Business Travel Takes Off on Booking.com

PR62163

AMSTERDAM, Oct, 13 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

    - Almost one in five bookings on Booking.com [http://booking.com ] now made

for business

    When it comes to business travel, there's a simple truth that every

business traveller is also a leisure traveller. Today, Booking.com

[http://booking.com ] reveals that more and more of its leisure travellers are

making business bookings on its site, with almost one in five now made for

business travel. As the face of business travel changes, the largest

accommodation booking platform in the world has responded with additional,

highly tailored services designed to give today's road warriors an easier and

more rewarding experience, as well as better value for employers.

    "Among Booking.com customers, location is the primary factor when selecting

a place to stay when travelling for work. With around a third of US business

bookings on Booking.com [http://booking.com ] made at places that are not

hotels, there's also a clear and growing desire for something different,"

explains Ripsy Bandourian, Senior Product Owner, Booking.com. "The traditional

executive crash-pad of the past may have had its day. Today's business

travellers wear more guises and require more choice, control and flexibility

over where they choose to rest their heads than ever before. Understanding

these trends and listening to our customers' specific asks, we've shaped our

product to best empower business travellers across the world to easily

discover, book, and enjoy the best places to stay when travelling for work."

    Enhanced features for business travel on Booking.com [http://booking.com ]

highlight those places which are used a lot for business. With more than 60

million real guest reviews, Booking.com [http://booking.com ] intelligently

combs through a wealth of data and draws from 25 different types, including

apartments, homes, B&Bs, motels, and hotels, to make easy work of finding those

that are business traveller tested and approved. Key amenities that rank most

essential amongst this community, from free WiFi to top-class breakfasts, are

also brought to travellers' attention. With 800,000 places to stay in over

83,000 unique destinations, seasoned executives to PhD students can book with

confidence, wherever their business takes them.

    Taking the experience even further, Booking.com for Business

[http://www.booking.com/business.html ] provides a free tool for travel

managers and assistants that allows booking on behalf of others. Booking.com

for Business [http://www.booking.com/business.html ] is a platform with

enhanced functionality and reporting designed to meet the specific needs of

corporate travel, while delivering the same ease as Booking.com. Travel

organisers can create a free, no-strings-attached account to get access to the

lowest rates as well as a whole host of features to simplify their tasks.

Travellers themselves are also given exclusive access to special deals and

complimentary extras at select properties, helping to turn a 3-star budget into

a 4-star experience. With the majority of business travellers (65%) booking

travel themselves and preferring to book directly online, Booking.com for

Business [http://www.booking.com/business.html ] provides the additional

choice, simplicity, savings and the seamless control they crave.

    "We are seeing more and more businesses opting to use Booking.com

[http://booking.com ] instead of their current method," confirms Bandourian.

"As well as a much broader selection of great places to stay, they get better

prices and a simple, trustworthy mobile-enabled experience. Our mission is to

help employees get more out of their business stays, and help their employer to

save money. And the formula is working. Today, tens of

thousands of businesses have signed up to our Booking.com for Business

[http://www.booking.com/business.html ] tool and are actively engaged. We see

strong growth and a bright future in this area. Someday, we hope to see as many

business bookings as leisure bookings on our site."

    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 805,000 hotels and accommodations including more than

370,000 vacation rental properties and covers nearly 84,000 destinations in 221

countries and territories worldwide.  It features over 60M 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 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

[http://www.booking.com?aid=304142&lang=en; ].

SOURCE: Booking.com