History of Booking.com in Timeline

Booking.com is a leading online travel agency headquartered in Amsterdam and a subsidiary of Booking Holdings. It offers reservation services for a vast selection of accommodations, including hotels, apartments, and other unique properties, totaling approximately 3.4 million listings across 220+ countries and territories. The platform operates in over 40 languages, facilitating global travel arrangements. Beyond lodging, Booking.com also provides flight booking options in select markets, and tours and activities in numerous cities.

1996: Bookings.nl Founded

In 1996, Bookings.nl was founded by Geert-Jan Bruinsma, a student at Universiteit Twente.

2000: Booking.com Formed

In 2000, Bookings.nl merged with Bookings Online to form Booking.com, changing the name and URL and appointing Stef Noorden as CEO.

2002: Financial Loss for Parent Company

In 2002, Booking.com's parent company faced a financial loss of $19 million before the integrations of Booking.com and Active Hotels helped improve its financial position.

September 2004: Priceline Group Acquires ActiveHotels.com

In September 2004, ActiveHotels.com, a European online hotel reservation company, was purchased by Priceline Group for $161 million.

July 2005: Priceline Group Acquires Booking.com

In July 2005, Priceline Group (now Booking Holdings) acquired Booking.com for $133 million and merged it with ActiveHotels.com.

2006: Active Hotels Limited Changes Name to Booking.com Limited

In 2006, Active Hotels Limited changed its name to Booking.com Limited.

2010: Launch of Mobile Apps

Between 2010 and 2012, the company launched mobile apps for the iPad, Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, Windows 8, and Kindle Fire.

Apple iPad (10th Generation): with A14 Bionic chip, 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display, 64GB, Wi-Fi 6, 12MP front/12MP Back Camera, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life – Silver

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September 2011: Darren Huston Appointed CEO of Booking.com

In September 2011, Darren Huston was appointed chief executive officer of Booking.com.

2011: Parent Company Reaches $1.1 Billion in Profit

In 2011, the integrations of Booking.com and Active Hotels helped its parent company improve its financial position to $1.1 billion in profit.

September 2012: OFT Issues Objections Against Booking.com, Expedia, and IHG

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 alleging 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.

2012: Launch of Mobile Apps

Between 2010 and 2012, the company launched mobile apps for the iPad, Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, Windows 8, and Kindle Fire.

Apple iPad (10th Generation): with A14 Bionic chip, 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display, 64GB, Wi-Fi 6, 12MP front/12MP Back Camera, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life – Silver

Check it on Amazon

January 2013: "Booking.Yeah" Advertising Campaign

Since January 2013, many advertisements have dubbed "booking.com" as "booking.yeah."

January 2014: Darren Huston Appointed CEO of Booking Holdings

On January 1, 2014, Darren Huston also served as president and chief executive officer of Booking Holdings.

November 2014: Customer Data Breach

In November 2014, it was revealed that criminals were able to obtain customer details from the website. Booking.com countered the fraudsters and refunded customers from the UK, US, France, Italy, the UAE, and Portugal.

February 2015: Criticism Over "Brand Hijacking" Activity

In February 2015, an open letter published by German hotelier Marco Nussbaum criticized Booking.com's "brand hijacking" activity, in which the company bids significant sums of money to be the top listing on Google Search for several hotel brands.

April 2015: Booking.com to Drop "Rate Parity" Clause

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. Hotels are still prevented from discounting prices directly on their own websites. Also, 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.

April 2016: Darren Huston Resigns

On April 28, 2016, Darren Huston resigned after his extramarital affair with another employee was revealed. Gillian Tans was then appointed CEO.

March 2017: Booking.com Activities Halted in Turkey

In March 2017, a Turkish court halted activities of Booking.com in Turkey due to a violation of Turkish competition law.

June 2018: Website Targeted by Hackers

In June 2018, the website was again targeted by hackers.

July 2019: Aldemar Terminates Participation

In July 2019, luxury-hotel chain Aldemar terminated its participation in Booking's offerings, citing "practices [by Booking.com] that go against the laws of the market." The Greek Hotels Association denounced the practice of Booking.com of charging its percentage fee on the VAT-inclusive full-room price.

2019: Gillian Tans Resigns, Glenn Fogel Becomes CEO

In 2019, Gillian Tans resigned as CEO, after which Glenn Fogel became CEO.

2019: Commitment to Clarifying Marketing Statements

In 2019, following dialogue with the European Commission and national consumer (CPC) authorities, Booking.com committed to clarifying marketing statements to consumers regarding time-limited offers, the amount of rooms available to book, price comparisons, and the type of vendor offering the accommodations.

February 2020: Included on UN List of Companies Operating in West Bank Settlements

On 12 February 2020, the company was included on a list of companies operating in West Bank settlements involved in activities that "raised particular human rights concerns" published by the United Nations Human Rights Council. The company was categorized under "the provision of services and utilities supporting the maintenance and existence of settlements".

April 2020: Criticism for Applying for Government Aid

In April 2020, Booking.com drew criticism when it applied for government aid from the Dutch government's relief programme for business affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, while paying billions to shareholders.

2020: Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Booking.com Trademark

In 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States decided in the Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com B. V. case that "Booking.com" could be trademarked.

April 2021: Booking.com Fined for Data Breach

On 6 April 2021, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) imposed a €475,000 fine on the company for failing to report the breach within the time frame mandated by the General Data Protection Regulation. Criminals obtained the personal data of over 4,000 customers including the credit card information of almost 300 people.

September 2022: Warning Added to Listings in Israeli Settlements

In September 2022, the company added a warning to its listings in Israeli settlements, although the language was toned down at the request of the Israeli government.

November 2022: Flaws Discovered in Login Process

In November 2022, Salt Labs discovered flaws in the login process of Booking.com, that could have enabled a bad actor to take over guest accounts. Salt Labs noted that Booking.com resolved the vulnerability promptly.

September 2023: Accommodation Hosts Thousands of Pounds Out of Pocket Because of Payment Delays

In September 2023, Booking.com was accused of leaving accommodation hosts thousands of pounds out of pocket because of payment delays. Hosts from Scotland, England, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Netherland, Denmark, Croatia, Hungary, Cyprus, Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia say they were affected. The company blamed "unforeseen technical issues".

September 2023: Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) Requests Expedited Investigation

In September 2023, the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) found it necessary to request an expedited investigation against the Booking.com regarding their undergoing debt case toward the Hungarian accommodation providers. At the same time the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ) offered legal aid to the ones affected in the matter and sent a questionnaire to Hungarian accommodation providers to assess the extent of the problem. Hungary's competition watchdog GVH raided the Budapest office of Booking Holdings on 6 September 2023 as part of a probe into the online accommodation booking and service market in Hungary in context of the expedited investigation.

November 2023: Booking.com Settles VAT/Tax Dispute in Italy

In November 2023, Booking.com agreed to pay roughly 94 million euros to settle a VAT/tax dispute in Italy.

November 2023: Booking.com Launches Cruise Reservations in the US and tests AI Travel Planner

In November 2023, Booking.com launched the ability to make cruise reservations in the United States, in partnership with World Travel Holdings. Also in the summer of 2023, Booking.com announced the start of testing an artificial intelligence-based travel planner called AI Trip Planner based on ChatGPT technology available to a limited number of users in the United States.

November 2023: Cyber Criminals Offer Money for Hotel Login Details

In November 2023, the BBC highlighted that the practice had become so lucrative that cyber criminals were offering up to $2,000 (£1,600) for login details of hotels.

November 2023: CEO of Booking.com Apologized in a Letter

On 7 November 2023, Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking.com, apologized in a letter to those hosts who were affected by the payment scandal.

2023: Lawsuit by Texas for Allegedly Engaging in Deceptive Trade Practices

In 2023, Booking Holdings Inc was sued by Texas for allegedly engaging in deceptive trade practices in citing hotel room prices.

2023: Guests Contacted by Fraudsters

In 2023, the BBC's Watchdog discovered that guests had been contacted by fraudsters over the official Booking.com messaging system, spoof emails, and WhatsApp resulting in financial loss and leaked customer data. Guests complained about poor customer service.