As international borders open, Booking.com is making it easier to get back out there to experience the world in a more mindful way through the launch of new features that enable travelers to Travel Sustainable, Travel Proud and Travel Work-Friendly.
To celebrate these new features, three exclusive trips are being offered in beloved American cities for $20.21 as we near the end of the year and look to a more mindful future.
With 66%* of American travelers stating they want to stay in a sustainable accommodation in the upcoming year, the brand-new, first of its kind Travel Sustainable badge makes finding and booking sustainable stays easier than ever. The Travel Proud badge denotes properties that have gone through Booking.com’s Proud Hospitality program training and are committed to offering more inclusive and welcoming experiences, which is more important than ever given over half (61%)** of American LGTBQ+ travelers reporting they have experienced some form of discrimination when traveling. In this new remote-working world, the Work-Friendly badge was developed to find vacation home properties, which almost half (45%)*** of Americans prefer to stay in, with amenities that allow travelers the ease of working from a new destination that they can explore once the laptop is put away.
To celebrate the thousands of properties available on Booking.com helping to bring new travel experiences to consumers, the global travel leader is making three exclusive, epic stays available: a Sustainable Stay at Mr. C in Miami, Travel Proud Trip at Moxy Chelsea in NYC and Work-Friendly Getaway at Level in Los Angeles. Bookers of Mr. C Miami, one of the first properties to receive the Travel Sustainable badge, will be treated to a farm-to-table dinner, a visit to a top-rated green marina, guided bike tour, and more. In New York City, guests staying at Travel Proud property Moxy Chelsea will enjoy a Broadway show, dinner at an LGBTQ+-owned restaurant, tickets to a museum dedicated to queer artists, and a walking tour showcasing moments in LGBTQ+ history. To achieve true work-life balance, bookers of the Level Los Angeles, offering the Work-Friendly badge, will be treated to a massage, guided hiking trip, meditation session, and more. All three experiences are available for exclusive one-time bookings on Booking.com starting December 6, 2021 at 12:00PM ET, for a two-night stay December 10 – 12, 2021 for $20.21.
“We’ve watched the world undergo countless challenges and changes over the past two years, so it’s no surprise that travelers’ values have shifted and are impacting the way they decide to rediscover the world again,” said Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking.com.
“At Booking.com, we must not only adapt to changing consumer perspectives, but also pave the way for a brighter travel future – from protecting the planet to ensuring everyone has inclusive travel experiences. We’re continuously innovating to make it easier to find the perfect place to stay and the recent launch of our new badges is just one step in our journey and commitment in helping Americans make more mindful and conscious travel choices.”
Making sustainable travel choices easier for everyone
With more than 28 million listings on Booking.com, it is increasingly important to showcase the impactful efforts accommodation partners are taking on their important journeys to create more sustainable experiences, and in turn, make it easier for travelers to find a sustainable way to stay. Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable badge is a credible, globally relevant sustainability measure that will provide highly coveted information to travelers looking to make more sustainable travel choices. The badge is available to any kind of property that has implemented a combination of sustainable practices that meet the requisite impact threshold for their destination. Designed to be applicable to a wide range of property types, from apartments, B&Bs and holiday homes to hotels, resorts and even treehouses, and adaptable to local realities and considerations, the initiative is a first of its kind in the industry. The goal of the badge is to make credible recognition of impactful sustainability efforts attainable for more properties worldwide and to provide travelers with a transparent, consistent and easy-to-understand way to identify a wider range of more sustainable stays, no matter where they want to travel. The Travel Sustainable badge and program helps reward and further encourage all accommodation providers to take the next steps on their individual sustainability journeys, ultimately increasing the overall amount of sustainable accommodation options available.
More welcoming stays for everyone
Almost two-thirds (63%)** of LGTBQ+ travelers have stated they have had uncomfortable or less-than-welcoming experiences at a property where they were staying. Booking.com is committed to supporting accommodation partners in delivering more inclusive and welcoming experiences through the Proud Hospitality training program. Booking.com partners can become a Proud Certified property by participating in a 75-minute online training session developed in partnership with HospitableMe. After completing the online course and making a commitment to deliver a more inclusive experience, Proud Certified partners will receive a Travel Proud badge on their property page to show potential guests that they can rely on a welcoming experience.
Work from anywhere
As the pandemic has made remote work ubiquitous for many Americans, more travelers than ever are seeking the freedom that comes with being able to work from anywhere. Booking.com is making it easier than ever for digital nomads to find what they’re looking for with the Work-Friendly badge, requiring properties meet high quality service requirements, including great reviews and a cleanliness score of 8 or higher, as well as key amenities, such as free wi-fi and dedicated laptop-friendly workspaces. For travelers looking for longer stays at vacation rental properties offering the Work-Friendly badge, Booking.com recently launched extended stays beyond 30-nights, up to 45-nights, in the U.S., with special rates both weekly and monthly.
Almost two years of a global pandemic has forced us to make the most of what was on our doorsteps, rekindling our relationship with the community around us, and impacting the way we think about traveling as we seek to be more mindful about every trip we take. More than half (53%)**** of Americans agree it’s important that their trip is beneficial to the local community at their destination so they can have a positive impact with 64%**** wanting the money that they spend when traveling to go back to the local community and 65%**** seeking authentic experiences that are representative of the local culture. In addition to a more mindful approach to travel, the important benefits that travel has on health and wellbeing are now being acknowledged. As restrictions begin to ease, getting away on vacation will become the new form of self-care in 2022, with over three-quarters of Americans (76%)**** affirming that travel helps their mental and emotional wellbeing more than other forms of rest and relaxation.
Booking.com is committed to helping create a better, brighter future for travel, connecting travelers with places to stay that reflects a renewed outlook on rediscovering the world in a more mindful way.
