Booking.com News

As a global leader in online accommodations and travel services, Booking.com continues to shape the digital travel experience through innovation, platform evolution, and strategic partnerships. PhocusWire delivers the latest Booking.com news to keep industry professionals informed on how this travel giant is adapting to shifting market dynamics and consumer expectations.

Key Booking.com updates, partnerships, and market trends

Follow developments in Booking.com’s core technology, loyalty strategies, and supplier relationships, along with its expansion into flights, experiences, and payments. Our reporting covers how the brand is responding to competitive pressures, regulatory environments, and the increasing demand for seamless, personalized travel.

Booking.com cuts workforce by a quarter as pandemic bites
News / Online
Booking.com cuts workforce by a quarter as pandemic bites
By Kevin May | August 4, 2020
Almost 4,500 employees working for Booking.com are being laid off. Details about who and where will be figured out in the coming weeks. Read More
Short-term rentals and misalignment of the marketplace
Opinion / Distribution
Short-term rentals and misalignment of the marketplace
By Jared Alster - Dune7 | July 29, 2020
The distribution landscape for short-term vacation rentals is dominated by marketplaces. However, the pandemic has revealed some weak points and misalignment of incentives within the traditional... Read More
booking-com-travel-incentive
News / Distribution
Booking.com creates rebooking incentive with money back for travelers, waived commission for suppliers
By Mitra Sorrells | July 20, 2020
Booking.com’s new travel incentive gives customers a 15% reward if they rebook stays they had canceled.   Read More
Booking.com wins brand name trademark case
News / Online
Booking.com wins brand name trademark case
By Kevin May | July 1, 2020
The travel giant had been refused a trademark of its flagship brand by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which claimed the term was "generic for the services at issue and is therefore... Read More
How travel brands can capture - and welcome - the LGBTQ family market
News / Online
How travel brands can capture - and welcome - the LGBTQ family market
By Jill Menze | June 17, 2020
Brands such as Booking.com are investing in training to make the travel industry more inclusive to LGBTQ family travelers. Read More
Booking.com gets product from TUI's Musement to bolster activities strategy
News / Online
Booking.com gets product from TUI's Musement to bolster activities strategy
By Kevin May | June 8, 2020
The agreement with Musement-owner TUI is the first third-party agreement by Booking.com to secure inventory and also a signal of the tour operating giant's intentions to expand its B2B operations in... Read More
Trivago, Booking.com, KLM and others unite to create COVID-19 information service
News / Distribution
Trivago, Booking.com, KLM and others unite to create COVID-19 information service
By Kevin May | June 4, 2020
A group of major travel brands have created a service to provide a single data source with current global news as it relates to the coronavirus outbreak and recovery. Read More
Like it or not, the fate of your hotel is in the hands of OTAs
Opinion / Distribution
Like it or not, the fate of your hotel is in the hands of OTAs
By Dori Stein - Fornova | June 3, 2020
Here’s why OTAs will provide a key source of near-term bookings and what hoteliers can do to ensure they’re capitalizing on the right opportunities. Read More
Booking Holdings Q1 gross bookings plummet 51%, total revenue down 19%
News / Online
Booking Holdings Q1 gross bookings plummet 51%, total revenue down 19%
By Mitra Sorrells | May 7, 2020
Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel says it will take "years - not quarters" for the travel industry to recover, as the company saw its gross bookings drop more than 50% in the first quarter of 2020. Read More
Google takes initial hit from scaling back of travel search ads
News / Online
Google takes initial hit from scaling back of travel search ads
By Kevin May | April 29, 2020
The search giant's parent Alphabet recorded its first quarter results of 2020 with a revenue increase of 13% year-over-year to $41.2 billion. Read More
Should hotels consider resuming Google Ads and other search campaigns?
Opinion / Distribution
Should hotels consider resuming Google Ads and other search campaigns?
By Pau Siquier - Mirai | April 21, 2020
After the brutal shock to the travel industry due to the coronavirus crisis, the vast majority of hotels stopped or questioned all their investments in online marketing, mainly Google Ads and... Read More
Booking.com, Properly pilot cleaning program for short-term rentals
News / Technology
Booking.com, Properly pilot cleaning program for short-term rentals
By Jill Menze | April 21, 2020
The pilot is designed to help improve the cleaning scores of properties that do not meet Booking.com’s minimum cleanliness threshold. Read More
Tiqets CEO moves to president role, Laurens Leurink steps in
News / Online
Tiqets CEO moves to president role, Laurens Leurink steps in
By Kevin May | April 20, 2020
Leurink was most recently CEO of medical technology brand Docly, based in Scandinavia, but he has an extensive background in travel technology stretching back to 2008. Read More
Booking Holdings moves to support financial position into 2021 with capital-raising program
News / Online
Booking Holdings moves to support financial position into 2021 with capital-raising program
By Linda Fox | April 9, 2020
Booking Holdings updates the market on the impact of the coronavirus on the business. Read More
Tracking declines in online travel web traffic as restrictions hit across the globe
News / Online
Tracking declines in online travel web traffic as restrictions hit across the globe
By Linda Fox | April 6, 2020
SimilarWeb has marked a "pivot point" in website traffic to online travel companies when consumer and business behavior changed and traffic declined sharply. Read More
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