Booking.com is Growing - So Why is it Cutting Jobs?
- The New Normal for Travel Business -
What if your company posted record profits and still reduced staff?
That is exactly what Booking.com is doing in 2025. The company is growing, but it is also restructuring, because the way travel businesses operate is changing fast. Artificial intelligence is no longer a support tool. It is becoming the core of how operations, content, and communication are handled.
This shift is already underway across the largest travel platforms. The real question is whether smaller companies are prepared to adapt safely and strategically.
Booking.com Is Profitable, Yet Reducing Roles
n the first quarter of 2025, Booking Holdings reported strong financial performance. Revenue reached 4.76 billion USD, up 8% compared to the same period in 2024. Adjusted EBITDA grew 21%, totaling 1.1 billion USD. (Source: PhocusWire, Reuters)
Despite this success, the company announced a global restructuring that may impact up to 1,000 employees. The goal is to reduce operational costs and increase long-term efficiency. (Source: Skift, Hospitality Today)
Booking also shared plans to save between 400 and 450 million USD per year by 2028. Much of this is tied to the integration of AI, restructuring internal teams, and shifting operations to new tech-driven hubs.
AI Is Replacing Workflows, Not Just Assisting Them
Booking.com has expanded its AI operations in Romania, India, and Israel. These new hubs are taking over tasks that were once handled in offices like Amsterdam.
AI is now used across:
- Travel itinerary planning
- Customer support responses
- Translation and localization
- Real-time pricing
- Dynamic content generation
This is more than automation. It is a rethinking of how the company is structured.
Expedia, Airbnb and Tripadvisor Are Making Similar Moves
Expedia Group announced a reorganization in early 2025 that affected approximately 500 roles, which is about 3% of its workforce. Teams in product, editorial, and marketing were most impacted. AI tools have since been adopted across Hotels.com and Vrbo. (Source: PhocusWire, TechStory)
Airbnb is testing AI for translation and support tasks. One internal AI migration project converted over 3,000 test files in just six weeks using LLMs, a process that used to take 18 months. While large-scale job cuts are not confirmed, the shift toward automation is well underway. (Source: Analytics India Magazine)
Tripadvisor laid off 75 employees and 90 contractors in early 2025. Analysts expect more content and communications work to shift toward automation in the coming year. (Source: Skift, TechCrunch)
Other platforms like GetYourGuide and Despegar are also exploring centralized automation strategies, although few have made public statements.
What This Means for Smaller Travel Companies
At BGS, we support small and mid-sized travel businesses. Many of these companies still believe automation is only relevant to large OTAs or tech-driven platforms. That belief is shifting quickly. Here's what we are seeing across the industry:
- Companies are evaluating roles based on how easily they can be automated, not just how well they perform
- Functions such as customer support, translation, content creation, and admin are the most at risk
- Teams are becoming more distributed, moving from centralized offices to cost-efficient, tech-enabled hubs
Even if your company is not reducing headcount, the structure of your team will likely need to evolve soon.
What to Expect in the Next 12 to 24 Months
We expect the following trends as automation becomes more common:
- New roles will emerge in AI supervision, data validation, and quality control
- Customer service, translation, and content teams will shrink or shift to hybrid formats
- Legal frameworks may begin including automation clauses, especially in Europe
- Companies that automate without planning risk damaging team trust and brand reputation
This is no longer a future trend. It is becoming a standard business move.
BGS Guidance for Smart Preparation
We advise travel operators to take a structured and gradual approach to automation. Based on our client work, here are four starting points:
1. Identify automatable tasks - Focus on workflows that are repetitive, rule-based, or time-consuming.
2. Redesign how work gets done - Start with hybrid models, use AI where it adds value, but keep human oversight.
3. Train your team - Equip your current staff with the skills to work with AI tools and manage hybrid processes.
4. Communicate openly - People are less afraid of AI than of being left out of decisions. Clear communication builds trust and reduces resistance.
You don’t need to automate everything, but you do need to start with a plan, before the pressure forces action.
Final Insight from BGS
This transformation will reach every travel company. It is only a matter of time, and it has already begun with the big platforms.
Companies like Booking.com and Expedia can move quickly because they have structure, systems, and financial stability. For smaller firms, rushing into automation without a solid foundation, such as reliable IT infrastructure, clear organizational structure, and well-managed operations, can turn a potential advantage into a major risk.
At BGS, we help companies navigate this transition step by step. We start with a practical company assessment and guide each next phase with a clear, scalable plan. Our focus is long-term value, stable teams, and smart growth.
Let’s Take This Further
Are your current workflows starting to feel inefficient or outdated? Do you have a roadmap for how automation might affect your sales, support, or content teams?
We help travel businesses evaluate their current state, map out risks and opportunities, and redesign for the next phase.
Send us a message if you'd like to benchmark your current structure. Or follow BGS for monthly insights into travel operations, automation strategy, and building resilient teams.