2nd Mar 2026 11:24
(Alliance News) - The UK Competition & Markets Authority has launched an investigation into suspected sharing of competitively sensitive information between hotel operators Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, InterContinental Hotels Group PLC and Marriott International Inc through a data analytics platform owned by CoStar Group Inc.
The probe will examine whether the hotel chains used STR, a hotel benchmarking tool owned by CoStar, in a way that may have reduced competition.
The businesses under investigation are CoStar and its subsidiary CoStar UK Ltd; Hilton and its subsidiary Hilton Worldwide Ltd; InterContinental Hotels; and Marriott International and its subsidiary Marriott Hotels Ltd.
The CMA said companies routinely use data analytics tools and algorithms to inform commercial decisions, which can deliver benefits such as lower costs, faster price adjustments, and more intense competition.
However, it warned that when rival businesses share competitively sensitive information – including through a third-party data analytics provider – this can reduce uncertainty about competitors' behaviour.
That, in turn, may affect how strongly companies compete by making it easier to predict rivals' actions and coordinate behaviour, the UK regulator said.
The investigation has been launched under the Competition Act 1998. Following evidence gathering, the CMA may issue a statement of objections if it provisionally concludes that the law has been infringed.
Between them, the three hotel groups operate hundreds of properties across the UK.
Hilton runs more than 200 hotels under brands including Hampton by Hilton, DoubleTree and Hilton Garden Inn. IHG operates more than 300 UK hotels under brands such as Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton and Hotel Indigo. Marriott has around 135 UK locations.
CoStar, an Arlington, Virginia-based provider of online real estate marketplaces, information and analytics, acquired STR in 2019. STR provides benchmarking and performance data widely used across the hospitality industry.
The CMA said the case forms part of its broader efforts to ensure that emerging technologies and algorithmic tools support fair competition rather than harm consumers.
Shares in InterContinental Hotels Group were down 4.3% in London on Monday morning at USD131.65. The wider FTSE 100 index was down just 0.9%.
Marriott shares were down 2.0% at USD334.89 in pre-market trading in New York, while Hilton was down 0.9% at USD309.00. CoStar closed down 0.8% at USD44.63 on Friday.
By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News reporter
Comments and questions to [email protected]
Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Related Shares:
InterContinental Hotels