Booking.Com Ordered to Pay Israeli Traveler for Misleading Vacation Rental Listing
An Israeli court has ruled that Booking.Com must pay NIS 1,500 in compensation to a customer who booked a vacation rental in Greece, only to discover upon arrival that the property was an active construction site. The plaintiff had booked the summer 2025 vacation rental through Booking.Com, expecting a high-quality apartment. However, upon arrival, the family of five, including teenagers, found themselves in a "noisy and active construction site." The plaintiff claimed that crucial information about the ongoing renovations was deliberately withheld during the booking process.
According to the lawsuit, construction workers were present on the apartment's main balcony for four days, causing significant disruption and a severe invasion of privacy. The family reported extreme noise from drilling, rendering the balcony unusable and creating a constant sense of insecurity. Additional alleged issues included a broken elevator, a non-functional shower, and a faulty toilet mechanism. The family sought NIS 8,170 in damages.
Booking.Com argued that it is merely an intermediary and not a party to the agreement between the guest and the property owner. The company stated that property owners are responsible for inputting their own information and photos, and that Booking.Com cannot be expected to proactively monitor millions of listings. They also claimed that infrastructure failures and defects were not proven.
The court, however, found a significant discrepancy between the property as presented on Booking.Com's website and the actual conditions. The judge determined that Booking.Com bears responsibility when property information is inaccurate. "Any claim of a false representation that is brought for judicial review will be examined specifically, and if a substantial gap is proven between the representation on the site (as a luxury accommodation unit) and a very neglected place, then a certain responsibility will arise on the part of the defendant towards the booker," the court stated.
Evidence presented, including videos showing construction workers operating within the apartment's balcony, confirmed that the building and the apartment were undergoing extensive renovations. The court concluded that the plaintiff had proven the apartment was an active construction site with noisy work, and that this fact was not disclosed on Booking.Com's platform. The court rejected Booking.Com's defense that the issues were defects for which it was not liable. In addition to the NIS 1,500 in compensation, Booking.Com was ordered to pay NIS 1,000 for legal expenses and court fees.
