Booking Holdings Discussed AI Strategy at AIQ Summit

CFO Ewout Steenbergen detailed how AI tools are increasing engineering efficiency and lowering marketing costs.

Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Corporate Finance

Isometric editorial illustration featuring a geometric grid of server hardware modules, representing abstract AI infrastructure and engineering efficiency. — Booking Holdings CFO Ewout Steenbergen detailed the company's shift toward AI-driven engineering workflows to optimize travel planning and improve long-term brand value. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Booking Holdings CFO Ewout Steenbergen outlined the company's shift toward AI-driven operations during Fortune's AIQ Summit. The firm is leveraging large language models to streamline travel planning and optimize engineering workflows.

Why it matters

The company aims to transition from a transactional model to a high-frequency business to maintain a competitive edge. Leaders emphasize that integrating AI is essential for protecting market share and improving long-term brand value.

Booking Holdings maintains an engineering team of 9,000, with internal metrics showing a 30% increase in code production. Merchant bookings currently account for 73% of total gross bookings.

The players

Ewout Steenbergen

He is the Chief Financial Officer of Booking Holdings and leads the company's financial and AI implementation strategy.

Booking Holdings

It is a global travel technology company that operates brands including Booking.com, Agoda, Priceline, and OpenTable.

The details

Booking Holdings uses model cost routing to delegate tasks based on complexity, utilizing open-source models for basic requests. Engineering performance is currently tracked by measuring total IT cost per merge request, accounting for both human labor and AI-token costs.

Booking Holdings reported Q2 2026 data in an August earnings call.
Ewout Steenbergen spoke at the AIQ Summit on October 1, 2026.

Market Dynamics

The firm is integrating large language models into its core operations to bridge the gap between transactional travel services and automated high-frequency platforms. This shift reflects a broader industry movement to deploy generative AI to lower overhead while scaling consumer services.

Retail investors should watch how effectively the company reduces its multi-billion dollar marketing overhead through AI efficiency gains. The focus on loyalty tiers, which currently capture 30% of customers, remains a key indicator of potential long-term revenue stability.

The takeaway

Booking Holdings is banking on AI to turn search and booking tasks into a frictionless experience that retains loyal customers. By measuring every line of code against AI token costs, the firm is setting a rigorous benchmark for enterprise-level automation.