Booking takes $1 billion provision amid FTC enforcement over Priceline

On October 30, 2026, reports said the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was preparing to take enforcement action against Booking Holdings and its subsidiary Priceline over misleading search ads that direct travelers from hotel official websites to lookalike third-party domains such as Guest Reservations, with reported potential fines exceeding $500 million. On November 4, Booking Holdings disclosed in its third-quarter financial filing that, because the Priceline brand may face an FTC complaint, it had recorded a $900 million revenue reduction and a $100 million loss, totaling $1 billion; the filing said Priceline is discussing resolving the potential complaint with the FTC but has not reached a settlement, and the FTC may seek more than $1 billion in damages and fines. Earlier reports said potential fines exceeded $500 million, and later reports said the FTC may seek more than $1 billion in damages and fines. On the same day's earnings call, Booking said travelers using the Priceline and Agoda AI assistants have a conversion rate about twice that of non-users, and Agoda assistant users' average booking amount is about 20% higher. The matter remains at the stage of a potential complaint and settlement negotiations, with no final outcome yet.