Booking.com

In August 2012, Ctrip (now Trip.com Group) a Chinese online travel company, formed a partnership with the company to allow it to access Booking.com's global portfolio.[13] The partnership was deepened in June 2018.[14]

In February 2013, Panorama Group, Indonesia's largest tour, and travel company formed a strategic partnership with Booking.com to access Booking.com's portfolio of hotels.[15]

In October 2014, Ural Airlines formed a partnership with Booking.com.[16]

In November 2019, Travala formed a partnership with Booking.com.[17]

Booking.com and its sister companies were the top spender in the travel & tourism category for Google Adwords in 2016, spending $3.5 billion in PPC, Pay-per-click.[18]

In January 2013, Booking.com's first brand campaign, ‘Booking.yeah’, was launched online, aired on television stations and in movie theaters and on TV networks, for the U.S. market with advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam.[19] In September 2013, Australia became the second market to view the campaign.[20] In January 2014, the company launched an advertising campaign in Canada,[21] in February 2014 the company launched an advertising campaign in the U.K.[22][23] and in July 2014, the company launched an advertising campaign in Germany.[24]

In November 2010, the company launched a hotel and lodging mobile app for the iPad.[25]

In February 2011, the company launched its mobile app on Android.[25]

In April 2012, the company launched the first global last-minute hotel app, ‘Booking.com Tonight’, designed for iPhone and iPod Touch.[26]

In October 2012, the company launched its first app for Microsoft Windows, using Windows 8.[27]

In October 2012, the company updated the version of the iPhone app with a new function, Passbook.[28]

In December 2012, the company launched its Kindle Fire app, which is available for download in all Amazon's App stores including the U.S., U.K., Germany, Spain, France, Italy and Japan.[29]

In July 2015, the company launched an improved Android mobile app.[30]

In September 2012, the United Kingdom's competition authority, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), issued a statement of objections against Booking.com, Expedia, and IHG Army Hotels. The OFT alleged that Booking.com and Expedia had entered into separate arrangements with IHG which restricted the online travel agent's ability to discount the price of room only hotel accommodation. Booking.com, Expedia and IHG proposed the OFT to change their restrictions. The OFT accepted the proposal, but it was later rejected by higher authority at a tribunal.[31][32]

In November 2014, it was revealed that criminals were able to obtain customer details from the website. Booking.com said it was countering the fraudsters and refunding customers from the UK, US, France, Italy, the UAE, and Portugal, all of which had been affected. Since the fraud, Booking.com has made changes so data can only be accessed from a computer linked to the hotel's server. Its teams have also worked to "takedown" dozens of phishing sites, as well as working with some banks to freeze the money mule bank accounts.[33]

The website was again targeted by hackers in June 2018.[34][35]

In February 2015, an open letter published by German hotelier Marco Nussbaum, co-founder and CEO of the "prizeotel" budget-design hotel brand, was highly critical of Booking.com's "brand hijacking" activity. His letter outlined details relating to Booking.com's use of Google Adwords, and how it was doing damage to his business. The letter was discussed in specialist media and led to a debate concerning current difficulties and challenges for online distribution within the hotel industry.[36]

In April 2015, French, Swedish and Italian competition authorities accepted a proposal by Booking.com to drop its "rate parity" clause and thereby allow competitor travel agents to offer lower hotel prices than Booking.com.[37] Booking.com further agreed to extend and apply its proposal across all EU states[38] Hotels are still prevented from discounting prices directly on their own websites.[39]

In April 2015, The European Union warned that Booking.com is one of several internet firms that may have reached market dominance beyond the point of no return.[40]

In March 2017, a Turkish court halted activities of Booking.com due to a violation of Turkish competition law.[41][42] Booking.com halted selling rooms in Turkey to Turkish users, obeying the order to block the website. However, the website and application can be used from foreign countries to make reservations for hotels in Turkey.[43]

In July 2019, luxury-hotel chain Aldemar,[44] invoking "practices [by Booking.com] that go against the laws of the market," terminated its participation in Booking's offerings. The Greek Hotels Association denounced the practice of Bookings.com of charging its percentage fee on the VAT-inclusive full room-price. The company responded that according to the terms of its bilateral agreements with hotels "everywhere," each party to such an agreement is free to walk away from it.[45]

On 12th February, 2020 the United Nations published [46] a list of 112 Companies, including Booking.com, who support illegal Israeli Settlement activities in Occupied Palestinian Territories.

On 16th June 2020 expired the deadline set by The European Commission and national consumer protection (CPC) authorities for Booking.com. The authorities denounced the practice of using manipulative techniques such as hiding sponsoring in ranking, unduly putting time pressure on users or misrepresenting rebates [47] etc.