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 makes changes to rate parity clauses in Europe
News / Distribution
Booking.com makes changes to rate parity clauses in Europe
By Kevin May | April 21, 2015
Booking.com says it will support changes put on it by regulators to amend hotel price agreements. The Priceline Group-owned accommodation booking giant will "abandon its price, availability and boo Read More
Google defence against regulator exposes weak performance of its travel products
News / Online
Google defence against regulator exposes weak performance of its travel products
By Kevin May | April 16, 2015
Google may have mounted a robust defence of its search practices, but at the same time showed how far it has to go with its travel products. The European Union put forward a so-called "statement of Read More
Some lessons learned from user testing hotel websites
News / Distribution
Some lessons learned from user testing hotel websites
By Martin Cowen | April 16, 2015
To highlight how user-testing can be useful in finding opportunities to improve, three of the most popular sites in hospitality were submitted for a Peek User Testing program. NB: This is an analys Read More
Amid acquisitions, can smaller online travel agencies in Europe survive?
News / Distribution
Amid acquisitions, can smaller online travel agencies in Europe survive?
By Viewpoints | April 9, 2015
An array of prominent purchases has helped Expedia and Priceline cement their spots as the world’s largest online travel agencies (OTAs) as the opportunity for others narrows. NB: This is an analys Read More
Booking.com and TripAdvisor reviews appear on Apple Maps
News / Technology
Booking.com and TripAdvisor reviews appear on Apple Maps
By Kevin May | April 7, 2015
Yelp has lost its exclusivity on providing reviews for hotel properties on Apple Maps. Entering the fray now will also be reviews from Booking.com and TripAdvisor. No official announcement has b Read More
The unspoken reality of the online travel agency sector (hello, frenemies)
News / Distribution
The unspoken reality of the online travel agency sector (hello, frenemies)
By Kevin May | April 2, 2015
Should Booking.com and Expedia be worried about the formation of what is being touted as a "shift in the hierarchy" of the online travel agency world in Europe? The short answer: no. The merger Read More
Making foreign sites work in China, technically, commercially
News / Distribution
Making foreign sites work in China, technically, commercially
By Viewpoints | March 5, 2015
Website performance, particularly site speed, is something for foreign operators to consider. NB: This article is written by Ritesh Gupta, a reporter at Chinatravelnews. Capturing the attention Read More
CMO of Booking.com becomes CEO of Priceline brand
News / Online
CMO of Booking.com becomes CEO of Priceline brand
By Sean O'Neil | February 27, 2015
Paul Hennessy, the chief marketing officer (CMO) of Booking.com for the past three years, will step up to become chief executive officer of the Priceline brand at the start of April, said the Pricelin Read More
Franchise hotels and the framing of online travel agencies
News
Franchise hotels and the framing of online travel agencies
By Viewpoints | February 27, 2015
For more than a decade, online travel agencies such as Expedia or Booking.com have been demonized by franchise chains for being too expensive. Is the criticism true, or is it possible that the OTAs Read More
Stop your Booking moaning - ad regulator clears Booking.com campaign
News / Online
Stop your Booking moaning - ad regulator clears Booking.com campaign
By Kevin May | February 18, 2015
Booking.com has escaped a ticking off by the UK's advertising watchdog over a TV and cinema campaign. The Advertising Standards Authority received just short of 2,500 complaints following the launc Read More
Hotels hit by email scam targeting payment of Booking.com fees
News / Distribution
Hotels hit by email scam targeting payment of Booking.com fees
By Kevin May | February 17, 2015
A number of hotels in Europe have fallen victim to an email scam which captures commissions paid to Booking.com. The email scammers use a tried a tested method of creating a branded page to lure th Read More
Shire Hotels brings price comparison back to home turf
News / Distribution
Shire Hotels brings price comparison back to home turf
By Linda Fox | January 21, 2015
In what can only be described as a bold move, Shire Hotels has introduced price comparison functionality on its website displaying rates from big OTAs alongside its own. In a bid to boost conversio Read More
Booking.com re-enters last-minute fray with mobile-only Booking Now
News / Technology
Booking.com re-enters last-minute fray with mobile-only Booking Now
By Nick Vivion | January 16, 2015
As traveler behavior trends towards last-minute bookings, pretty much every OTA has launched a new last-minute solution. Booking.com had one of the earlier entrants to this space, with Booking.com Read More
Australian players fearful of Booking.com's boom, Wotif's weakness
News / Distribution
Australian players fearful of Booking.com's boom, Wotif's weakness
By Sean O'Neil | January 14, 2015
Why did Australian regulators okay Expedia Inc's $703 million acquisition of Wotif Holdings last October? Documents released on Tuesday explain their official reasoning. At the core, the regulators Read More
HRS loses rate parity appeal, calls for unified approach
News / Distribution
HRS loses rate parity appeal, calls for unified approach
By Linda Fox | January 13, 2015
A German court has ruled parity clauses from hotel specialist HRS are anti-competitive, paving the way for similar decisions on other online intermediaries. The ruling from the Higher Regional Cour Read More