For Glenn Fogel the future of travel is rooted in something surprisingly familiar: personalization.
Growing up, Fogel remembers family trips planned through a travel agent who understood exactly what his family wanted. “That human travel agent knew us because we’d done business with her before,” he said. “She knew what we could afford. She knew what we liked.”
Today, as CEO and President of Booking Holdings, the parent company of Booking.com, Fogel believes technology can recreate that same experience, but at a global and even more personalized scale.
Using artificial intelligence and data gathered from hundreds of millions of traveler reviews, Booking.com is working to make trip planning more intuitive, efficient and personalized for users around the world. “Our technology remembers everything about you, about what you like, what you chose, why you went there,” Fogel said. “We can put together all the reviews we’ve gotten from travelers over time and match it up with what that individual traveler really wants and desires.”
That technology-first approach has helped transform Booking.com into one of the world’s largest travel platforms, connecting travelers with flights, rental cars, and attractions across nearly every corner of the globe. But according to Fogel, the company’s success depends just as much on its hospitality partners as it does on innovation.
“We would not exist without our partners,” he said. “Our partners like us to be able to provide them with services they can’t do on their own.”
For independent hotels and hospitality groups, Booking.com offers access to international audiences, marketing tools and customer insights that might otherwise be difficult to reach independently. Lara Mendes, Area Revenue Manager of Triumph Hotels NYC, described the platform as a major driver of international visibility for hotel properties, while David Paz, Architect and Owner of UNTITLED said partnering with Booking.com helped his hotel reach travelers far beyond its local neighborhood.
Fogel sees those relationships as part of a larger responsibility that comes with the company’s global reach. “We are the largest travel company in the world,” he said. “But with that comes the responsibility of doing it the right way.”
That means continuing to invest in new technologies while also improving the overall travel experience for both customers and partners. “We are right in the forefront,” Fogel said, describing the company’s work with advanced AI systems and emerging technology. “Every part of our business is using the highest level of technology.”
As technology reshapes the industry, Fogel’s focus remains simple: making travel more personal, more connected and more impactful.
