The UK’s competition watchdog has launched a formal investigation into three of the world’s largest hotel groups, Hilton, InterContinental Hotels Group and Marriott International, over concerns they may have shared “competitively sensitive” information through a third-party data analytics platform.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it is examining whether the hotel operators exchanged commercially sensitive data using STR, a widely used industry benchmarking tool owned by CoStar Group.
Together, the three hotel groups operate more than 25,000 hotels globally, giving the probe significant weight in the international hospitality sector.
Hotel chains routinely use analytics platforms such as STR to track industry metrics including occupancy rates, average daily room prices and revenue per available room (RevPAR). Such tools can help operators adjust pricing in response to demand and competition.
However, the CMA warned that where rival businesses share competitively sensitive information, even indirectly through a third-party provider, it may reduce uncertainty between competitors and risk softening competition.
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