Booking Holdings raised its annual run-rate transformation savings target to about $650 million from $550 million during its second-quarter 2026 earnings call, while guiding for third-quarter room-night growth of 3 to 5 percent. President and CEO Glenn Fogel said the company exceeded the high end of guidance across key metrics, and CFO Ewout Steenbergen reported that room nights rose 5 percent, gross bookings increased 9 percent, revenues advanced 8 percent, and adjusted EBITDA grew 9 percent with a margin of 36 percent. The additional $100 million in savings came mainly from procurement and is expected to be realized primarily in 2027. Management also noted that Connected Trip transactions grew in the low-double-digit range, merchant gross bookings reached about 73 percent of total gross bookings, and higher-tier Genius members represented more than 30 percent of active customers. The company maintained a cautious outlook, citing pressure from Middle East disruptions on long-haul travel and airline capacity, while emphasizing measured AI deployment and continued execution on long-term priorities.
Booking Holdings IncRaised savings target and beat Q2 metrics, but cautious Q3 guidance tempers outlook.
