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.

Skyscanner wins appeal, UK watchdog to rethink OTA hotel rate clubs
News / Distribution
Skyscanner wins appeal, UK watchdog to rethink OTA hotel rate clubs
By Sean O'Neil | September 26, 2014
For those of you keeping score at home, it's now Skyscanner, 1 - OTAs, 0, in the legal game that's developed around planned hotel rate discount schemes in the United Kingdom. In a win for Scotland- Read More
MakeMyTrip goes scouting for startups
News / Technology
MakeMyTrip goes scouting for startups
By Martin Cowen | September 12, 2014
Indian online travel agency giant Make My Trip says it has cash to spend on investing and nurturing startups. The so-called Innovation Fund will total $15 million and targeted at "mobile and IP-bas Read More
Thinking about targeting China? Big market, but not as easy as you might think
News / Online
Thinking about targeting China? Big market, but not as easy as you might think
By Karthick Prabu | September 3, 2014
A who's who of global travel brands still face a number of challenges in the Chinese travel industry. At a panel discussion during the TravelDaily Summit in Shanghai, executives from Booking.com, S Read More
Booking.com quietly gets a big hotel chain signed up to white label services
News / Distribution
Booking.com quietly gets a big hotel chain signed up to white label services
By Kevin May | August 18, 2014
The hotel industry has been watching closely during 2014 as Priceline (and its Booking.com division) has started flexing its muscles elsewhere. That "elsewhere" is namely around providing business Read More
Expedia (and others) will be affected big-time by Priceline-Ctrip marriage
News / Distribution
Expedia (and others) will be affected big-time by Priceline-Ctrip marriage
By Morris Sim | August 8, 2014
Priceline’s planned investment in Ctrip is a smart move for both companies, though not as unexpected as some might believe. Many employees and partners of both companies have had suspicions since t Read More
Skyscanner replaces Kayak as flight provider to Lonely Planet
News
Skyscanner replaces Kayak as flight provider to Lonely Planet
By Kevin May | July 17, 2014
Travel guide publisher Lonely Planet has made one of its first major changes since being acquired and turned to Skyscanner to power its flight search engine. The move is being touted as "the first Read More
Booking.com to change One Room Left tool after advertising regulator rap
News / Distribution
Booking.com to change One Room Left tool after advertising regulator rap
By Linda Fox | July 11, 2014
Booking.com says it will make minor changes to its website after an appeal board upheld a recommendation made back in April by the Dutch Advertising Committee (RCC). At the time a Dutch media outle Read More
Why TripAdvisor has a chance to eat the lunch of Booking.com
News
Why TripAdvisor has a chance to eat the lunch of Booking.com
By Viewpoints | July 10, 2014
Tripadvisor’s Tripconnect is the first real challenger to Booking.com and is the first step to get hoteliers back in control of their online distribution channel. Now that the Tripconnect platform Read More
Booking.com and Sabre blow their hotel inventory trumpet
News / Distribution
Booking.com and Sabre blow their hotel inventory trumpet
By Kevin May | July 3, 2014
Following HomeAway's milestone of reaching one million properties last week, now it's the turn of Booking.com and Sabre to join in. Priceline-owned Booking.com has been busily telling everyone this Read More
How to go fishing in the Big Data lake of travel
News
How to go fishing in the Big Data lake of travel
By Pamela Whitby | June 27, 2014
If you are chief technology officer of one of the world biggest travel technology companies, you have to be a man on a mission. Edmond Mesrobian, CTO at Expedia Inc, is one such man, tasked as he i Read More
How much could consumer brands like Priceline disrupt the hotel technology market?
News / Distribution
How much could consumer brands like Priceline disrupt the hotel technology market?
By Sean O'Neil | June 25, 2014
This month, Priceline Group has been dropping several pieces into the business-to-business (B2B) puzzle. Might a hotel booking engine be next? Several experts Tnooz interviewed say a major onlin Read More
Booking.com hotel white label product hints at Priceline's B2B ambitions
News / Online
Booking.com hotel white label product hints at Priceline's B2B ambitions
By Sean O'Neil | June 24, 2014
Online travel agency powerhouse Booking.com hasn't publicized its latest white-label product, which, unlike most of its past efforts, is aimed at hotels instead of affiliates. Marketing materials f Read More
Priceline's acquisition of Buuteeq brings it right behind the hotel front desk
News / Distribution
Priceline's acquisition of Buuteeq brings it right behind the hotel front desk
By Viewpoints | June 19, 2014
Acquiring Buuteeq says a lot about how Priceline sees direct hotel bookings. It’s the future, it wants in but at what cost? NB: This is a viewpoint from Thibault Lecuyer, vice president, ecommerce Read More
Priceline buying OpenTable has very little to do with travel - it's just wiring up restaurants
News / Distribution
Priceline buying OpenTable has very little to do with travel - it's just wiring up restaurants
By Evan Konwiser | June 13, 2014
Contrary to popular belief, Priceline Group is not a travel company. Not anymore, at least. With the announcement of its acquisition of OpenTable, Priceline is now officially taking its expertise i Read More
What are the consequences of a world for hotels after rate parity?
News / Distribution
What are the consequences of a world for hotels after rate parity?
By Viewpoints | June 11, 2014
The French economy minister launched a legal action a few weeks back against the hotel booking site Booking.com. Arnaud Montebourg has called into question the alleged rate parity clause imposed by Read More