Google given two months to reform flight and hotel search results in EU

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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The European Union has given Google two months to change the way it presents search results for hotels and flights and to explain to authorities how it ranks them.

Credit: Solen Feyissa/Unsplash
Credit: Solen Feyissa/Unsplash


On Monday, the European Commission and EU consumer protection authorities targeted Google Flights and Google Hotels for not providing enough detail on flight and lodging prices, Reuters has reported.

For example, the EU authorities said that prices should include fees and taxes that are calculated in advance. It also added that reference prices used to calculate promotional discounts should be clearly identifiable by the consumer. If Google doesn't comply, it could face sanctions, the authorities said.

"EU consumers cannot be misled when using search engines to plan their holidays. We need to empower consumers to make their choices based on transparent and unbiased information," said Didier Reynders, the EU's Justice Commissioner.

Additionally, the EU agencies told Google that it must revise the standard terms of its Google Store because, in some cases, traders seemingly have more rights than consumers.

"We welcome this dialogue and are working closely with consumer protection agencies and the European Commission to see how we can make improvements that will be good for our users and provide even more transparency," Google said in a statement.

The Mountain View search giant has seen increased scrutiny from antitrust regulators in recent years. Google was slapped with an antitrust lawsuit from state attorneys general for its Google Play Store management. It was also fined nearly $600 million for non-compliance with competition regulations in France.

The U.S. Justice Department also levied a massive antitrust lawsuit against Google in 2020, claiming that it uses it market power to snuff out competition.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    jimh2jimh2 Posts: 615member
    It’s a free service. How can someone regulate free. If one does not like it then look at all the individual websites to find the best price. 

    This is an example of wanting something better than free for free
    mike1williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 10
    aaargh!aaargh! Posts: 20member
    jimh2 said:
    It’s a free service. (…)

    This is an example of wanting something better than free for free
    This is an example of how deceptive business practices won’t fly in Europe.  In the EU you are required to show the actual price of a product, including taxes, required fees, etc. If you advertise a product you just have to do it with the actual amount the customer has to pay, not some made up lower price that doesn’t reflect reality.
    williamlondonp-dogwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 10
    Alex_VAlex_V Posts: 215member
    jimh2 said:
    It’s a free service. How can someone regulate free. If one does not like it then look at all the individual websites to find the best price. 

    This is an example of wanting something better than free for free

    There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Google search is also “free” to me. That doesn’t mean that it can’t be abused by Google, nor does it mean that Google won’t unfairly exploit its monopoly. That’s why regulators take an interest in the matter. 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 4 of 10
    waveparticlewaveparticle Posts: 1,497member
    jimh2 said:
    It’s a free service. How can someone regulate free. If one does not like it then look at all the individual websites to find the best price. 

    This is an example of wanting something better than free for free
    This is an old tired argument. Advertisement is also free, right? In other words, the websites are essentially advertisements. 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 5 of 10
    davidwdavidw Posts: 2,050member
    aaargh! said:
    jimh2 said:
    It’s a free service. (…)

    This is an example of wanting something better than free for free
    This is an example of how deceptive business practices won’t fly in Europe.  In the EU you are required to show the actual price of a product, including taxes, required fees, etc. If you advertise a product you just have to do it with the actual amount the customer has to pay, not some made up lower price that doesn’t reflect reality.
    The US introduced a law that will do the same. AFAIK, it hasn't passed yet. 

    https://hotellaw.jmbm.com/federal-legislation-introduced-making-hotel-resort-fees-and-other-mandatory-charges-illegal.html

    But let me ask you this, if in the EU, hotels are required by law to show the actual cost of the room per night, including all taxes and mandatory fees, then why is it up to Google to enforce that law? All Google search is doing is going by the price that hotels are advertising. If hotels are not advertising their room rates as required by EU laws, shouldn't there be some other commission in the EU that see to it that hotels are obeying the laws?  Why does the EU have to force Google to enforce EU laws, under the threat of being fined, if hotels that aren't complying with the law concerning advertising room rate, ends up being listed high on a Google search result? Google is not the one advertising the room rates of the hotels, in their search result. If all the hotels were complying with the law, then a Google search of  ...... "cheapest hotels in what-ever EU city" ...... would yield a result that shouldn't be deceptive to consumers. Unless Google is listing paid search results higher on the list, even though they might not be cheaper than those that didn't pay Google. 

    It's different in the US as there is not yet a law barring hotels from not including the "resort fee", when advertising their room rate. Even if the "resort fee" is mandatory. So it's buyers beware. So maybe here, Google has some responsibility to consumers, to see that their search results for ..... "cheapest hotels"....., are comparing apples to apples. Just like how on eBay, I can better compare the price of an item from different auctions, with a search filter using ....... "price + S&H, lowest first".  
    edited July 2021 gatorguywilliamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 10
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,667member
    davidw said:
    aaargh! said:
    jimh2 said:
    It’s a free service. (…)

    This is an example of wanting something better than free for free
    This is an example of how deceptive business practices won’t fly in Europe.  In the EU you are required to show the actual price of a product, including taxes, required fees, etc. If you advertise a product you just have to do it with the actual amount the customer has to pay, not some made up lower price that doesn’t reflect reality.
    The US introduced a law that will do the same. AFAIK, it hasn't passed yet. 

    https://hotellaw.jmbm.com/federal-legislation-introduced-making-hotel-resort-fees-and-other-mandatory-charges-illegal.html

    But let me ask you this, if in the EU, hotels are required by law to show the actual cost of the room per night, including all taxes and mandatory fees, then why is it up to Google to enforce that law? All Google search is doing is going by the price that hotels are advertising. If hotels are not advertising their room rates as required by EU laws, shouldn't there be some other commission in the EU that see to it that hotels are obeying the laws?  Why does the EU have to force Google to enforce EU laws, under the threat of being fined, if hotels that aren't complying with the law concerning advertising room rate, ends up being listed high on a Google search result? Google is not the one advertising the room rates of the hotels, in their search result. If all the hotels were complying with the law, then a Google search of  ...... "cheapest hotels in what-ever EU city" ...... would yield a result that shouldn't be deceptive to consumers. Unless Google is listing paid search results higher on the list, even though they might not be cheaper than those that didn't pay Google. 

    It's different in the US as there is not yet a law barring hotels from not including the "resort fee", when advertising their room rate. Even if the "resort fee" is mandatory. So it's buyers beware. So maybe here, Google has some responsibility to consumers, to see that their search results for ..... "cheapest hotels"....., are comparing apples to apples. Just like how on eBay, I can better compare the price of an item from different auctions, with a search filter using ....... "price + S&H, lowest first".  
    No one is saying Google should enforce the law or that hotels aren't advertising the required prices.

    It seems it's more of a question of Google complying with the law and presenting its search results in line with it.

    Information here and at Reuters is scant but it does claim that in some cases traders were being more favorably than consumers. 
    Alex_V
  • Reply 7 of 10
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    avon b7 said:
    davidw said:
    aaargh! said:
    jimh2 said:
    It’s a free service. (…)

    This is an example of wanting something better than free for free
    This is an example of how deceptive business practices won’t fly in Europe.  In the EU you are required to show the actual price of a product, including taxes, required fees, etc. If you advertise a product you just have to do it with the actual amount the customer has to pay, not some made up lower price that doesn’t reflect reality.
    The US introduced a law that will do the same. AFAIK, it hasn't passed yet. 

    https://hotellaw.jmbm.com/federal-legislation-introduced-making-hotel-resort-fees-and-other-mandatory-charges-illegal.html

    But let me ask you this, if in the EU, hotels are required by law to show the actual cost of the room per night, including all taxes and mandatory fees, then why is it up to Google to enforce that law? All Google search is doing is going by the price that hotels are advertising. If hotels are not advertising their room rates as required by EU laws, shouldn't there be some other commission in the EU that see to it that hotels are obeying the laws?  Why does the EU have to force Google to enforce EU laws, under the threat of being fined, if hotels that aren't complying with the law concerning advertising room rate, ends up being listed high on a Google search result? Google is not the one advertising the room rates of the hotels, in their search result. If all the hotels were complying with the law, then a Google search of  ...... "cheapest hotels in what-ever EU city" ...... would yield a result that shouldn't be deceptive to consumers. Unless Google is listing paid search results higher on the list, even though they might not be cheaper than those that didn't pay Google. 

    It's different in the US as there is not yet a law barring hotels from not including the "resort fee", when advertising their room rate. Even if the "resort fee" is mandatory. So it's buyers beware. So maybe here, Google has some responsibility to consumers, to see that their search results for ..... "cheapest hotels"....., are comparing apples to apples. Just like how on eBay, I can better compare the price of an item from different auctions, with a search filter using ....... "price + S&H, lowest first".  
    No one is saying Google should enforce the law or that hotels aren't advertising the required prices.

    It seems it's more of a question of Google complying with the law and presenting its search results in line with it.

    Information here and at Reuters is scant but it does claim that in some cases traders were being more favorably than consumers. 
    I would find it unlikely that Google is presenting prices that did not come from hotels or resorts themselves. Do you seriously think it's reasonable to assume Google is working backwards and removing fees and taxes the hotel included to compute what the room price would have been without them?  IMHO It's much more likely the EU wants Google to compute what the room price will be once local/regional taxes and fees are added to what the hotel is advertising as a room rate.  If so then I agree with David W. The more direct fix would be requiring it from the source. 

    IMO what the EU wants (if I'm correct0 would be akin to mandating that Google surface home internet prices advertised by FiOS or Comcast or XFinity only AFTER taking it on themselves to compute the fees and taxes per area and adding it to the provider's advertised price.
    edited July 2021
  • Reply 8 of 10
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,667member
    gatorguy said:
    avon b7 said:
    davidw said:
    aaargh! said:
    jimh2 said:
    It’s a free service. (…)

    This is an example of wanting something better than free for free
    This is an example of how deceptive business practices won’t fly in Europe.  In the EU you are required to show the actual price of a product, including taxes, required fees, etc. If you advertise a product you just have to do it with the actual amount the customer has to pay, not some made up lower price that doesn’t reflect reality.
    The US introduced a law that will do the same. AFAIK, it hasn't passed yet. 

    https://hotellaw.jmbm.com/federal-legislation-introduced-making-hotel-resort-fees-and-other-mandatory-charges-illegal.html

    But let me ask you this, if in the EU, hotels are required by law to show the actual cost of the room per night, including all taxes and mandatory fees, then why is it up to Google to enforce that law? All Google search is doing is going by the price that hotels are advertising. If hotels are not advertising their room rates as required by EU laws, shouldn't there be some other commission in the EU that see to it that hotels are obeying the laws?  Why does the EU have to force Google to enforce EU laws, under the threat of being fined, if hotels that aren't complying with the law concerning advertising room rate, ends up being listed high on a Google search result? Google is not the one advertising the room rates of the hotels, in their search result. If all the hotels were complying with the law, then a Google search of  ...... "cheapest hotels in what-ever EU city" ...... would yield a result that shouldn't be deceptive to consumers. Unless Google is listing paid search results higher on the list, even though they might not be cheaper than those that didn't pay Google. 

    It's different in the US as there is not yet a law barring hotels from not including the "resort fee", when advertising their room rate. Even if the "resort fee" is mandatory. So it's buyers beware. So maybe here, Google has some responsibility to consumers, to see that their search results for ..... "cheapest hotels"....., are comparing apples to apples. Just like how on eBay, I can better compare the price of an item from different auctions, with a search filter using ....... "price + S&H, lowest first".  
    No one is saying Google should enforce the law or that hotels aren't advertising the required prices.

    It seems it's more of a question of Google complying with the law and presenting its search results in line with it.

    Information here and at Reuters is scant but it does claim that in some cases traders were being more favorably than consumers. 
    I would find it unlikely that Google is presenting prices that did not come from hotels or resorts themselves. Do you seriously think it's reasonable to assume Google is working backwards and removing fees and taxes the hotel included to compute what the room price would have been without them?  IMHO It's much more likely the EU wants Google to compute what the room price will be once local/regional taxes and fees are added to what the hotel is advertising as a room rate.  If so then I agree with David W. The more direct fix would be requiring it from the source. 

    IMO what the EU wants (if I'm correct0 would be akin to mandating that Google surface home internet prices advertised by FiOS or Comcast or XFinity only AFTER taking it on themselves to compute the fees and taxes per area and adding it to the provider's advertised price.
    I really have no idea about what the exact issues are. Hence the speculation and the comment that there was little detail both here and in Reuters.

    However, the reference to Google Flights and Google Hotels seemed to be pointing the finger at two specific Google products as opposed to the simple collation of online prices.

    The claim that 'traders' were favoured over consumers also stands out.

    There seems to be more involved here than simply presenting flight and hotel information from the web. The problem is the lack of detail as to what the true issues are. 
  • Reply 9 of 10
    davidwdavidw Posts: 2,050member
    avon b7 said:
    gatorguy said:
    avon b7 said:
    davidw said:
    aaargh! said:
    jimh2 said:
    It’s a free service. (…)

    This is an example of wanting something better than free for free
    This is an example of how deceptive business practices won’t fly in Europe.  In the EU you are required to show the actual price of a product, including taxes, required fees, etc. If you advertise a product you just have to do it with the actual amount the customer has to pay, not some made up lower price that doesn’t reflect reality.
    The US introduced a law that will do the same. AFAIK, it hasn't passed yet. 

    https://hotellaw.jmbm.com/federal-legislation-introduced-making-hotel-resort-fees-and-other-mandatory-charges-illegal.html

    But let me ask you this, if in the EU, hotels are required by law to show the actual cost of the room per night, including all taxes and mandatory fees, then why is it up to Google to enforce that law? All Google search is doing is going by the price that hotels are advertising. If hotels are not advertising their room rates as required by EU laws, shouldn't there be some other commission in the EU that see to it that hotels are obeying the laws?  Why does the EU have to force Google to enforce EU laws, under the threat of being fined, if hotels that aren't complying with the law concerning advertising room rate, ends up being listed high on a Google search result? Google is not the one advertising the room rates of the hotels, in their search result. If all the hotels were complying with the law, then a Google search of  ...... "cheapest hotels in what-ever EU city" ...... would yield a result that shouldn't be deceptive to consumers. Unless Google is listing paid search results higher on the list, even though they might not be cheaper than those that didn't pay Google. 

    It's different in the US as there is not yet a law barring hotels from not including the "resort fee", when advertising their room rate. Even if the "resort fee" is mandatory. So it's buyers beware. So maybe here, Google has some responsibility to consumers, to see that their search results for ..... "cheapest hotels"....., are comparing apples to apples. Just like how on eBay, I can better compare the price of an item from different auctions, with a search filter using ....... "price + S&H, lowest first".  
    No one is saying Google should enforce the law or that hotels aren't advertising the required prices.

    It seems it's more of a question of Google complying with the law and presenting its search results in line with it.

    Information here and at Reuters is scant but it does claim that in some cases traders were being more favorably than consumers. 
    I would find it unlikely that Google is presenting prices that did not come from hotels or resorts themselves. Do you seriously think it's reasonable to assume Google is working backwards and removing fees and taxes the hotel included to compute what the room price would have been without them?  IMHO It's much more likely the EU wants Google to compute what the room price will be once local/regional taxes and fees are added to what the hotel is advertising as a room rate.  If so then I agree with David W. The more direct fix would be requiring it from the source. 

    IMO what the EU wants (if I'm correct0 would be akin to mandating that Google surface home internet prices advertised by FiOS or Comcast or XFinity only AFTER taking it on themselves to compute the fees and taxes per area and adding it to the provider's advertised price.
    I really have no idea about what the exact issues are. Hence the speculation and the comment that there was little detail both here and in Reuters.

    However, the reference to Google Flights and Google Hotels seemed to be pointing the finger at two specific Google products as opposed to the simple collation of online prices.

    The claim that 'traders' were favoured over consumers also stands out.

    There seems to be more involved here than simply presenting flight and hotel information from the web. The problem is the lack of detail as to what the true issues are. 
    Google Flight and Google Hotel are not products. They are special search engines with built in filters to help consumers narrow down their searches and makes it easier for them to compare results. But the results are based on what the hotel advertises. 

    https://insights.ehotelier.com/suppliers/2019/08/19/whats-the-story-behind-google-hotels-and-should-otas-be-worried/

    https://thepointsguy.com/guide/google-hotels-how-to-use/ ;

    Now in the US, when the map shows up with the cheapest hotels in the city you're searching, with their advertised prices, the price indicated might not be the actual final price. So a hotel with a $80 price can cost more than a hotel with a $100 price as the $80 hotel might have a $40 mandatory resort fee and the $100 hotel includes the resort fee. One would have to go through the trouble of doing an actual comparison at each of the hotel websites, if one was looking for the cheapest hotel. Which Google Hotel site actually helps you with. 

    But in the EU that should not be the case, as there are laws forbidding hotels and booking agencies from not including any mandatory fees in their advertised price. So just by looking at the map, one already know that an $80 room is cheaper than a $100 room, unless the hotel listing is not complying with EU laws when they are advertising their room rates. And Google should not be the one to enforce those laws. Nor be "sanctioned" because their search results are using the misrepresented rates, that these hotels were advertising.  

    >For example, the EU authorities said that prices should include fees and taxes that are calculated in advance. It also added that reference prices used to calculate promotional discounts should be clearly identifiable by the consumer. If Google doesn't comply, it could face sanctions, the authorities said.

    "EU consumers cannot be misled when using search engines to plan their holidays. We need to empower consumers to make their choices based on transparent and unbiased information," said Didier Reynders, the EU's Justice Commissioner.<

    https://travelfairnessnow.org/2019/07/travel-fairness-now-recommends-government-act-to-halt-deceptive-hotel-resort-fees-2/

    >Hotel resort fees are so deceptive that some countries have made them illegal, including Australia and the European Union.<

    Google gets paid for including hotels in their listing, advertising and clicks, (not to mention the value of data mining) and not from the booking. The booking is done at the hotel websites or the online travel agency advertising the hotel room. Where Google Hotel will supply you with the link. There is no cost for the consumers to use Google Hotel or to just do a simple Google search, to find the hotels that meets their needs. Google Hotel is not an online travel agency like Expedia, where they get a commission for each booking done through them and can set the price. And the price might be cheaper if you were to actually book a room at the hotel website, than through Expedia. But Expedia will not tell you that, but a Google Hotel search might.  

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hotel-booking-sites-to-make-major-changes-after-cma-probe

    The "traders" is in reference to their "Google Store" (not Google Play Store) and not anything to do with "Google Hotel" and how results are display when searching for a hotel using Google search engine. 

    https://www.howtogeek.com/709045/what-is-the-google-store/

    https://store.google.com/us/?hl=en-US

    Your guess would be just as good as mine, as to what a "trader" is, in relation to the Google Store. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 10
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,667member
    davidw said:
    avon b7 said:
    gatorguy said:
    avon b7 said:
    davidw said:
    aaargh! said:
    jimh2 said:
    It’s a free service. (…)

    This is an example of wanting something better than free for free
    This is an example of how deceptive business practices won’t fly in Europe.  In the EU you are required to show the actual price of a product, including taxes, required fees, etc. If you advertise a product you just have to do it with the actual amount the customer has to pay, not some made up lower price that doesn’t reflect reality.
    The US introduced a law that will do the same. AFAIK, it hasn't passed yet. 

    https://hotellaw.jmbm.com/federal-legislation-introduced-making-hotel-resort-fees-and-other-mandatory-charges-illegal.html

    But let me ask you this, if in the EU, hotels are required by law to show the actual cost of the room per night, including all taxes and mandatory fees, then why is it up to Google to enforce that law? All Google search is doing is going by the price that hotels are advertising. If hotels are not advertising their room rates as required by EU laws, shouldn't there be some other commission in the EU that see to it that hotels are obeying the laws?  Why does the EU have to force Google to enforce EU laws, under the threat of being fined, if hotels that aren't complying with the law concerning advertising room rate, ends up being listed high on a Google search result? Google is not the one advertising the room rates of the hotels, in their search result. If all the hotels were complying with the law, then a Google search of  ...... "cheapest hotels in what-ever EU city" ...... would yield a result that shouldn't be deceptive to consumers. Unless Google is listing paid search results higher on the list, even though they might not be cheaper than those that didn't pay Google. 

    It's different in the US as there is not yet a law barring hotels from not including the "resort fee", when advertising their room rate. Even if the "resort fee" is mandatory. So it's buyers beware. So maybe here, Google has some responsibility to consumers, to see that their search results for ..... "cheapest hotels"....., are comparing apples to apples. Just like how on eBay, I can better compare the price of an item from different auctions, with a search filter using ....... "price + S&H, lowest first".  
    No one is saying Google should enforce the law or that hotels aren't advertising the required prices.

    It seems it's more of a question of Google complying with the law and presenting its search results in line with it.

    Information here and at Reuters is scant but it does claim that in some cases traders were being more favorably than consumers. 
    I would find it unlikely that Google is presenting prices that did not come from hotels or resorts themselves. Do you seriously think it's reasonable to assume Google is working backwards and removing fees and taxes the hotel included to compute what the room price would have been without them?  IMHO It's much more likely the EU wants Google to compute what the room price will be once local/regional taxes and fees are added to what the hotel is advertising as a room rate.  If so then I agree with David W. The more direct fix would be requiring it from the source. 

    IMO what the EU wants (if I'm correct0 would be akin to mandating that Google surface home internet prices advertised by FiOS or Comcast or XFinity only AFTER taking it on themselves to compute the fees and taxes per area and adding it to the provider's advertised price.
    I really have no idea about what the exact issues are. Hence the speculation and the comment that there was little detail both here and in Reuters.

    However, the reference to Google Flights and Google Hotels seemed to be pointing the finger at two specific Google products as opposed to the simple collation of online prices.

    The claim that 'traders' were favoured over consumers also stands out.

    There seems to be more involved here than simply presenting flight and hotel information from the web. The problem is the lack of detail as to what the true issues are. 
    Google Flight and Google Hotel are not products. They are special search engines with built in filters to help consumers narrow down their searches and makes it easier for them to compare results. But the results are based on what the hotel advertises. 

    https://insights.ehotelier.com/suppliers/2019/08/19/whats-the-story-behind-google-hotels-and-should-otas-be-worried/

    https://thepointsguy.com/guide/google-hotels-how-to-use/ ;

    Now in the US, when the map shows up with the cheapest hotels in the city you're searching, with their advertised prices, the price indicated might not be the actual final price. So a hotel with a $80 price can cost more than a hotel with a $100 price as the $80 hotel might have a $40 mandatory resort fee and the $100 hotel includes the resort fee. One would have to go through the trouble of doing an actual comparison at each of the hotel websites, if one was looking for the cheapest hotel. Which Google Hotel site actually helps you with. 

    But in the EU that should not be the case, as there are laws forbidding hotels and booking agencies from not including any mandatory fees in their advertised price. So just by looking at the map, one already know that an $80 room is cheaper than a $100 room, unless the hotel listing is not complying with EU laws when they are advertising their room rates. And Google should not be the one to enforce those laws. Nor be "sanctioned" because their search results are using the misrepresented rates, that these hotels were advertising.  

    >For example, the EU authorities said that prices should include fees and taxes that are calculated in advance. It also added that reference prices used to calculate promotional discounts should be clearly identifiable by the consumer. If Google doesn't comply, it could face sanctions, the authorities said.

    "EU consumers cannot be misled when using search engines to plan their holidays. We need to empower consumers to make their choices based on transparent and unbiased information," said Didier Reynders, the EU's Justice Commissioner.<

    https://travelfairnessnow.org/2019/07/travel-fairness-now-recommends-government-act-to-halt-deceptive-hotel-resort-fees-2/

    >Hotel resort fees are so deceptive that some countries have made them illegal, including Australia and the European Union.<

    Google gets paid for including hotels in their listing, advertising and clicks, (not to mention the value of data mining) and not from the booking. The booking is done at the hotel websites or the online travel agency advertising the hotel room. Where Google Hotel will supply you with the link. There is no cost for the consumers to use Google Hotel or to just do a simple Google search, to find the hotels that meets their needs. Google Hotel is not an online travel agency like Expedia, where they get a commission for each booking done through them and can set the price. And the price might be cheaper if you were to actually book a room at the hotel website, than through Expedia. But Expedia will not tell you that, but a Google Hotel search might.  

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hotel-booking-sites-to-make-major-changes-after-cma-probe

    The "traders" is in reference to their "Google Store" (not Google Play Store) and not anything to do with "Google Hotel" and how results are display when searching for a hotel using Google search engine. 

    https://www.howtogeek.com/709045/what-is-the-google-store/

    https://store.google.com/us/?hl=en-US

    Your guess would be just as good as mine, as to what a "trader" is, in relation to the Google Store. 
    Thanks for the background information.

    As I said earlier, it's not about Google enforcing the law bur complying with it.

    I managed to dig out the issues which consumer protection agencies are asking Google to be clearer on:

     https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/consumer-rights-and-complaints/enforcement-consumer-protection/coordinated-actions/social-media-and-search-engines_en
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