Booking.com Tests Native Ads for Hotels in Destination Searches
Skift Take
All of the online players, from Google and Facebook to Expedia and Tripadvisor, want greater chunks of hotels' advertising budgets. This is Booking.com's latest entry, and it's a bid to play catch-up.
Dennis' Online Travel Briefing
Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Executive Editor and online travel rockstar Dennis Schaal will bring readers exclusive reporting and insight into the business of online travel and digital booking, and how this sector has an impact across the travel industry.The competition to gain or recoup revenue from ad placements in search results on online travel agency websites is heating up with Booking.com testing native ad placements for hotels in Booking's destination searches.
In reporting on Booking's beta test, hotel digital marketer Mirai wrote that Booking.com is seeking to counter some of the advertising competition.
Online travel agencies from Expedia to Booking and eDreams Odigeo are all seeking to gain a greater share of hotels' marketing budgets as Google and Facebook/Instagram command advertising dollars.
"As Google and other travel big players such as Tripadvisor (with Plus and Sponsored Placements) are increasing competition with OTAs [o
