European Union: European Commission announced endorsement of code of conduct for online reviews and ratings for tourism accommodation

On 1 September 2025, the European Commission welcomed the endorsement of the Code of Conduct on online reviews for tourism accommodation. The Code was developed jointly by the EU, accommodation providers, and online platforms to increase transparency, reliability, and consumer trust in online ratings and reviews of hotels and similar services. It operates within existing European Union regulatory frameworks, including the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD), providing guidance on best practices for review hosting and relevant obligations. Signatories committed to horizontal principles, including aligning with EU legislation, applying proportionality and flexibility based on their size and nature, upholding honesty and transparency, and collaborating on information sharing and awareness-raising campaigns. For online platforms hosting reviews, the principles include providing transparent information on rating systems, establishing policies to mitigate the impact of bad-faith actors such as those engaging in review boosting, and clearly labelling sponsored or incentivised reviews. Platforms are required to ensure clear complaint processes for accommodation providers and consumers to flag policy-violating or fake reviews, and to take reasonable and proportionate steps to verify review origin, such as requesting proof of purchase or deploying systems to assess authenticity. Accommodation providers committed to refraining from generating fake reviews or engaging third parties for this purpose. They also undertook to actively inform their members about the illegal nature of such practices under the UCPD. In addition, they pledged to cooperate with platforms to flag fake reviews, avoid using disproportionate incentives for biased reviews, utilise features allowing responses to negative reviews, and regularly update information about their offerings on platforms. A Stakeholder Network, with European Commission participation, is to be established within five months to support information exchange and ensure the Code’s ongoing relevance and implementation.