SB416: SB416 "Stop Online Booking Scams Act"; enact

Right now, some websites that let people book hotel rooms can look like they are the hotel's own site, even though they are unrelated middlemen. Senate Bill 416, called the Stop Online Booking Scams Act, changes Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act (O.C.G.A. Title 10, Chapter 1) to address this. The bill defines a 'third-party hotel booking website' as any online platform, app, call center, or service that lets consumers book a hotel room in Georgia without being directly affiliated with that hotel. It excludes sites operating under the hotel's own shared brand, sites with a formal affiliation contract with the property, and event or meeting planners booking rooms for a conference. Any covered website must clearly disclose, before a consumer enters personal data or hears an offer, that it is not affiliated with the hotel and that the booking is not directly with the property. Failing to do this becomes an unlawful, unfair, and deceptive trade practice, joining the list of violations already banned under O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.

• Adds a new violation (paragraph 38) to Georgia's list of unlawful deceptive trade practices in O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393 for failing to make the required booking disclosure.
• Creates a new Code section, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.22, defining 'third-party hotel booking website' and related terms like 'affiliation contract' and 'shared hotel brand.'
• Requires covered booking websites to clearly disclose that they are not affiliated with the hotel and that consumers are not booking directly with the property.
• Specifies the disclosure must appear before personal data entry, appear first in search results, and cannot be buried in terms and conditions or hidden behind clicks.
• Exempts hotel-branded booking sites, platforms with formal affiliation contracts, and event or meeting planners from the disclosure requirement.

Third-party hotel booking websites, apps, and call centers operating in Georgia; hotel owners, operators, and franchisors whose properties are booked through these platforms; exhibition organizers and meeting planners handling group room reservations; and consumers who book hotel rooms online or by phone.

Consumers booking hotel rooms online would get a clearer, upfront warning when they are dealing with an unaffiliated booking service rather than the hotel itself, which could reduce confusion about who they are actually paying and who to contact for problems with their reservation.

• Section 1 gives the bill its short title, the 'Stop Online Booking Scams Act.'
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393(b) to add failure to comply with the new disclosure rule as a 38th example of an unfair or deceptive trade practice.
• Section 3 creates O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.22, defining key terms including 'third-party hotel booking website,' 'affiliation contract,' and 'shared hotel brand,' and listing exemptions.
• Section 3(b) requires covered websites to disclose their lack of direct affiliation with the hotel and that the consumer is not booking directly with the property.
• Section 3(c) sets detailed rules for how the disclosure must be displayed, including that it must appear first in search results and before any personal data is entered.
• Section 4 repeals any 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 scams
• online travel booking
• deceptive trade practices
• hospitality regulation