What the return of Booking.yeah means for partners

There’s a lot of excitement around booking trips at the moment. As people feel more confident getting back out into the world, many are looking for their first trip in some time – and it’s one they’ve had a lot of time to dream about. 

But that excitement brings with it some pressure. One of the biggest concerns for many people? Getting something wrong so that their long-awaited trip fails to live up to expectations. 

We wanted to reassure travellers that they can book with confidence, so they arrive at your property relaxed and ready to enjoy your outstanding hospitality. 

When we were trying to think how to do that, we realised that the answer wasn’t something new – it was reviving something familiar, fronted by a familiar face.

The return of Booking.yeah 

When we first ran the Booking.yeah campaign back in 2013, it really resonated with travellers. 

As customers geared up for summer trips across the Northern Hemisphere this year, it seemed the perfect time to bring the campaign back. And the charismatic Idris Elba seemed the perfect choice to front it. 

Designed to celebrate our functional strengths in a fun and compelling way, the cheeky Booking.yeah ads demonstrate that while we may not be ‘cool’ or ‘sexy’ in the traditional sense, we do make it easy to find and book the perfect trip.

But while we’re bringing the campaign back, you might notice it’s not exactly the same. 

“The Booking.yeah campaign used to be more boisterous,” says Nigel Wolstenholme, Head of Brand Strategy and Planning at Booking.com. “But the world is in a different place now, and our customers’ needs have evolved. That means the campaign is subtler and more reassuring. It’s gone from the original cry of excitement to more of a sigh of relief. The realisation that they, the customer, got it right by booking a stay on Booking.com, and they’re supported every step of the way."

“The big Booking.yeah moment happens when a customer makes their booking," continues Wolstenholme. "With Booking.com's help, they've managed to find and book that place that is just perfect for them, no more waiting, nervousness or stress, just excitement that their holiday is happening, and is going to be amazing.”

Three ways the return of Booking.yeah benefits you

With the relaunch of Booking.yeah, we’re investing time, money and big-name talent to tell people that now’s the time to start booking their next trip – and that you’re an excellent option to book.

Reaching millions of prospective guests, the campaign potentially has some big positive impacts for you too, such as:

1) It gives guests the reassurance to try something new

Booking.yeah serves as a reminder to guests that we do a lot of work to make sure only the best accommodation – like yours – makes it onto our platform.

We offer filters, photos, customer reviews and a whole host of other information to help people make the right choices. And we remind them that, if something did go wrong, we’re there for them too. That gives them the confidence to try somewhere or something new.

By featuring different property types – from hotels to beach-front properties with their own kitchen – we’re also showing them the variety of properties out there.

That extra visibility means people are more likely to find exactly what they want in a stay – giving the potential for better reviews, extra word-of-mouth and a higher chance of repeat bookings.

2) It essentially makes you a package deal without you lifting a finger

Booking.yeah is broader than before too, because we offer a lot more since we first ran the campaign.

Now travellers can book so much more than just accommodation on our platform, including flights and car rentals, so they can get everything in one place. This also gives us an opportunity to convert traffic from our flight and car rental platform into additional bookings for you. 

“It was a very easy decision to include ads that featured flights and car rentals,” says Wolstenholme. “They’re now such a core part of our business in many countries, where we have a strong base of customers who trust us to help them, and are willing and eager to book more with us.” 

3) It opens your accommodation to potentially millions of new holiday seekers

We started in the US, airing an ad during the biggest football game of the year – when 112 million people tuned in.

Then we launched it in the UK and Germany, including sponsoring the UEFA Women's Euro and reaching millions of people around Europe (and the world). And the campaign is continuing to grow, including just hitting the Australian market.

That means your accommodation – wherever it’s located – is now a viable option for millions of people around the world looking for somewhere special for their next trip.