Booking.com Enables Passbook on Latest Release of iPhone App

- Booking.com customers can now access their bookings all in one place from their iPhone or iPod touch

AMSTERDAM, Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Booking.com announces today that the latest release of its iPhone app has a new feature: Passbook. Passbook allows users to easily access their hotel and accommodation bookings, along with entry tickets, boarding passes and much more all in one place. Adding Passbook to the app builds upon the seamless multi-device experience Booking.com strives to deliver to its growing base of over 10 million iPhone and iPod touch users. The latest version of the Booking.com iPhone app was released today and can be downloaded for free from the iTunes store.

(Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121016/NY93769)

"I am very pleased that we can offer our iPhone users Passbook to conveniently book and manage their stay. We already see today that over 54 percent of people visiting our mobile website with iOS 6 use Passbook, so we believe our new app will greatly contribute to their overall booking experience," said Darren Huston, Chief Executive Officer Booking.com. "Today, we already have more than 10 million mobile app users who can potentially benefit from Passbook and that number is growing rapidly."

Passbook
Customers can now add their booking confirmations to Passbook. Because Passbook is both time and location aware, confirmations and tickets show up on the customers' iPhone Lock Screen when and where needed. A user only needs to swipe to access them. Passbook is one of the newest features available in Apple's recently released iOS 6 operating system.

Easier, faster booking on the go
Booking.com customers can access searched and viewed hotels and destinations at any time on any device. Once signed-in to their account, information gets stored in the cloud which allows customers easier and faster booking.

Huston added: "Our data and research show that people are increasingly using multiple devices to search, book, and enjoy accommodations. Either at home, at work, or while traveling. We focus our efforts on creating the best seamless user experience for our customers, so we can support them end-to-end regardless of the devices they choose to use on their journey."

Booking.com has recently added a lot of new functionalities to the app that help customers once the booking is done:

• Booking modifications can easily be done by clicking on the button which automatically connects to Booking.com's customer service available in 41 languages.
• Customers will receive a push notification just before their stay to have easy access to their booking confirmation.
• Once the guest has arrived, they don't need an internet connection to see everything they need: the accommodation address, phone number and all other booking information is easily accessible on their mobile device.
• When connected to the Internet, guests can easily use the integrated route planner upon their arrival to find their way the easy way.
• Upon check-in, guests can just show their Passbook or digital confirmation to facilitate a simple paperless check-in.

iPhone, iPod touch, Passbook and iTunes are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. More information about Booking.com's iPhone app can be found here.

About Booking.com
With over 15 years of experience and over 4,500 dedicated employees in over 70 offices worldwide, Booking.com is the world's leading online hotel and accommodation reservation company.  Booking.com B.V., part of the Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), owns and operates Booking.com™, attracting over 30 million unique visitors each month via the Internet from both leisure and business markets around the globe.

Established in 1996, Booking.com guarantees the best prices for any type of property, ranging from small independents to five-star luxury. The Booking.com website is available in 41 languages, offers over 244,000 hotels in 177 countries and includes over 17 million real reviews from real guests. Guests do not pay booking fees - ever. The company has its own in-house 24/7 available customer service team to assist guests in the best possible way. The most recent information about the company is available on www.booking.com.