SB 416: "Stop Online Booking Scams Act"; enact

Some websites that let people book hotel rooms are not affiliated with the hotels they list, which can confuse consumers into thinking they are booking directly with the hotel. This bill, called the 'Stop Online Booking Scams Act,' adds a new section to Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393) targeting these 'third-party hotel booking websites.' The bill defines which platforms count as third-party booking websites and carves out exceptions for sites operating under a hotel's own brand, sites with a formal affiliation contract with the property, and event or meeting planners booking blocks of rooms. Covered websites would have to clearly tell consumers, before they enter personal information or hear any sales pitch, that the site is not the hotel and is acting as an unaffiliated middleman. The disclosure must appear prominently, not buried in terms and conditions or behind a clickable link. Violating this requirement would count as an unfair or deceptive trade practice under Georgia consumer protection law. The bill does not list an effective date beyond standard enactment.

• Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.22) requiring third-party hotel booking websites to disclose they are not affiliated with the hotel being booked.
• Defines 'third-party hotel booking website' and excludes sites operating under a shared hotel brand, sites with a formal affiliation contract, and event/meeting planners.
• Requires the disclosure to appear prominently on the booking page, before personal data entry, and separate from general terms and conditions.
• Makes failure to comply with the new disclosure rule an unlawful, unfair, and deceptive trade practice under Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act (Section 2, amending O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393(b)).

Third-party hotel and accommodation booking websites, apps, and call centers operating in Georgia; hotel owners, operators, and franchisors; and Georgia consumers who book hotel rooms online or by phone through intermediary services rather than directly with hotels.

Consumers booking hotels online would get a clearer, harder-to-miss notice that they are dealing with a middleman rather than the hotel itself, which could reduce confusion over pricing, cancellation policies, or who to contact with problems. Booking websites that fail to disclose this face state deceptive trade practice liability.

• Section 1 names the bill the 'Stop Online Booking Scams Act.'
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393(b) to add a new paragraph (38) making noncompliance with the new disclosure rule an unlawful trade practice.
• Section 3 creates O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.22, defining key terms including 'affiliation contract,' 'physical accommodation,' 'shared hotel brand,' and 'third-party hotel booking website.'
• Section 3(b) requires covered websites to disclose they are third-party services not directly affiliated with the accommodation and that the consumer is not booking directly with the hotel.
• Section 3(c) specifies the disclosure must be clear, conspicuous, appear first in search results, not require clicking or hovering to view, and precede any personal data entry or oral sales pitch.
• Section 4 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-01-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-01-16Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)Primary sponsor
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
• Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
• Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)

• consumer protection
• hotel booking
• deceptive trade practices
• online travel websites