Booking.com has Set the Stage to Become the First Digital Travel Brand to Launch Instantly Bookable Hotels in Cuba

PR63839

NEW YORK, Mar. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

Booking.com will soon make one of the world's most coveted destinations

accessible to U.S. travelers seeking beauty, culture and adventure

Today Booking.com, the global leader in online travel and part of The Priceline

Group [NASDAQ: PCLN], announced that it will become the first online U.S.

travel brand to offer instantly bookable hotel properties for certain U.S.

citizens traveling to Cuba, one of the world's most sought-after destinations,

globally. After months of work with the Cuban Authorities and local hotels, the

first properties will be ready to book in the coming weeks on Booking.com.

The company's move follows the recent loosening of restrictions for U.S.

travelers to Cuba. The announcement means that Cuba will soon become instantly

bookable for U.S. travelers that meet the criteria currently approved by the

U.S. government for travel to Cuba. At the outset, properties will be available

in Havana and consumers can book instantly and avoid the need to rely on a

property owner to respond to and accept a travel request. Plans are in place to

increase the number of properties in Havana and beyond daily to give U.S.

travelers the incredible diversity of choice Booking.com is known for.  

"Cuba is a beautiful, culture-rich country that many travelers are keen to

visit," says Todd Dunlap, Managing Director, Americas, Booking.com. "At

Booking.com, we are on a constant mission to bring our customers everything

they want to help them experience the world. With the news of the easing of

U.S. travel restrictions, we began working immediately with the local Cuban

government, tourism authorities and our local hotel partners to launch the

first platform to allow travelers to book and confirm instantly with the click

of a button. They have been great partners for us on this journey and we are

thrilled to be able to facilitate new experiences for U.S. travelers."  

About Booking.com

[http://www.booking.com/?aid=354544&utm_source=PR&utm_medium=email_pr&utm_campai

gn=22_01_2013]:

Booking.com is the world leader in booking hotel and other accommodations

online. It guarantees the best prices for any type of property - from small

independents to five-star luxury. Guests can access the Booking.com website

anytime, anywhere from their desktops, mobile phones and tablet devices, and

they don't pay booking fees - ever. The Booking.com website is available in 42

languages, offers over 870,000 hotels and accommodations including more than

400,000 vacation rental properties and covers over 87,000 destinations in 224

countries and territories worldwide. It features over 80M reviews written by

guests after their stay, and attracts online visitors from both leisure and

business markets around the globe. With over 19 years of experience and a team

of over 10,000 dedicated employees in over 170 offices worldwide, Booking.com

operates its own in-house customer service team, which is available 24/7 to

assist guests in their native languages and ensure an exceptional customer

experience.

Established in 1996, Booking.com B.V. owns and operates Booking.com(TM), and is

part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN). Follow us on Twitter

[http://www.twitter.com/bookingcom], Google+

[https://plus.google.com/+Bookingcom] and Pinterest

[http://pinterest.com/bookingdotcom/], like us on Facebook

[http://www.facebook.com/bookingcom], or learn more at http://www.booking.com.

About The Priceline Group

The Priceline Group (NASDAQ:PCLN) is the world leader in online travel and

related services, provided to customers and partners in over 200 countries

through six primary brands - Booking.com, priceline.com

[http://priceline.com/], Kayak, agoda.com [http://agoda.com/],rentalcars.com

[http://rentalcars.com/], and OpenTable. The Priceline Group's mission is to

help people experience the world. For more information, visit

PricelineGroup.com

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fQhPB13211bYOpmNTMn-1UJ0bTIiXP_Ik1umPJ3Mnamen1-vH41wVLzZQqy_PaFXfbaOro=].

CONTACT DETAILS

For further information, contact the Booking.com U.S. Press Office:

joseph.moscone@booking.com

SOURCE: Booking.com