Booking Holdings Inc.
BKNG.US | Other reservation service and related activities
Booking Holdings Inc. is the world's leading provider of online travel & related services, provided to consumers and local partners in more than 220 countries and territories through six primary consumer-facing brands: Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK and OpenTable. The company's...Show More
Better Health for All
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Booking Holdings demonstrates a commitment to better health through several initiatives. The company offers comprehensive mental health programs for its employees and their dependents, including free access to Headspace, a Global Employee Assistance Program, Mental Health Awareness Week, and a network of trained Wellbeing Ambassadors.
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These programs show demonstrated outcomes, with 29% of employees and 33% of dependents engaged with Headspace, and 69% of employees reporting an increased sense of belonging.
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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Booking.com introduced comprehensive health and safety features for travelers, such as contactless check-in/out, cashless payment, and enhanced cleaning protocols.
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The company also contributes to positive health externalities by significantly reducing its environmental impact, achieving an 84% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 22% reduction in Scope 3 emissions by 2023, compared to a 2019 baseline.
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Booking Holdings integrates modest health benefits into its core travel services by providing accessibility features for disabled travelers
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and maintains transparency through an Accessibility Statement that informs users about these features and acknowledges limitations.
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The company has no revenue from products with direct negative health outcomes.
Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
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Booking Holdings Inc. operates as an online travel services provider and does not offer consumer lending or deposit products, rendering most financial services-specific KPIs not applicable. However, its operations involve moving money and impacting economic opportunity for its partners and consumers. In mid-2023, technical issues led to delayed payments to many accommodation hosts, causing financial hardships for small business owners
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. European hoteliers accused Booking.com in July 2024 of unfair practices, including withholding guest data and preventing hotels from offering better prices on their own websites
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. The company also faced a lawsuit in August 2023 for allegedly omitting mandatory fees from advertised hotel room rates, potentially misleading consumers
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. In May 2024, Booking.com was designated a 'gatekeeper' under the Digital Markets Act, intended to ensure fair competition
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. On a positive note, as of December 2023, the company's workforce comprised 47% women, with 26% in technology and 32% in leadership, supported by an eight-year Women in Leadership program
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. In 2023, a Vendor Diversity Program was launched to foster partnerships with diverse suppliers
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. The company also states a commitment to human rights
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.
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
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Booking Holdings Inc. conducts pay equity studies every other year with an independent compensation consultant, working on remediation plans in intervening years to address any identified disparities.
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The company's workforce includes 46% women employees, with 26% in tech roles and 34% in leadership.
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Booking Holdings opposes modern slavery, including human trafficking and forced labor, and has a Modern Slavery Statement outlining actions to prevent and address it, aligning with United Nations Guiding Principles.
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Employee support initiatives include flexible work arrangements, regular engagement surveys, and mental wellness workshops.
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The company adjusted executive compensation in response to stockholder feedback, reinstating three-year performance stock units and limiting annual bonuses for named executive officers to twice the target amount.
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In July 2023, Booking.com experienced delayed payments to some short-term rental hosts due to a platform upgrade; the backlog has been cleared, and compensation is planned for affected partners.
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Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
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Booking Holdings Inc. operates as an online travel services provider, meaning it does not procure or trade physical commodities. Consequently, KPIs related to fair-trade certifications, material traceability, and high-risk materials are not applicable. The company has a Modern Slavery Statement outlining actions taken to prevent and address modern slavery risks
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, and a Supplier Code of Conduct that mandates all suppliers adhere to ethical standards and comply with applicable laws
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. In 2023, a Vendor Diversity Program was launched to foster partnerships with diverse vendors
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, utilizing a global database of over 6 million diverse and sustainable vendors
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. However, no specific percentage of the procurement budget directed to these diverse suppliers is provided, nor is there data on supplier audit frequency, the number of forced or child labor incidents, or the remediation speed for violations.
Honest & Fair Business
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Booking Holdings Inc. has a Code of Conduct that applies to all personnel
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and a Supplier Code of Conduct to ensure suppliers adhere to legal and ethical standards
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. The company's Compliance and Ethics Program includes regular training
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, and a Financial Crime Risk Management Program is in place to prevent financial crimes
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. Additionally, clawback policies, such as the Financial Restatement Recovery Policy, ensure accountability by requiring the return of erroneously awarded incentives following financial restatements
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.
Kind to Animals
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Booking Holdings Inc. is an online travel and related services provider, therefore KPIs related to product manufacturing, animal testing, animal agriculture, and animal-derived ingredients are not applicable. For public policy engagement, Booking.com joined the Coalition for Ethical Wildlife Tourism
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and collaborated with World Animal Protection to develop comprehensive animal welfare standards, banning exploitative wild animal activities.
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For wildlife conservation impact, Agoda and Booking Holdings pledged over $1 million to WWF projects supporting wildlife conservation across Asia and Southeast Asia.
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However, the articles do not provide measurable biodiversity impact or species recovery metrics required by the rubric, nor company revenue to assess funding as a percentage of revenue, so this KPI cannot be scored.
No War, No Weapons
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Booking.com, a subsidiary of Booking Holdings, lists accommodations in 19 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and 25 in the occupied Golan Heights as of May 2025
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, indicating a lack of a comprehensive divestment policy for conflict-affected areas. Priceline, another subsidiary, has an expanded partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide travel deals to 22 million military personnel and their families
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, generating revenue from defense logistics and support services. While Booking Holdings commits to conducting heightened due diligence for listings in conflict-affected and high-risk areas
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and insists on adherence to human rights laws
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, the continued listings in illegal settlements demonstrate uneven implementation of human rights principles across its operations. The company did suspend services in Russia and Belarus due to the Ukraine conflict
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and supported over 70,000 Ukrainian refugees with free or discounted housing
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.
Planet-Friendly Business
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Booking Holdings' emission reduction targets are validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and adhere to the Paris Agreement's goals, including commitments to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 95% and Scope 3 emissions by 50% by 2030.
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The company achieved 100% renewable electricity for its operations by 2023.
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It has set a net-zero emissions target for its operations by 2040, with a near-zero emissions target by 2030.
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Respect for Cultures & Communities
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Booking.com faces allegations from human rights groups and is under investigation by Dutch prosecutors for listing rentals in Israeli settlements, which are claimed as Palestinian land.
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The company denies wrongdoing, citing legal obligations under U.S. state laws.
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Safe & Smart Tech
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No evidence available to assess Booking Holdings Inc on Safe & Smart Tech.
Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
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No specific, quantitative evidence was found in the provided articles regarding Booking Holdings Inc.'s own waste management practices, product recyclability, packaging sustainability, or other zero waste initiatives. The articles primarily focus on the company's carbon emission reductions, renewable energy use, and programs that promote sustainability among its accommodation partners, rather than its internal waste generation or the lifecycle of its own (primarily digital) products and services. Booking Holdings has reported an 84% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions compared to the 2019 baseline by using 100% renewable electricity in their offices
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. Scope 3 emissions saw a 22% reduction from the 2019 baseline through vendor engagement in emission reduction
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. The Travel Sustainable Program was expanded, providing over 1.4 million accommodations with sustainability-related information
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. More than 16,000 partners have received third-party sustainability certifications
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.