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ASA Bans Booking.com, Accor, Travelodge and Hilton Ads Over Misleading ‘From’ Prices

The regulator says 'from' prices must reflect genuine availability to avoid misleading customers.

Overview

  • The ASA found only a small share of rooms were actually available at the quoted entry prices across dates, rendering the ads misleading under CAP rules.
  • Booking.com provided evidence of seven bookings at £28 for easyHotel Sheffield but failed to show date-range availability, which the watchdog deemed insufficient to support the claim.
  • Accor’s £27 rate for Ibis Budget Birmingham Centre applied only to a single night on July 30, which the ASA said did not reflect what most consumers could expect to pay.
  • The ASA said Travelodge’s ‘From £25’ (Nottingham Riverside) and ‘From £21’ (Swansea M4) prices were available only for May 18; the company noted that this ad format had already been removed.
  • In Hilton’s case, the ASA said it had not seen adequate evidence that a significant proportion of rooms were available at £68 in Hamilton Park or £59 in Newcastle, and it reiterated requirements to clearly flag date- or quantity-limited offers.