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 claims China Mobile link-up is world's biggest ever
News / Technology
Booking.com claims China Mobile link-up is world's biggest ever
By Martin Cowen | November 6, 2015
The Qunar/Baidu/Ctrip share swap has grabbed the headlines in China, but Priceline Inc also deserves a mention for finding an innovative way to bring booking.com into the mix. A partnership with Ch Read More
Expedia acquires HomeAway for $3.9 billion
News / Distribution
Expedia acquires HomeAway for $3.9 billion
By Kevin May | November 4, 2015
So it wasn't the Priceline Group after all - Expedia has announced its intention to buy vacation rental brand HomeAway for $3.9 billion. It is the second biggest deal in travel tech in this decade, Read More
Airbnb, HomeAway, TripAdvisor, Booking, and Rented talk vacation rentals
News / Distribution
Airbnb, HomeAway, TripAdvisor, Booking, and Rented talk vacation rentals
By Nick Vivion | November 2, 2015
The mainstreaming of vacation rentals, regional consolidation, regulation and technology-driven operational efficiency were themes at the closing session of the annual Vacation Rental Managers Associa Read More
TripAdvisor says learning as it goes along with instant booking
News / Distribution
TripAdvisor says learning as it goes along with instant booking
By Kevin May | October 26, 2015
TripAdvisor's foray into Instant Booking for its hotel metasearch had been motoring along reasonably well until just a few weeks ago. And then it signed an agreement to have the Priceline Group bra Read More
Hotel chains disagree over Accor's open marketplace concept
News / Distribution
Hotel chains disagree over Accor's open marketplace concept
By Kevin May | October 22, 2015
To say the decision by Accor Hotels to open a "marketplace" has divided opinion would be a bit of an understatement. The global hotel chain announced in June this year that it would be allowing its Read More
Fear, loathing, and category killers: A chat about hotel distribution and merchandising
News / Distribution
Fear, loathing, and category killers: A chat about hotel distribution and merchandising
By Valyn Perini | October 20, 2015
The past month has been a "wow" moment for hotels, at least when it comes to distribution and merchandising. Last week, Priceline Group abandoned its resistance and signed up to provide its hotel i Read More
Priceline Group hotels go down instant booking route via TripAdvisor
News / Technology
Priceline Group hotels go down instant booking route via TripAdvisor
By Linda Fox | October 14, 2015
The direct booking versus OTA debate just ratcheted up a notch with news that Priceline Group's hotel inventory will be made available via the TripAdvisor instant booking platform. It was only rela Read More
Booking.com claims 170,000 of its hotel stays each day are for corporates
News / Distribution
Booking.com claims 170,000 of its hotel stays each day are for corporates
By Kevin May | October 14, 2015
It's now six months since Booking.com officially started trying to woo business travellers and their travel managers. That's not to say that the hotel booking giant was never used by corporate trav Read More
Hotel group claims millions of online bookings every year are scams
News / Distribution
Hotel group claims millions of online bookings every year are scams
By Kevin May | October 5, 2015
The American Hotel & Lodging Association has claimed 15 million online hotel bookings in the US alone have been affected by "deceptive rogue affiliates". The lobbying group obviously has a vest Read More
Priceline Group's studied approach to China
News / Distribution
Priceline Group's studied approach to China
By Viewpoints | September 14, 2015
Priceline Group now has over 500 employees based in China, 10 offices across the country with another two planned to open towards the end of the year. NB This is a guest article by Ritesh Gupta, a Read More
Marriott finally finds a use for a top-level domain extension
News / Online
Marriott finally finds a use for a top-level domain extension
By Kevin May | September 7, 2015
Seems like an (internet) age ago, but 2011 and 2012 saw a huge marketing campaign for businesses to buy additional web domains. The idea was supposed to be quite simple: web naming regulator Icann Read More
Turning vacation pics into GIFs, Booking.com lunges for marketing gold
News / Technology
Turning vacation pics into GIFs, Booking.com lunges for marketing gold
By Sean O'Neil | August 24, 2015
Booking.com, the hotel reservation giant owned by Priceline Group, has come up with a clever marketing campaign that helps users transform their vacation shots into GIFs, or animated, looping short vi Read More
Booking.com has no ambitions for corporate travel beyond hotels
News / Distribution
Booking.com has no ambitions for corporate travel beyond hotels
By Kevin May | August 18, 2015
There was a degree of curiosity a few months back when Booking.com unveiled its Booking.com For Business service. The idea is that travel managers can search and make reservations for Booking.com-h Read More
Tripping, the metasearch for vacation rentals, adds on-site booking
News
Tripping, the metasearch for vacation rentals, adds on-site booking
By Sean O'Neil | August 11, 2015
Tripping says it is the first metasearch for vacation rentals to enable reservations facilitated within its own user interface. Booking.com, the hotel reservations giant, was the first company to p Read More
Deep dive into last-minute online hotel booking habits
News / Technology
Deep dive into last-minute online hotel booking habits
By Kevin May | July 29, 2015
Let's face it, before HotelTonight and chums came along the big boys of online travel had probably never even considered carving out a niche for last-minute hotel bookings. Or if they had, they dis Read More