Booking.com Committed to ‘Rebuilding Together’ with its Partners

 As the travel industry continues to face unprecedented impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, Booking.com - one of the world’s leading digital travel platform - is committed to doing everything it can to support travellers and its property partners, as and when it's safe to travel. Looking to help secure demand and deliver customers to property partners to help them with long-term recovery, Booking.com continues to evolve the support it provides in an effort to begin rebuilding domestic travel together. From tools and insights to search experience updates, digital demand generation and more, Booking.com is working around the clock to respond to traveller demand and help get its partners business where it is safe to travel.

 Tailored Tools + Insights

Booking.com is focusing its efforts on bringing partners the tools and tailored insights they need to effectively respond to the evolving travel environment, capture new bookings and rebuild their business. Key product updates make it simple for properties to display precautionary COVID-19 measures to travellers seeking this enhanced transparency while online resources help partners navigate health and safety regulations and traveller preferences. Booking.com is also ensuring partners are set up for success when it comes to pricing, availability and flexibility, including introducing a tool which allows partners to implement flexible policies in just a few clicks. All of this information is accessible in one, easy-to-find place, the Partner Recovery Toolkit. 

 Innovative Search Experience Updates

Innovating to make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for is at the core of Booking.com’s business. With an updated search experience, Booking.com has made it simple for customers looking for the types of accommodations they are seeking, for example, the ability to search for private, whole home accommodations, and additional filter options that deliver results tied to what research shows customers want at this time, including drive time or distance from their home, trip themes such as beach or nature, and cleanliness score - all of which are top of mind for travelers at the moment. Booking.com is also promoting flexible rates to customers who may need to change their plans and is making it easy for its partners to adjust their policies to ensure their property benefits. 

 Booking.com is also introducing initiatives to bring additional exposure to partners, such as its Partner Performance Investment Initiative, which gives financial benefits to eligible partners who participate in its visibility boosting Preferred program as well as the great value of the Booking.com Genius program. In India, partners who activate both Genius and Preferred programs within the month of July receive the Preferred Program for free for a period of 3 months.  In this way Booking.com helps partners capture and convert as much demand as possible into stayed reservations

 Digital Demand Generation

Booking.com continues to closely monitor the circumstances in India. As travel restrictions are lifted and travel intent emerges, Booking.com will leverage its expertise in digital demand generation to help travellers search for their next trip and incentivize them to book. Booking.com will continue to share domestic travel offers and deals (mobile, domestic booker, secret and early booker) to our customers, when it’s safe to travel again.

In the meantime, Booking.com is continuing campaigns that engage with customers across digital, messaging and social channels, around the world, to help effectively showcase and market our partner properties to the travellers who are ready to get out and start experiencing great stays again.

 Ensuring an Ongoing Dialogue with Partners

Listening to and connecting directly with property partners is essential in understanding how Booking.com can better support partners, and truly rebuild together. In July, the platform hosted a series of online forums with partners worldwide to better understand their needs during this challenging time, further enabling Booking.com to adapt and innovate to best offer support. The company will expand research via an online survey and launch virtual focus groups to continue in efforts to listen to the needs of the industry and tailor offerings further. Booking.com also introduced a series of webinars, starting in Asia-Pacific markets and set to expand globally, focused on recovery planning and connecting with other partners.

 With a mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, Booking.com will continue to help customers enjoy incredible stays and travel experiences as well as work closely with our accommodation partners to help them start rebuilding their business again.

Ritu Mehrotra, Country Manager, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives at Booking.com said, “At Booking.com, one of the things I’m most proud of is our ability to innovate at scale to bring effective solutions and products to travellers and our partners. A significant portion of our business in India is domestic bookings and as we foresee domestic travel demand gradually picking up, we want to ensure we do everything we can to support our local partners and bring them what they need most to effectively respond to the evolving travel environment. We will continue to work around the clock to support them as recovery begins. We believe that with a strong partnership together, we can ensure that everyone can experience the world again, in time and when it is safe to do so.”