Montero Aramburu & Gómez-Villares Atencia signs a collaboration agreement with Eskariam to advise the hotel sector on claims against Booking.com

Seville, 13 May 2025 

The law firm Montero Aramburu & Gómez-Villares Atencia and Eskariam have reached a collaboration agreement to advise the hotel and tourism sector in the claim for damages against Booking.com, arising from years of anti-competitive practices that have directly impacted the sector’s profitability and commercial freedom. 

This partnership follows the recent judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), dated 19 September 2024, which questioned the legality of parity clauses imposed by Booking.com, considering that they were neither necessary nor proportionate to the objective they pursued. These clauses prevented hotels from offering lower prices or better terms through their own channels or alternative platforms, thereby limiting commercial autonomy and undermining effective market competition. 

Thanks to this alliance, Montero Aramburu & Gómez-Villares Atencia, backed by a strong client base in the hospitality sector across Andalusia and the Canary Islands, will offer a comprehensive legal solution that combines technical expertise, deep sector knowledge, and regional presence.  

Comprehensive Solutions for Large-Scale Claims 

Eskariam has been at the forefront of large-scale litigation in Spain for a long time, such as the Milk Cartel, involving claims worth billions of euros. 

In preparation for the Booking case, the firm has strengthened its legal team with the appointment of Pedro Suárez and Javier Pérez from the law firm Rēgula, two of Spain’s most respected competition lawyers with extensive international experience. In addition, Compass Lexecon, a global leader in the economic quantification of damages in antitrust cases, is conducting the expert economic analysis for this case, a key element in claims of this nature. 

Montero Aramburu & Gómez-Villares Atencia will contribute its deep understanding of the hospitality sector in Andalusia and the Canary Islands, its extensive territorial reach, and a multidisciplinary team of 300 professionals to support clients throughout the process. 

“In a matter that so directly affects the tourism sector in our regions, we wanted to offer our clients a solid, specialised, and effective legal alternative. That’s why we placed our trust in Eskariam and the expert team leading this collective action,” said Maite Cerezo, Partner and Head of the Commercial Law Department at Montero Aramburu & Gómez-Villares Atencia. 

“Montero Aramburu & Gómez-Villares Atencia brings in-depth knowledge of the Andalusian and Canary Islands hospitality industry, along with a strong client relationship approach. Together, we are providing hotels with a high-quality legal pathway, based on our joint expertise in the sector, with the aim of securing redress for the damage caused by Booking.com’s anti-competitive practices,” added David Fernández, CEO of Eskariam. 

A Spanish Approach with European Reach 

This strategic alliance marks a decisive step forward for hotels in Andalusia and the Canary Islands to pursue compensation before Spanish courts for the harm caused by Booking.com’s parity clauses over more than two decades. 

Eskariam’s legal strategy prioritises the national approach, tailored to the legal and commercial nuances of the Spanish market. This approach is further reinforced by a new European alliance between Eskariam and Geradin Partners, which increases the hotels’ chances of success by enabling access to cross-border data and insights from other affected countries and  favours as well a possible global negotiation under better conditions for claimants. 

About Montero Aramburu & Gómez-Villares Atencia 

Montero Aramburu & Gómez-Villares Atencia was established in 2024 through the merger of two prestigious and highly experienced law firms: Montero Aramburu and Gómez-Villares Atencia. Driven by a commitment to both legal and human excellence, the firm has become a leading multidisciplinary law firm in Andalusia and one of the most prominent in the Spanish legal sector in terms of revenue, number of professionals, and client base. Today, the firm comprises 370 professionals strategically located across nine offices in Andalusia, Madrid, and the Canary Islands, offering expert legal advice across 17 core practice areas related to business law. 

About Eskariam 

Eskariam is a Madrid-based legal services company specialising in complex damages claims. Founded in 2018, it built a team of expert lawyers and sector-specific professionals, leveraging advanced technology for efficient management of collective litigation. Eskariam has successfully led numerous claims against financial institutions and insurance companies and is currently leading actions related to the Milk Cartel in Spain, late payment claims involving public administration, the diaper cartel, and actions brought by professional basketball clubs against the ACB (Spanish Basketball Clubs Association), among others.