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).
In recent years, extreme weather events like flooding and wildfires have become more frequent, and more severe - and scientists say global warming is to blame. Climate crises could leave people in need of help, and that's where Global Rescue steps in. The crisis response firm employs former Navy Seals and Army Rangers to rescue travelers from climate-related emergencies. Global Rescue CEO Dan Richards joins Cheddar Climate to discuss.
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Jack Dorsey has officially stepped down as CEO of Twitter.
In a statement -- he says he is leaving because the company is ready to move on from its founders. Tom Morton, Global Chief Strategy Officer, R/GA joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the implications of the move.
Mike Proulx, VP and research director at Forrester, joined Cheddar to talk about what Jack Dorsey's departure from Twitter as CEO means for the social media platform. He noted that while Dorsey had been the face of the company, "he's been a part-time CEO" since also taking on the leadership position at Square. Stepping down from leading Twitter allows his replacement Parag Agrawal, the former CTO, to be a dedicated leader of the company. However, Proulx noted that Agrawal faces headwinds on policy and political ramifications that will come with the job.
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority blocked Facebook parent company Meta's acquisition of the image sharing platform Giphy, stating that the deal would harm UK advertisers and social media users. Meta responded and said that it is considering an appeal.
