Congressman Vicente Gonzalez Calls for Transparency on Predatory Practices from Online Travel Agents

Contact: Alexis Torres

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), a member of the House Financial Services Committee, despatched a letter demanding that the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Expedia Group, Booking.com, Airbnb, Priceline and Tripadvisor Group tackle an alarming sample of failures, deceptions, and client abuse practices from Online Travel Agents (OTAs), which function intermediaries between customers 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 increased inflation attributable to the present Administration’s insurance policies, South Texas households are already finances aware and should know the place their cash goes, have peace of thoughts when arriving at their vacation spot, and obtain well timed customer support when a difficulty arises. 

To guarantee customers are protected as demand surges for  summer time journey  and the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Congressman Gonzalez requested detailed proposals  on how they’ll assume full accountability for resolving client points as an alternative of shifting blame to lodges or third events; implement automated, penalty-free rebooking or refunds with real-time help for vacationers who face cancelations, medical emergencies, or different documented crises which can be out of their management; adjust to the Federal Trade Commission’s disclosure rule requiring all necessary charges to be displayed upfront; present correct stock reflecting all accessible rooms on the said value, with real-time verification and platform legal responsibility for false listings; instantly ship reserving affirmation and visitor particulars to properties to forestall overbooking; apply accountable Artificial Intelligence requirements; and challenge refunds to affected customers inside 5 enterprise days. 

If the CEOs fail to promptly reply, Congressman Gonzalez concludes that he’s “…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 may be considered right here.