Booking Holdings, a global travel services platform, inaugurated its first Center of Excellence in India on November 29, 2023.

The travel services company plans to invest USD 250 million and expand specialized and highly skilled technology talent to up to 1,000 headcounts at the Bengaluru CoE in the next five years. 

“The Center of Excellence provides Booking Holdings access to high-performing talent with specialised capabilities who support projects across both the front and back end of products and services within the enterprise, as well as horizontally through shared service functions, powered by new and emerging technologies. The Center also plays an important role in enabling the company to leverage industry best practices and foster collaboration opportunities across all of the Booking Holdings brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK and OpenTable. The Center already has a full management team in place, leading over 320 colleagues in different capacities supporting multiple brands, including employees supporting Booking.com’s Fintech and Trips divisions.” stated the company in an official announcement. 

Inaugurating the CoE, Randhir Bindra, General Manager, Booking Holdings India said, “At the core of Booking Holdings’ mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world is building a more seamless, connected travel offering powered by technologies that strip friction from the travel process. The Booking Holdings Center of Excellence in Bengaluru will enable us to tap into the city’s world-class talent pool to further accelerate innovation to support the transformation of the travel experience and unlock new potential for the company to meet the ever-evolving needs of our business and customers. We’re looking forward to continuing our innovation journey here, and growing our presence in this exciting city and local tech community.”

The Honorable Tourism Minister H.K. Patil welcomed Booking Holdings to Bengaluru saying, “It is my privilege to be at this auspicious occasion to inaugurate Booking Holdings’ second Center of Excellence globally in Bengaluru, fostering investment of Rs 2,084 Crores. I would like to welcome Booking Holdings on behalf of my Government and people, and I’m confident that the state will benefit greatly from 1,000 employment opportunities that will be created by 2026 from this venture.”

Joining the ceremony, Navratan Katariya, Director for Startup Engagement, Innovation Enterprise Partnership and Cleantech at Nasscom added, "At Nasscom, we aim to diligently foster an innovation ecosystem that drives the digitalization agenda, unlocking a new wave of growth and possibilities. We look ahead to the game-changing influence of Centers of Excellence, like Booking Holdings here in Bengaluru, which are reshaping the landscape of technology of innovation."

The CoE will enhance employee well-being as part of the company's commitment to fostering a great work culture. This includes facilitating nursing rooms, wellness areas, a game zone, and a faith room, equipped with ergonomic chairs, sit-stand desks, and more. Additionally, the company reinforces its dedication to employees through career learning, development opportunities, a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, mental health support, an employee assistance program, and a comprehensive range of competitive benefits, rewards, and recognition.

Furthermore, in an exclusive interview with People Matters, Paulo Pisano, Chief Human Resources Officer of Booking Holdings discussed the company's policies, learning initiatives, and long-term vision for talent development in India.