Applications for the fourth annual Booking Booster program are now open, which aims to accelerate the development of sustainable solutions for the global accommodation industry.
Following the program’s success in the previous three years, the fourth iteration of the Booking Booster will focus exclusively on the topic of sustainable accommodation.
Booking.com’s 2020 program will bring start-ups, social enterprises, non-profit organisations and accommodations of all kinds together directly to explore solutions to become more sustainable.
Through the 2020 program, participants with innovative products and services, including accommodations themselves, will have the opportunity to secure grants from the company’s €2.6 million ($4.23 million) fund.
The 2020 Booking Booster will consist of two complementary 10-day programs exclusively focused on sustainable accommodation.
The first program in May is for organisations with innovative products and services to help accommodations become more sustainable. The second program in September is for accommodations themselves, including those that are just starting their sustainability journey.
Both sessions of the 2020 Booking Booster program will consist of a series of hands-on workshops and tailored mentoring sessions to help participants scale their impact.
Participants are paired with mentors from Booking.com to provide guidance and support on specific topics.
Participants from both sessions will present live onstage at the Booking Booster finale in September to secure scaling grants from the company’s multi-million-dollar fund.
Regardless of potential funding, mentors continue to support participants even after the program comes to a close, connecting them with access to a pool of additional Booking.com experts to assist throughout their journey.
Rob Ransom, vice president of strategy and corporate development at Booking.com, said: “With the 2020 Booking Booster program, we’re excited to be championing innovative solutions that help our accommodation partners to adopt more sustainable practices.
“It’s not only what our customers want, but our partners as well.
“Bringing together products and services developed by start-ups and organisations from around the world with practical case studies from leading sustainable properties will accelerate our collective efforts to make every stay a sustainable one.”
Start-ups, social enterprises, non-profit organisations and sustainable accommodations from all over the world, including previous Booking Booster alumni, are invited to apply for the relevant session of the 2020 program.
