Trip.com Group Details 19 Rectification Measures After Record Antitrust Fine

Trip.com Group has spelled out how it plans to change its dealings with hotels after China's record antitrust penalty. The company announced 19 rectification measures across five areas, and on Monday filed a Form 6-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission formalizing the decision for investors. For hotel operators in China, the measures promise the return of two things the regulator says Trip.com took away: the freedom to sell on other platforms and control over their own prices.

The penalty itself landed on Saturday, July 25. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) fined the company ¥3.52 billion ($519 million), confiscated ¥1.66 billion ($244 million) in illegal gains, and ordered a full refund of ¥122 million ($18 million) in security deposits deducted from hotels. The 7.5% fine ratio is the highest ever imposed in China's platform antitrust enforcement, above Alibaba's 4% and Meituan's 3%, according to Economic Daily.

What Trip.com says it will change

The company will scrap its "special-tier" and "gold-tier" commissioned-distribution models, end forced exclusivity and lowest-price requirements, terminate the original agreements, and set up a new tiered cooperation model with merchants. It also commits to a new traffic-allocation mechanism, replacing the one the regulator said was used to punish hotels that listed on rival platforms.

On pricing, Trip.com will remove its price-adjustment tools and stop using technical means to change hotel rates. Staff will be barred from adjusting prices without a merchant's explicit consent. The company also pledged a new commission model it calls fair, streamlined promotions, and stronger internal anti-monopoly compliance.

The details behind those commitments are stark. According to a People's Daily report cited by Global Times, Trip.com's "Price Adjustment Assistant" scanned rival prices and forced cuts without consent. One hotel in Shaanxi was repriced more than ten times in a single day. A merchant in Jiangsu had the tool forcibly activated nine times, saw a 480 yuan holiday rate cut to 130 yuan, and was then docked points and fined for rejecting orders. A homestay owner said hidden promotion fees pushed the effective commission rate to as much as 50%: "a 200-yuan order leaves us with only about 80 yuan."

The bigger picture

Skift notes that Trip.com held roughly 56% of China's hotel and travel gross merchandise value in 2024, far ahead of rival Tongcheng at about 15%, and frames the case as part of Beijing's wider campaign against "involution," the self-defeating platform competition that squeezes smaller merchants. The financial pressure was visible before the fine: the company cut its Q2 revenue growth guidance to 3 to 8%, down from 17% growth in Q1, partly to align with regulatory expectations.

Management hosted a conference call on Monday at 8:00 AM Eastern Time to walk investors through the decision. The 6-K, signed by CFO Cindy Xiaofan Wang, confirms the company "sincerely accepts" the ruling.

What it means for operators

If the measures hold, hotels and homestays in China get their pricing power back and can list across platforms without losing visibility on the country's biggest travel site. Properties that had deposits deducted should expect refunds of the roughly ¥122.78 million total. The practical test comes with the new tiered cooperation and commission models, which have not yet been detailed. Operators re-signing with Trip.com brands, including Ctrip and Qunar, should read the new agreements closely before assuming the terms have actually improved.