursue the property or supplier directly — often a much harder and slower process.
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision implicates the EU Unfair Contract Terms Directive 93/13/EEC (Article 3, Annex 1(b)) which prohibits clauses that inappropriately limit or exclude liability for consumer harm. It also engages the EU Digital Services Act (DSA, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065) Articles 5-8 regarding intermediary liability safe harbors and the conditions under which they apply. UK Consumer Rights Act 2015 Schedule 2 similarly restricts unfair exclusion-of-liability terms in B2C contracts. Enforcement authorities include the Dutch Autoriteit Consument & Markt (ACM), UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and national consumer protection agencies across EU member states.
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