Comfort Inn Capital Beltway Highlights Competition Laws in Hospitality Industry

NEW YORK, NY, August 15, 2012 (Press-News.org) Although the great amount of tourists that have traveled to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics have been a tremendous windfall for local businesses and hotels, many travelers may be upset to learn that certain booking agencies have prevented them from getting the best deal possible. However, a recent article from Reuters highlights a recent controversy that the UK's competition law has been broken by a leading hotel chain and travel deal websites. According to the article, "The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said...that InterContinental's deals with Booking.com and Expedia could limit price competition and create barriers for new entrants to the market by discouraging online agents from using sales commission to reduce prices for customers." As a hotel in the high-traffic area of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Comfort Inn Capital Beltway weighs in on the reliability of online travel agencies to find affordable rates.

According to the article, these exclusive deals have prevented smaller booking sites, such as Skoosh.com, from offering discounted prices on room-only accommodation. While the current case only involves three parties, many authorities expect that competition law infringements are widespread within the industry. Although the controversy takes place overseas, Comfort Inn Capital Beltway recognizes that many consumers may be misled by the discounts that many leading travel sites offer.

Greg Miller, Managing Director of Comfort Inn Capital Beltway states, "The alleged price-fixing between Expedia and IHG is troubling to the traveling public. Clearly, when better offers can be made available, the consumer should get the opportunity to take advantage. In the case of how hotels work with distribution channels like Expedia, the chains have arrangements for pricing parity online. But the price a consumer pays to Expedia is not the price that the hotel actually receives."

In the article, OFT Chief Executive Clive Maxwell states the intention of having fair, competitive online booking sites, "We want people to benefit fully from being able to shop around online and get a better deal from discounters that are prepared to share their commission with customers." While the recent revelations may have many consumers concerned about where to get the best price, Greg Miller says that there is another option. He concludes, "If you really want value and the lowest price, call the hotel directly. At our Comfort Inn Capital Beltway, we have made tremendous improvements to our product over the past two years and we still offer the best rates to customers who call us directly when making their reservations."

ABOUT:

The Comfort Inn Capital Beltway, part of the popular Comfort Inn hotel chain, is conveniently located near Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland to meet the needs of both tourists and traveling professionals in the area. In addition to the excellent accommodation at reasonable rates, guests recommended the Comfort Inn Capital Beltway for its relaxing atmosphere. This hotel is equipped with top-notch business services and conference rooms as well as multiple ballrooms that are perfect for any reunion, reception or other event.

Visit the hotel's website to learn more about its services or to make a reservation.

Website: http://comfortinncapitalbeltway.com/