Sarah · Sep 21, 2026 · 2 min read
Google now lets US users compare and book hotels without leaving an AI Mode conversation. Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline and Trip.com are among the launch partners.
Hotels.com has launched a global business travel experience with saved work-trip preferences, quick rebooking and rewards on eligible business stays — a move at the unmanaged corporate segment that hotels have largely sold to directly.
Expedia Group announced 12 partner-facing products across Vrbo and its Escapia property management software, including a global rollout of pay-per-booked-night Sponsored Listings and a rebuilt Escapia reservation grid.
Airbnb has appointed Pepijn Rijvers, formerly Tripadvisor Group's CBO and a 12-year Booking.com veteran, as chief business officer, making him the third senior Booking.com alumnus to join in recent months.
A Hotels.com survey found 37% of American workers travel more for business than before the pandemic, with an average reported hotel budget of $236 per night and free breakfast the most valued benefit.
Booking.com's 1 September connectivity release fixes a bug that stopped confirmation messages reaching providers for bookings made before 4 August, adds 360-degree photo uploads, and changes the wording of sustainability facilities.
Booking.com research finds nine in ten US travelers reject lowest-price logic, while 69% have used installment or buy-now-pay-later products to fund a trip and 24% would skip travel without them.
Travelers in the US can now complete a hotel reservation without leaving Google Search. Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline and Trip.com are among the launch partners, alongside five hotel chains.
US travellers can now complete a hotel reservation inside Google's AI Mode using Google Pay, with inventory from Booking.com, Expedia, Priceline, Hotels.com, Trip.com and five hotel groups. Ranking is organic for now.
Airbnb's nonprofit arm has locked in two Florida response partnerships ahead of peak hurricane season, aiming to mobilise free emergency housing in Miami-Dade within 24 hours of a disaster.
Rakuten Travel's B2B arm reports global GTV up 78.5% year-over-year in Q2 2026, with two-thirds of summer volume now booked outside the Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka "Golden Route" and premium hotel bookings up 88%.
Airbnb is running a free tailgate stunt in Melbourne around Australia's first NFL regular season game, and buried in the announcement is the number that matters to operators: US search interest for 8 to 14 September is up more than 250% year on year.