Clarifications on one of the latest Omnibus directives
This regulation applies to every offer that tells consumers the price is lower than the price previously charged for the same accommodation or service.
Its goal is to prevent fake promotions, where the discount refers to a price that was never actually offered, or that was raised just before the promotion.
Good practices
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Do not announce a promotion on an introductory offer that has never been on sale. A price reduction can only be announced on an offer that was previously available for sale.
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Example: when you set up a special offer, the announced discount must refer to a price that has already been on sale. You can announce “-20% off the rack rate” if that rack rate was already online. You cannot announce a 20% discount on an offer or a price that never existed.
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Do not show a crossed-out “previous” price that was raised just before the promotion or never existed. When you use crossed-out prices in Reservit (offers, extras, RSL services, etc.), the reference offer must be the lowest one displayed for the dates of the promotion. The previous price is the lowest price at which the offer was sold during the 30 days before the date the customer searched for.
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Do not announce a promotion without showing the previous price the discount applies to. If you use a crossed-out price, a percentage in the offer title (e.g. “-20%”) or a fixed amount (e.g. “10 euros off”), the previous price must be displayed. Avoid this kind of announcement in an offer title if the previous price is not shown.
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If you increase an existing promotion (for example, a special offer goes from -20% to -30% to attract more customers), the previous price remains the lowest price charged during the 30 days before the first price reduction. You do not need to change the reference price.
Commercial practices not covered by the Omnibus directive
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This legislation does not apply to free-night or reduced-night promotions set up in your manager.
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It does not apply to negotiated offers, to customers using a promo code, or to offers available through the pro space of the Reservit Booking Engine.
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It does not apply to price comparisons between the offers on your website and those on external websites. For example, you can still advertise “Best price guaranteed” on your website in reference to distributor sites, or a promotion that refers to a price on distributor sites without showing a reference price.