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.

Travel agency group hits back at European hotels over distribution criticism
News / Distribution
Travel agency group hits back at European hotels over distribution criticism
By Kevin May | July 27, 2016
European hotels should consider the effort that online travel agencies put into the marketplace before rubbishing the system. That's the strong response from the European Technology and Travel Serv Read More
Booking.com and Expedia take four out of five agency bookings in Europe
News / Distribution
Booking.com and Expedia take four out of five agency bookings in Europe
By Kevin May | July 27, 2016
More evidence of a so-called duopoly coming into play as Expedia and Booking.com land 80% of all European hotel sales on online travel agencies. European hospitality association HOTREC estimates th Read More
Two travel brands make it to list of 300 top websites on the planet
News / Technology
Two travel brands make it to list of 300 top websites on the planet
By Kevin May | July 21, 2016
Languishing within in a pile of 300 search engines, porn portals, entertainment hubs and retailers are just two travel websites. Booking.com and TripAdvisor feature in the list of the most popular Read More
Canadian online travel consolidation as iTravel2000 sells to RedTag
News / Distribution
Canadian online travel consolidation as iTravel2000 sells to RedTag
By Kevin May | July 21, 2016
The mid-tier online travel agency market in Canada has got smaller this week with the acquisition of iTravel2000 by Red Label Holdings. Red Label is the parent company behind rival OTA RedTag, as w Read More
Austrian regulators crack down on online travel agency parity clauses
News / Distribution
Austrian regulators crack down on online travel agency parity clauses
By Kevin May | July 19, 2016
Officials in Austria have moved to introduce legislation that will prevent online travel agencies from demanding hotels only offer rates at the same or higher price. Parity clauses have existed bet Read More
Booking.com dips toe in waters of attraction tickets, under the guise of AI platform
News / Technology
Booking.com dips toe in waters of attraction tickets, under the guise of AI platform
By Kevin May | July 14, 2016
Booking.com has finally moved into the complex world of tours and activities with the pilot of a new service on its mobile app. Until now, the Priceline Group-operated hotel giant has worked with t Read More
Booking.com affiliate VNTrip scores $3 million funding round
News / Distribution
Booking.com affiliate VNTrip scores $3 million funding round
By Kevin May | July 11, 2016
VNTrip, just a month after its official launch, has scored a Series A funding round of $3 million from an ex-Alibaba exec's investment vehicle. John Wu's FengHe Fund Management was joined by Hancoc Read More
Booking.com means business when it comes to business travel
News / Distribution
Booking.com means business when it comes to business travel
By Sean O'Neil | July 7, 2016
Booking.com says that nearly one on five of its users books hotels and other accommodation through it for business travel. (In the US, about a third of those bookings are places other than hotels, suc Read More
Why hotels should fight back against online mirror marketing
News / Distribution
Why hotels should fight back against online mirror marketing
By Viewpoints | July 5, 2016
So, I bet if I ask you what your main concerns are as hoteliers when battling the online travel agencies, there would be two responses... The level of commission The stranglehold of rate parit Read More
Hotels versus intermediaries - consumers think online travel agencies are cheaper
News / Distribution
Hotels versus intermediaries - consumers think online travel agencies are cheaper
By Kevin May | July 4, 2016
Travellers presume they are getting a better deal if they book on an online travel agency - illustrating the battle hotels have in getting direct bookings. Research with 1,000 travellers aged betwe Read More
How Booking.com dominates hotel bookings in two simple charts
News / Distribution
How Booking.com dominates hotel bookings in two simple charts
By Kevin May | June 30, 2016
The industry knows (and many get irritated by the fact) that Booking.com is the online travel giant of the age. The Priceline Group-owned business pretty much conquered Europe during the late-2000s Read More
Low-commission champion Bidroom raises Euro 1 million investment
News / Distribution
Low-commission champion Bidroom raises Euro 1 million investment
By Kevin May | June 27, 2016
Netherlands-based hotel booking service Bidroom has secured a Euro 1 million funding round in a bid to "chip away" share from the giants of the industry. The company says the investment has come fr Read More
Traders lukewarm on Airbnb threat to Priceline Group and Expedia
News / Distribution
Traders lukewarm on Airbnb threat to Priceline Group and Expedia
By Kevin May | June 20, 2016
Airbnb may not be feasting on the lunch of Booking.com and Expedia after all, as several factors come into play that could inhibit its growth. This is the warning from a financial trader, writing f Read More
Hotels warned over startups that will peel away their dominance
News / Distribution
Hotels warned over startups that will peel away their dominance
By Kevin May | June 17, 2016
CBInsights reckons it has identified more than 60 travel startups that will in various ways erode the power of major hotel chains. The business consultancy service says the established hotel giants Read More
Booking.com wants to give hotels a better outlook on life
News / Distribution
Booking.com wants to give hotels a better outlook on life
By Kevin May | June 16, 2016
Booking.com's foray into providing B2B services to hotels has been reasonably quiet of late - but the BookingSuite platform has this week added a major tool to its armoury. The RateIntelligence pla Read More
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