Hotel sites ordered to stop ‘one room left’ sales ploy

 Hotel booking websites have been told to stop “one room left” warnings that pressure holidaymakers into making a snap decision.

Such alerts are used by popular booking sites, including Expedia and Booking.com but the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it would take companies to court if they did not end potentially unfair and misleading practices.

The CMA said it had “widespread” concerns about a number of sites, which it declined to name, including the ranking of hotels, pressure selling, claims about discounts offered and hidden charges.

It has asked the Advertising Standards Authority to consider whether statements like “best price guarantee” or “lowest price” mislead customers.

Andrea Coscelli, the CMA chief executive, said: “It’s important that no one feels pressured by misleading statements into making a booking.”