GOOD DAY, READERS.
Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel told analysts on Tuesday's second-quarter earnings call that Google's AI Overviews put some pressure on organic search, although it is a small part of overall business, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. Booking spends billions of dollars yearly on paid search, which is a much bigger part of its business than SEO.
Fogel also said showing up prominently in AI models is important, but while Booking is showing up frequently, it isn't getting a vast amount of referrals.
Meanwhile, room nights, alternative accommodations, and revenue growth for Booking slowed due to the Middle East conflict, even as net income jumped 118% to $2 billion.
Skift Global Forum
The question Fogel raised on the earnings call gets its own stage in September.
Glenn Fogel, Bret Taylor of OpenAI, and the CEOs of Hilton, Expedia, and Accor take the room in New York this September to work through exactly how AI is rewiring search, discovery, and who owns the booking. 940 attendees, 76% director level or above.
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