ByteDance Doubao responds to rumors of "charging for hotel recommendations": no advertising fees are charged, only a channel service fee is collected after a transaction

In response to rumors on social media about "Doubao recommending hotels for a fee," Liu Xing, the head of public affairs for Doubao at ByteDance, stated on the evening of August 10 that the related statements are inaccurate. He indicated that Doubao's life service business currently does not have paid promotions, and Doubao does not charge advertising fees for hotel recommendations; merchants cannot influence recommendations or rankings through payment, and only pay channel service fees after an order is completed.

Liu Xing pointed out that some platforms adopt a "commission + advertising" charging model, while Doubao primarily charges based on completed transactions at this stage, making direct comparisons inappropriate. For merchants, the actual channel costs and the effects of new orders are more meaningful references. He also mentioned that Doubao's life service business is still in a very early exploratory stage.