Booking.com pledges semi-neutral role in private accommodation distribution

Booking.com is to deploy a "preferred partner" strategy for private accommodation managers looking to distribute properties on the site. The online travel agency plans to create the list of vendors in the coming months as a means of helping short-term rental partners manage their portfolios. However, Eric Bergaglia, Booking.com's global head of homes and apartments, says the unit will not follow other divisions in the organization that have bought distribution and software companies in recent years as a way to provide distribution services for suppliers. Booking.com has previously acquired a number of supplier-related software platforms.