Booking.com will take an apparent fight it now faces with Airbnb head-on after hiring one of the private accommodation sharing giant's high profile figures.
Olivier Grémillon has joined the Booking Holdings-owned Booking.com as vice president of its Home division.
He will be tasked with growing the company's business across the homes and apartments sector, working with owners in 220 countries around the world.
Until December 2017, Grémillon was one of the chief lieutenants at Airbnb at it sought to build up the company's presence and inventory in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
He joined in January 2012 as country manager in France, before a four-year stint as managing director for EMEA.
A director of global strategy role for Airbnb lasted two months before his departure for Booking.com.
The appointment at Booking.com comes as Grémillon's former boss, Brian Chesky, says the company is "100%" battling online travel agencies since its high-profile move to open up the platform to hotel distribution.
Booking.com claims to have have around 975,000 rental properties available for travelers.