Booking.com: Press

When it comes to booking a hotel, it's not so easy being green. Here's how to find a room that benefits both the environment and the communities around it, writes Jessica Wynne Lockhart To limit global warming, the hotel industry needs to reduce its carbon emissions by a whopping 90 per cent per room by 2050, reports the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. Yet, a 2022 Booking.com survey found that just over a quarter of Kiwis research properties' sustainability initiatives before they book. Worse, out of those who haven't stayed in a sustainable property in the past year, it's because 27 per cent "didn't even know they existed."

As the snow-capped mountains of Queenstown begin to fill up with holidaymakers ready to shred the snow, there is one particularly special time of year for LGBTIQ+ travellers marked on the calendar; Winter Pride (26 August – 4 September). It’s the largest winter pride festival in the Southern Hemisphere celebrating love, diversity, community, visibility, safety and inclusion. For 61% of Kiwi rainbow travellers who, according to research by our mates at Booking.com, have experienced less-than-welcoming or uncomfortable, experiences when travelling, Winter Pride offers a safe space that celebrates who they are. So, we’ve rounded up the top events and places to stay, all Travel Proud certified, so guests can be sure to have a welcoming experience!

It may have been a month since the Northern Hemisphere’s official Pride month ended, but Pride can (and should) still be celebrated year-round. For half (50%) of Kiwi LQBTIQ+ travellers, being part of the rainbow community impacts the decisions we make when travelling, with 44% of us feeling that the destinations on our ‘bucket lists’ have been affected by being part of the community! Booking.com has pulled together a list of five pride-filled places to visit before the end of August where travellers will be able to celebrate and stay, arriving proudly as themselves. For added peace of mind, Booking has also included locations with a Travel Proud badge so guests can be assured their accommodation provider is LGBTIQ+ friendly and inclusive.

A family-friendly weekend in Taupō is fun for parents and kids alike. Perched on the hill just behind the main township sits a stunning 19th-century heritage building which takes you back in time to the Victorian era. It was this picturesque scene that jumped out at me when searching for accommodation on Booking.com. The hotel boasts five stars on the website so I knew we were in good hands, but I was still surprised to find out just how good those hands were.

Heading to Sydney for a long weekend? Thanks to Booking.com and its flexible cancellation policies, we have a hot list of where to stay, eat, drink and shop. Style director Louise Hilsz shares her favourite spots.

The NZ Champions of Cheese Awards Trophy-winners were announced last month, with a long list of specialty cheeses likely to be making an appearance on Kiwi charcuterie boards this year. A special congratulations goes to Geraldine Cheese Company, who won the dish Magazine Champion Sheep Cheese Award for their Sheep Feta. And thanks to Booking.com who provided great accommodation for dish Magazine Editor Sarah Tuck who presented the award in Hamilton.

Ibis Styles London Gloucester Road has a Tube theme throughout the hotel, with artworks inspired by the graphic design and advertising you'll see on the Underground. Stephanie Holmes stays at Ibis Styles London Gloucester Road.

The borders are open! We wanted to listen to big ideas about blockchain and have a fun holiday at the same time. The Bitcoin 22 crypto conference was being held in Miami, so we booked our tickets and tacked on a few days beforehand to explore the Florida Keys. After booking the gorgeous Betsy Hotel for a week in Miami, we decided to go where the tropical breeze took us in the Keys, thanks to booking.com’s flexible cancellation policy, an essential in Covid times. Each morning we’d flick through the local hotels on the app, check out the reviews and photos and then book the accommodation. It was super-easy and we found some great deals.

For the ultimate fun in the sun head to Florida, where the party never stops and the sun always shines. For the past two years, we’d been using the booking.com app as it has a very flexible cancellation policy (looking at you, Covid), so that’s where we headed to check out hotels in Miami South Beach. There are masses of photos and reviews, which gives you lots of confidence to book somewhere perfect.

When it came to 'why', the study from online travel company Booking.com found over half of Kiwis wanted to see family (53 per cent), 47 per cent want to 'get away' and 27 per cent were rebooking a trip they had postponed due to Covid.

Jenny Rudd of Aim Sure Group shares her experience during her trip to the biggest Bitcoin 2022 Conference in the world. In April, 25,000 Bitcoin maximalists came together in Miami for Bitcoin 22. Investors Jenny Rudd and Mat Tomlinson went along to find out what’s happening at the forefront of financial digital technology.

Many Kiwis are desperate to get away and reunite with family overseas but are nervous about the high costs and risk of getting stuck by border restrictions according to a new study. International borders have almost entirely opened, pre-departure tests have been scrapped and it's no surprise Kiwis are keen to hop on a plane and travel the world again

Cost, safety and convenience are the top three considerations for Kiwis looking to book international travel in the next year, according to a new Booking.com analysis. The OTA’s inaugural APAC Travel Confidence Index released today showed New Zealanders are keen to travel, particularly to reunite with family, with cost being the biggest impediment. “For the majority of New Zealanders, 71%, cost is the greatest consideration when it comes to post-pandemic travel, much higher than the average for almost half, 47%, of all travellers in Asia-Pacific,” Booking.com said. The research polled 11,000 travellers from 11 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, including more than 1000 from New Zealand between April and May 2022, as well using Booking.com’s proprietary insights, and showed 79% of Kiwis are likely to travel in the next 12 months. “More than half of respondents, 53%, are travelling to reunite with family but many, 47%, are concerned about the cost to do so within the current climate,” Booking.com said. “In New Zealand, only one in ten, 10%, indicated that work was a reason for them to book a trip indicating a slower revitalisation in corporate vs leisure travel.” The OTA said its new index showed how overall comfort levels, motivators and concerns of consumers across Asia Pacific varied. “Across the 11 countries polled, India emerged most confident with a clear majority, 86%, of Indian travellers stating they intend to travel in the next 12 months, followed closely by Vietnam and China,” Booking.com said. “New Zealand comes in fourth place, unsurprisingly with 79% of Kiwis intending to travel within the next year.” For Kiwis, the top three motivators for travel are visiting family, 53%, getting away at 47%, and rebooking a pre-Covid trip, 26%. However, ongoing Covid uncertainty generated the most concern. Almost half of Kiwis, 48%, were concerned with the possibility of getting stuck because of frequently changing border regulations, followed by close to half, and more than a third, 35%, worried at the prospect of having to cancel bookings at the last minute because of border restrictions. When it came to reopening borders and welcoming international visitors, most New Zealanders, 82%, were comfortable or neutral, with confidence high on the readiness of the country to receive foreign travellers. “It’s truly been heart-warming and exciting to see travel in New Zealand returning with the easing of most border restrictions,” said Tracey Foxall, regional manager for Oceania at Booking.com. “This has reinvigorated not just consumers, but the travel industry overall.”

With international borders largely open again the majority of Kiwis are keen to travel abroad - but many remain concerned about the cost and potential impact of doing so. New research from Booking.com, which competes with the likes of Airbnb, Bookabach and Expedia to help New Zealanders book travel and accommodation, shows nearly four out of five in the country are ready to head overseas in the next 12 months. More than half want to do so to reunite with family, but cost remains a huge issue for 71 percent of Aotearoa's post-pandemic travellers. The insights came from the just-released APAC Travel Confidence Index, which provides a snapshot of how confident consumers feel about exploring the world again and their motivation to travel.

Booking.com’s inaugural APAC Travel Confidence Index reveals the majority (79%) of Kiwis are likely to travel in the next 12 months More than half (53%) are travelling to reunite with family but many (47%) are concerned about the cost to do so within the current climate In New Zealand only one in ten (10%) indicated that work was a reason for them to book a trip indicating a slower revitalisation in corporate vs leisure travel New research released today from Booking.com, the world’s leading online travel company, shows Kiwis are eager to reunite with family as pandemic travel restrictions have finally eased, however the cost to do so may be standing in the way. After more than two years stuck on the shores of Aotearoa, Kiwis are finally able to venture further afield following the easing of travel restrictions earlier this year. For more than half (53%) of New Zealander’s long-awaited family reunions are the driving force behind wanting to dust off the passport yet, it seems that from our far-flung corner of the Pacific, the price of travel will be a huge influence on plans. For the majority of New Zealanders (71%) cost is the greatest consideration when it comes to post-pandemic travel, much higher than the average for almost half (47%), of all travellers in Asia-Pacific. The insights have been drawn from Booking.com’s inaugural APAC Travel Confidence Index, which provides a snapshot of how confident consumers feel about exploring the world again and their motivation to travel.

After more than two years of silence in the fields, festivals are BACK with a bang. Clearly determined to remind festival-goers what they have been missing, these events are jam-packed with some of the world’s biggest and best artists, comedians and stars. With 37% of Kiwi travellers saying entertainment and nightlife are key factors in their destination decisions in a booking.com survey, we’ve found the six most anticipated music and arts festivals of 2022 for travellers looking to get into the groove abroad. From the historic cobble- stoned streets of Edinburgh to the sexy South American city of Santiago, Kiwi travellers can gather their tribe, grab the glitter and sunscreen and enjoy unmissable live acts, entertainment and accommodation – and make some unforgettable memories.

Kiwis are eager to reunite with family as pandemic travel restrictions have finally eased, however the cost to do so may be standing in the way. New research released from Booking.com indicates Kiwis are eager to reunite with family as pandemic travel restrictions have finally eased, however the cost to do so is an obstacle for many. After more than two years stuck on-shore, Kiwis are finally able to venture further afield following the easing of travel restrictions earlier this year. For more than half (53%) of New Zealander’s long-awaited family reunions are the driving force behind wanting to dust off the passport yet, it seems that from our far-flung corner of the Pacific, the price of travel will be a huge influence on plans.

When looking for hotels, location, comfort and cost are at the top the list of the list for us. But when you‘re a lover of interior design, and in the age of grammable travel, aesthetics are a big draw card. If you are looking for a staycation as beautiful as it is relaxing, from eclectic charm to chic comfort, Booking.com has taken out the guesswork. Here style director Louise Hilsz shares five of New Zealand’s most uniquely incredible hotel interiors from the North to the deep South.

As the days get chillier and we cosy up by the fire in our winter woolies, it can be difficult not to daydream about sun kissed beaches and warm summer breezes. Blessed with endless days of glowing sunshine and balmy temperatures, travelling to the Cook Islands is a sizzling temptation for Kiwis this winter as summer is just a short flight away! If you’ve caught the case of the winter blues and are in need of an uplift, research from Booking.com reveals that getting away on holiday is said to be the form of self-care in 2022 (more so than daily exercise or mindful meditation!) with over three-quarters of people (79%) affirming that travel helps their mental and emotional wellbeing more than other forms of rest and relaxation. Here are Booking.com’s top Rarotonga destinations for the ultimate tropical getaway.

Red, white, rosé or sparkling…a good glass of wine is a beverage to savour, but there’s something extra-special about sipping it in the sun against a backdrop of sweeping vineyards. With more than a quarter (30% to be precise) of Kiwi travellers saying they’d like to do a wine tour on their next holiday,* we’ve found the six BEST properties you can stay at for your wine lovers holiday that’ll let you fully immerse yourself in the experience – whether you’re a wine connoisseur or a complete novice.

Looking for your next getaway? Hawke’s Bay offers a wealth of hospitality treasures, as Sarah Tuck discovers. It had been years since I’d spent any time roaming the beautiful part of the country that is Hawke’s Bay. With just three days to explore, I got on the hotline to Drinks Editor Yvonne Lorkin for her tips, then armed with her recommendations, and those of friends and family, I set out to sample a range of accommodation, bites, sips and general good times. Here I bring you a selection of my discoveries, including my absolute favourites!

Nothing beats warm baths, cleanses, massages and tranquil music to help you feel replenished, body and soul. According to Booking.com’s 2022 Travel Predictions, more so than daily exercise or mindful meditation, getting away on holiday is the form of self-care this year, with over three-quarters of people (79 per cent) affirming that travel helps their mental and emotional wellbeing more than other forms of rest and relaxation.

With border restrictions easing, Kiwis are keen to get back out into the world and, while travel is important, it can come at a cost to our planet and its people. Travel is currently top of mind to many Kiwi's who say sustainable travel is also important to them. Booking.com has collated thousands of sustainable property options, making it easier to stay at places looking out for the environment while travelling to the destinations of your dreams

With research showing that more and more travellers are looking for holidays where they can mentally unwind, we share serene escapes to inspire your next international getaway. After a couple tough years, its clear that people around the world are eager to begin travelling again, with many searching for those ‘bucket-list’ experiences where they can also rest and relax. In fact, according to new research* by Booking.com, over three-quarters of Kiwi travellers say they want to mentally unwind on holiday to boost their mood. From a boutique wellness resort nestled in the Italian alps, to a tropical Thailand oasis, discover these 6 luxury resorts around the world to inspire your next escape.