#908 The Business Strategy of the Biggest Player in Travel Tech with Rob Ransom, SVP at Booking Holdings

Most people know booking.com. Almost nobody knows about the $100B+ travel empire behind it.

Today, we're talking to Rob Ransom, Senior Vice President at Booking Holdings, about the business strategy behind booking.com, KAYAK, OpenTable, and more. We discuss how AI is transforming travel booking like mobile did a decade ago, why the best strategies prioritize simplicity over complexity, and how booking.com's legendary A/B testing culture removes politics from product decisions.

All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! 

To learn more about Booking Holdings, check out their website here.

About Rob Ransom

Rob Ransom is Senior Vice President at Booking Holdings, where he leads strategy, corporate business development, and M&A for the company's portfolio of travel brands including booking.com, KAYAK, OpenTable, Priceline, and Agoda. Based in Amsterdam, Rob has played a key role in shaping the company's strategic direction as it navigates major industry shifts from mobile to AI. Before Booking Holdings, he worked at McKinsey & Company and holds experience across marketing, product, and corporate strategy.

About Booking Holdings

Booking Holdings is the world’s leading provider of online travel & related services, provided to consumers and local partners in more than 220 countries and territories through six primary consumer-facing brands: Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK and OpenTable. Collectively, Booking Holdings operates in more than 40 languages across Europe, North America, South America, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa. The mission of Booking Holdings is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world.