Skift Take
Booking.com made headway in the U.S. while Expedia was likely distracted getting its internal house in order. Throw Hopper into the mix, and Booking will have to fight to solidify any inroads.
Booking Holdings officials have spoken for years about their aim to take market share in rival Expedia Group's stronghold, namely the U.S., and Booking appears to be delivering on that goal.
"In the U.S., both our Priceline and Booking.com brands continue to execute well and contributed to U.S. room night growth of almost 30 percent and gross bookings growth of about 60 percent in 2022 versus 2019," CEO Glenn Fogel said during Booking Holdings fourth quarter earnings call Thursday. "On our volume and consumer spend basis, we have grown our U.S. business to be meaningfully larger than it was prior to the pandemic."
Without specifying the amount, Fogel said Booking gained market share in the U.S., and outpaced the broader accommodations market there. He said the U.S. gains came from brand marketing, adding flights to Booking.com, increasing adoption of the company's payments platform, and working with "partners to ensure w