Booking.com Genius Level 3 Charges More Than Regular Prices – Unfair System

I have been using Booking.com for over 10 years, booking in 30+ different countries, and I am a Genius Level 3 member, which is supposed to offer the best discounts. However, I recently traveled with a friend who created a new account, and to my surprise, they were offered a much lower price than me for the exact same hotel and room on the same platform (mobile app).

When I contacted Booking.com about this, instead of addressing my concern, they canceled my membership, and I had to go through the hassle of reactivating it. Why is a brand-new user getting a better deal than a loyal customer?

This happened again last night—same hotel, same room, yet I was charged more than my friend. The only difference? They are a citizen of another country.

This raises serious concerns:

Is Booking.com applying price discrimination based on nationality?
Is the Genius program actually worthless or even harmful?
If a new user gets a cheaper rate than a top-tier Genius member, what is the point of this loyalty system? Instead of offering benefits, it seems to make prices worse. Booking.com needs to fix this issue immediately!