The results of the antitrust investigation into Trip.com Group have been officially announced.
On July 25, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) imposed an administrative penalty on Trip.com Group for abusing its dominant market position and engaging in monopolistic practices. The fine and confiscated illegal gains totaled RMB 5.179 billion（about USD 760 million).
In response, Trip.com said that it sincerely accepts and will fully comply with the decision.
According to the investigation, since 2020, the company has abused its dominant position in China’s online hotel booking platform services market. Using its traffic allocation mechanism as a key tool, the company used platform rules and technological measures to engage in two types of monopolistic conduct.
First, it required hotels operating under the “Special Brand” category to enter into exclusive cooperation agreements.
Second, it required hotels in its “Gold” and “Unbranded” categories to offer the “lowest price across the entire internet.”
Trip.com also used technological tools to monitor hotels’ compliance with its exclusivity and lowest-price requirements. It enforced these practices through punitive measures, including restricting traffic, removing category labels and deducting funds from order reserves.
The adjustments to Trip.com Group’s platform rules required as part of the rectification process are also expected to become a major focus for the industry.
In particular, mechanisms directly affecting hotel operations—including commission, traffic allocation and category-labeling system—are likely to come under close scrutiny. However, many questions remain unanswered.
In the past, online travel agencies, or OTAs, relied on their traffic and transaction capabilities to help hotels generate bookings. At the same time, platform rules also influenced hotels’ business decisions to some extent.
As regulatory requirements become clearer, how platforms improve the transparency of their rules and safeguard hotels’ autonomy in running their businesses will be among the key changes to watch following the rectification.
