Booking Holdings Business Summary

Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) is the global leader in online travel and related services, operating a multi-brand ecosystem that includes Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, and OpenTable. The company generates revenue through three primary streams: merchant services, where it acts as the merchant of record and facilitates payments (accounting for approximately 70% of gross bookings as of early 2026); agency services, earning commissions on third-party reservations; and advertising and other revenues derived from metasearch and restaurant reservation fees. Strategically, the firm is currently focused on its "Connected Trip" vision, leveraging agentic AI to orchestrate seamless, multi-vertical travel experiences across accommodations, flights, and attractions. Booking Holdings maintains a dominant market position, particularly in Europe and Asia, where it competes directly with Expedia Group, Airbnb, and Trip.com Group, distinguishing itself through superior margins and a massive inventory of over 28 million listings. Originally founded in 1997 by Jay S. Walker as Priceline.com, the company is now led by President and CEO Glenn Fogel, a veteran executive who joined in 2000 and has spearheaded the firm’s most pivotal acquisitions, including the landmark purchase of Booking.com. The leadership team was further strengthened in March 2024 with the appointment of Executive Vice President and CFO Ewout Steenbergen, formerly the CFO of S&P Global, who oversees the company’s disciplined capital allocation and $20 billion share repurchase program. Technological innovation is driven by brand-level leadership, notably Booking.com SVP and CTO Rob Francis, an Amazon and Sonos alumnus, and Priceline CTO Sejal Amin, who joined in 2025 to lead AI integration. The Board of Directors, chaired by Robert J. Mylod Jr., includes high-profile industry figures such as Trip.com CEO Jane Jie Sun and former Deloitte CIO Larry Quinlan, reflecting a pedigree of deep expertise in global finance and digital transformation.