Travelers are increasingly turning to alternative accommodations, moving away from traditional hotel lodging.
This is the key takeaway from Booking Holdings’ Q2 2025 earnings call.
In the second quarter of 2025, the number of room nights booked on Booking reached 309 million, marking an 8% year-over-year increase, with Europe and Asia leading the growth. During the same quarter, the number of alternative accommodation listings on Booking.com rose to 8.4 million, also up 8% year-over-year. Nights stayed grew by 10% year-over-year, outpacing the growth recorded in traditional hotels.
The figures fully confirm the assessment that alternative accommodations—such as vacation rentals and other non-hotel properties—have now become the main driver of tourism growth across most regions of the world. It is clear that travelers are seeking more personalized experiences, better tailored to their needs, rather than standardized hotel packages.
Booking.com’s tools for alternative accommodations
Booking is reinforcing this shift with a range of tools:
The Genius Program rewards frequent guests with discounts and upgrades, boosting loyalty and direct bookings.
Bundled bookings (accommodation + flights + car rental + activities) increased by 30%, strengthening the vision of “Connected Trips.”
Investment in artificial intelligence (in tools such as AI Trip Planner and Smart Filters) helps travelers find exactly what they are looking for, while giving property owners greater visibility and more accurate audience targeting.
What this means for the market
The rise of alternative accommodations is not a passing trend. On the contrary, it represents a strategic shift in traveler preferences, with data showing that “non-hotels” are outpacing the traditional hotel sector in growth.
For property owners, this new reality brings more opportunities—but also higher demands: competitive pricing, detailed listings with high-quality photos, effective use of marketing tools, and participation in loyalty programs.
Georgina Sekadaki, Team Manager in Crete at Booking.com, will talk at the ShortStay Crete Conference about the island’s position on the tourism map, the performance of 2025, and the first trends for 2026.
