Ctrip under investigation: How did a 38 year old OTA giant from Shanghai use "big data" and "choose one" to weave a trillion GMV commercial wall? After seeing the news, I quickly went to look through the news and sorted it out for everyone—— Starting with algorithms: One of Ctrip's core barriers is its "dynamic pricing system" that can accurately identify users' payment intentions. High frequency business travelers and those searching for specific flights often see higher hotel ticket prices. Technology is not used for optimization, but for maximizing profits. Self proclaimed "ecology" is actually a "wall": The "ecology" of Ctrip's wine travel is a Single choice question for many hotels: sign an exclusive agreement (that is, "choose one from two") to get traffic, otherwise, they will face rights reduction and shielding. This is not cooperation, it's standing in line. The first bucket of gold comes from traffic hegemony: In the early years, relying on capital and flow advantages, it quickly integrated small and medium-sized agents and established a monopoly position. Some merchants recalled that without Ctrip, they had no customers, and once they did, they were overwhelmed by commissions and terms. It gives you an order and determines your life or death Rejecting the "independent pricing power" of millions per day: According to accusations from Yunnan Homestay Association and others, Ctrip can intervene in millions of yuan worth of housing prices in a single day through technologies such as "price adjustment assistant". If merchants want to disable this feature, they may face traffic penalties. Pricing power? That belongs to platform algorithms. Binding Empire "and Silent Check: Buy a plane ticket and select hotel voucher, VIP lounge, and insurance package by default; Book a room and quietly add a shuttle. These 'invisible bundles' form a' silent income 'that contributes billions of dollars in revenue annually. Every 'next step' may hide a bill. Commission Stamp Collection: From 10% to 25%+: From mild commissions in the early days, to now offering discounts of over 25% on some hotels and homestays, combined with various marketing expenses. The Yunnan Homestay Association bluntly stated, 'The platform's revenue is higher than that of landlords.' This is not a commission, this is a blood test. Ecological transformation of wine and tourism into a 'fee wall': For many small and medium-sized businesses, the core model of its claimed "empowering industry" is still traffic fees, commissions, and financial rebates. Entity is the story, data and flow are the core assets. User grouping, global harvesting: The internal system finely groups users into different groups, such as "high-frequency business travel", "price insensitive families", "student party", etc., to see different prices and packages. Maximizing profits comes from optimizing the image. Thousand rules: 7000 word user agreement controls each transaction: The dozens of pages of user agreements and refund/change rules have created a complex maze of exemption from liability. When disputes arise, the terms tend to lean towards the platform. Rules are not fair rulers, they are moats. Five years ago, it entered the regulatory field: From the hot topic of "big data killing" around 2021, to multiple interviews with market regulatory departments in Guizhou, Zhengzhou and other places since 2023 due to issues such as "choosing between two" and algorithm discrimination, until today's investigation. The regulatory gaze has never left.