Caribbean hoteliers are challenging a change in how Booking.com calculates its commission. The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) says the platform now includes VAT, GST and other government-imposed taxes in the amount it takes a percentage of, and that hotels in Jamaica and Antigua and Barbuda have been told to expect the change on November 17 for new bookings. The details come from a Caribbean Journal report published November 2, 2026. The dispute is between hotels and a booking platform, but it touches on how travelers book, so it is worth understanding.
What is changing
According to CHTA, Booking.com’s General Delivery Terms now count VAT, GST and other government-imposed taxes as part of the base used to work out commission. CHTA says the company describes the change as part of a global standardization of commission calculations. The report notes that the policy took effect on May 15, 2026 in certain destinations, and that hotels in Jamaica and Antigua and Barbuda received notices giving November 17 as the implementation date for new bookings.
The report contains no direct statement from Booking.com. The company’s position appears only as relayed by CHTA, so it should be read as the association’s account of what the platform has said, not as the platform’s own wording.
Why hoteliers object
The association’s argument is that taxes collected from guests are not hotel revenue. Hotels must remit them to governments in full, so a commission charged on that money raises the cost of distribution while the hotel’s own earnings stay the same. CHTA gave a simple illustration: a 15 percent commission applied to a room rate that carries a 12 percent government tax works out to an effective commission of 16.8 percent of the pre-tax revenue the hotel actually keeps. The stated commission rate on the contract does not change, but the amount paid does.
CHTA president Sanovnik Destang said that “taxes remitted to governments belong to those governments and sit outside hotel revenue.” He added that “applying a commission to those funds raises the cost of distribution while hotel earnings remain unchanged.” CHTA CEO Vanessa Ledesma said the Caribbean has been “a committed and contributing partner in Booking.com’s regional growth” and that the association is asking the company to reconsider.
The association also says smaller and independent properties are hit hardest because they operate on narrow margins and rely more heavily on third-party platforms for bookings. It points to differences between markets as well. According to CHTA, Booking.com excludes taxes from commission calculations in the United States, with additional exclusions in Dubai and Egypt, while United Kingdom terms include them.
What the association is doing
The report describes responses across the region. The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association raised the matter with the Jamaican government, wrote to Booking.com and held an initial meeting with the company. The Barbados hotel and tourism association issued guidance to its members, and the Turks and Caicos association issued guidance and publicly opposed the change. CHTA says it secured a 2019 exemption for destination fees, but concerns about commissions on employee tips and gratuities remain unresolved.
CHTA’s requests are to ask Booking.com to reconsider commissions on government taxes, to explain the differences between markets and to engage Caribbean stakeholders. It also plans to review legal and tax frameworks across the region and to evaluate possible legislative protections that governments could consider.
What it means for travelers
The report does not address any effect on guests, and we have not seen evidence that room prices shown to travelers will change. What can be said is narrower. A commission change affects what a hotel earns from each booking made through the platform, and hotels have several levers when distribution gets more expensive, including marketing direct bookings, adjusting rates on different channels or changing how much inventory they offer through a platform. Whether any of that happens in the Caribbean is not something the current reporting establishes.
For travelers, the practical lesson is to know what booking channel you are using and what it means for changes, cancellations and perks. Our guide to booking direct with a resort versus an online travel agency sets out the differences in plain terms, and our guide to all-inclusive resort fees and hidden costs explains why the line items on a final bill deserve a careful read. If you are planning a Jamaica stay, our Jamaica destination page covers the island’s resort areas.
What to watch
- Whether Booking.com responds publicly or revises the policy before November 17.
- Whether other Caribbean markets receive similar notices.
- Whether hotels change how they promote direct bookings or member rates.
Until then, treat the dispute as a business story that may or may not reach the checkout page. If you already hold a booking, nothing in the report suggests that existing reservations are affected, and the notices described apply to new bookings from the implementation date. We will update this page if the platform responds or if more destinations are named.