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.

European independent hotels - tech adoption, distribution issues, and being different from US
News / Distribution
European independent hotels - tech adoption, distribution issues, and being different from US
By Kevin May | May 17, 2016
Commission fees and a fear of relying too much on online travel agencies are two of the major issues that are troubling independent hotels in Europe. Those are some the findings from a major study Read More
Online will be most popular travel booking channel in Europe by 2017
News / Distribution
Online will be most popular travel booking channel in Europe by 2017
By Kevin May | May 12, 2016
It is often easy (maybe even convenient) to forget that the majority of travel bookings are still made offline and not via the internet. But within 18 months, Europe will be the first region on the Read More
IHG turns the screw on agencies with direct-booking swipe
News / Distribution
IHG turns the screw on agencies with direct-booking swipe
By Kevin May | May 9, 2016
InterContinental Hotels Group is the latest mega-chain to make a major effort to turn travellers away from the "purse-stretching" online travel agencies. The group is pushing a major new campaign t Read More
Age of flying bots - what airlines should do in 2016
News / Technology
Age of flying bots - what airlines should do in 2016
By Viewpoints | May 6, 2016
Airlines will be one of the first sectors to push into messaging-driven experiences, as shown by KLM’s bot launched at Facebook’s F8 Conference last month. NB: This is an analysis by Nadav Gur, fou Read More
Priceline Group brings attention back to performance, 2016 bookings hit $16.7 billion
News / Distribution
Priceline Group brings attention back to performance, 2016 bookings hit $16.7 billion
By Kevin May | May 4, 2016
Putting turbulence over its recently resigned CEO aside momentarily, Priceline Group today posted revenues of $2.1 billion for the first quarter of 2016. The group saw the exit of president and CEO Read More
Booking.com debuts chat tool to enable hotels and guests to interact
News / Technology
Booking.com debuts chat tool to enable hotels and guests to interact
By Sean O'Neil | May 3, 2016
Booking.com is launching an SMS-style chat tool via its desktop and mobile web sites and via its mobile apps, the company confirmed to Tnooz. Customers will be able to start a chat with hotels wher Read More
Priceline Group CEO Darren Huston quits over conduct with employee
News
Priceline Group CEO Darren Huston quits over conduct with employee
By Kevin May | April 28, 2016
Darren Huston, CEO and president of The Priceline Group, has resigned after an investigation into a personal relationship with a fellow staffer. The company says former-CEO and current chairman, Je Read More
Travel sites are working on personalisation but do consumers notice?
News / Distribution
Travel sites are working on personalisation but do consumers notice?
By Linda Fox | April 25, 2016
Elements of personalisation are creeping into online travel sites as demonstrated by a recent study by eDigitalResearch. The eTravel Benchmark looks at the digital travel experience across a number Read More
Lastminute.com says too hard for consumer startups to enter travel battle
News
Lastminute.com says too hard for consumer startups to enter travel battle
By Kevin May | April 21, 2016
Travel startups attempting to muscle in on consumer travel will face an uphill task if they want to challenge the status quo. That's the pessimistic view from the deputy CEO of Lastminute.com Group Read More
HomeToGo secures $20 million to boost vacation rental metasearch
News / Distribution
HomeToGo secures $20 million to boost vacation rental metasearch
By Kevin May | April 15, 2016
Vacation rental metasearch service HomeToGo has caught the eye of Insight Venture Partners - winning a $20 million Series B round. The Germany-based company has also wooed interest from DN Capital Read More
Hotels and OTAs race to revamp their loyalty programs to boost bookings
News / Online
Hotels and OTAs race to revamp their loyalty programs to boost bookings
By Viewpoints | April 6, 2016
Loyalty programs had been a somewhat neglected weapon in the marketing arsenals of both hotels and online travel agencies until recent months. Major hotel chains have been adjusting their loyalty s Read More
Booking.com's BookingSuite chief talks RateManager and hotel strategy
News / Distribution
Booking.com's BookingSuite chief talks RateManager and hotel strategy
By Sean O'Neil | March 30, 2016
A core strategy of Booking.com, the Priceline Group-owned reservations giant, is to expand into other services that hotel and vacation rental owners need to run their businesses. BookingSuite, its mai Read More
Booking.com app blamed for widespread Apple device crash
News / Technology
Booking.com app blamed for widespread Apple device crash
By Kevin May | March 29, 2016
Booking.com has found itself at the centre of a major system bug affecting some users of iPhones and iPads. The problem first surfaced late last week when many users started complaining online abou Read More
Artificial intelligence-based travel concierge - not hard to break it
News / Technology
Artificial intelligence-based travel concierge - not hard to break it
By Kevin May | March 23, 2016
Trip planning startup Tripoto recently announced rather grandly that it has created the "world's first AI-based travel concierge". Online virtual assistants in the travel industry are not new by an Read More
Booking.com strikes first in Cuban travel land-grab
News / Distribution
Booking.com strikes first in Cuban travel land-grab
By Kevin May | March 21, 2016
Travel brands are lining up to get in on the hoopla surrounding US president Barack Obama's visit to the Caribbean island of Cuba this week. The Priceline Group-owned Booking.com claims today that Read More