Booking.com Takes on Airbnb, But Don't Call it a Clone
*By Conor White*
Booking.com recently surpassed five million listings for homes and apartments for rent, announcing the online travel site as a worthy competitor to Airbnb.
But Booking.com's chief executive said in an interview Tuesday with Cheddar that the comparisons end there.
"Everything is instantly bookable at Booking, we don't charge customer fees, so there's some principle differences as to the products we offer customers," said the CEO, Gillian Tans. "We want to make sure we grow this segment in a way that customers know Booking.com today."
Booking.com said it has the largest online selection of vacation rentals to cater to a growing number of millennial travelers who prefer to stay in homes and apartments instead of hotels.
"The growing segment in homes and apartments is, of course, something that appeals to millennials, but also to families," said Tans, who was attending the Collision conference in New Orleans this week. "But you also see that providing insight into what can you do once you arrive at the destination is something that we are expanding."
Booking.com's focus on experiential travel is on point. According to a study by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, 54 percent of travelers plan to participate in an adventure activity on their next trip.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/booking-com-surpasses-five-million-listings).
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: President of The Pillow Bar breaks down how everyone can benefit from a pillow customized to their unique way of sleeping; CEO of H2Pro explains how to bring environmentally friendly hydrogen to scale; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Suppressed Science.'
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Gardenuity CEO breaks down how gardening can improve your wellbeing; Augmedix CEO discusses how this technology is helping doctors fight burnout; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Suppressed Science.'
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Atom Limbs CEO breaks down how the Atom Touch prosthetic is different from other prosthetics on the market; CEO & Chief Scientific Officer of MyMD explains how the MYMD-1 is on track to be the first FDA-approved drug to treat aging and age-related diseases; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Future of Warfare.'
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: SkilsVR CEO explains how virtual reality is being used to train frontline workers to handle difficult customers; Rubicon CEO breaks down how technology and sustainability will go hand in hand in the future; Cheddar gets a look at 'Our Infinite Universe.'
As Russian forces invade Ukraine, millions of dollars in cryptocurrency has flowed into the country to lend support. Russian citizens are also seeing the appeal after sanctions have made their traditional banks unreliable. Robbie Heeger, president and CEO of Endaoment, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Amazon unveiled its new mobile app called Amp as a direct competitor to Clubhouse, allowing people to host live radio shows. Although it is still in beta, users can join the waitlist from the iOS store.
The war in Ukraine continues to reveal heartbreaking gut-wrenching stories. The war in itself is not only devastating but also expensive. Experts estimate that Russia is draining nearly $20 million dollars each day to continue occupying and invading Ukraine. All this could force the country to turn to cryptocurrencies. It's a major turn for the country that briefly considered outlined digital assets entirely, but it could also have serious implications for cryptos. Managing Director at Quantum Fintech Group, Harry Yeh, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
