Booking Holdings (Booking.com)

Booking Holdings Inc. provides travel and restaurant online reservations and related services worldwide. The company operates Booking.com, which offers online accommodation reservations; Rentalcars.com which provides online rental car reservation services; Priceline, which offers online travel reservation services, and consumers hotel, flight, and rental car reservation services, as well as vacation packages, cruises, and hotel distribution services. 

It also operates Agoda which provides online accommodation reservation services, as well as flight, ground transportation and activities reservation services. In addition, the company operates KAYAK, an online price comparison service that allows consumers to search and compare travel itineraries and prices, comprising airline ticket, accommodation reservation, and rental car reservation information; and OpenTable for booking online restaurant reservations. 

Further, it offers travel-related insurance products, and restaurant management services to consumers, travel service providers, and restaurants. The company was formerly known as The Priceline Group Inc. and changed its name to Booking Holdings Inc. in February 2018. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

In 1997, Jay S. Walker founded the company in Stamford, Connecticut, which launched Priceline.com, an online travel site, that used a Name Your Own Price bidding model. In 1999, the company became a public company via an initial public offering, making Walker, who owned a 35% stake in the company, a multi-billionaire. The company experimented with selling other products and services such as groceries, gasoline, home mortgages, and cars, but these offerings were discontinued in 2000.

Booking Holdings, formerly known as The Priceline Group, is one of the world’s largest travel e-commerce companies. It has a presence in over 200 countries and territories and operates several travel-related websites and brands, including Booking.com, Priceline.com, Agoda.com, KAYAK, rentalcars.com, and OpenTable. as mentioned, the company was founded in 1997 as The Priceline Group and underwent a rebranding in 2018.

The company’s portfolio of travel products and services provides customers with access to over 1.5 million accommodations, flights, car rentals, restaurants, and other travel experiences. Booking Holdings has acquired several companies over the years to expand its offerings and reach.

In 2005, Booking.com was acquired, which allowed the company to expand its presence in Europe and the Americas. In 2013, The Priceline Group acquired Kayak to expand its search engine capabilities. In 2014, it acquired OpenTable, a restaurant reservation system, and in 2015, it acquired rentalcars.com, which provided customers with access to car rental services.

Booking Holdings has continued to make acquisitions in recent years. In 2017, it acquired Momondo Group and in 2018, it acquired Fareportal, a travel technology company. In 2019, it announced the acquisition of Dreamlines, a cruise booking platform, and in 2020, it acquired Hotel Urbano, a Latin American travel platform.

Booking Holdings has become one of the world’s leading travel companies through its acquisitions and strategic investments. Its portfolio of brands and services now provides customers with access to a wide range of travel experiences, from flights and accommodations to car rentals and restaurant reservations.

“The mission of Booking Holdings is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world.”

“We believe that by making it easier for everyone to experience the world, we are doing our part to make humanity better.”