Citi and Booking.com Team to Streamline Travel

Citi has launched a travel portal that gives customers a wealth of ways to book trips.

Citi Travel, created in partnership with Booking.com, is debuting “in time to book spring and summer adventures,” the two companies said in an announcement provided to PYMNTS Monday (March 20).

It’s also rolling out at a time when consumers are showing they’re willing to shell out money to travel, even in the face of tough economic times.

The portal lets Citi customers with ThankYou rewards cards book hotels, air travel, car rentals, and attractions through Citi Travel, via the Citi website and — by month’s end — via mobile app, according to the announcement.

“Citi travelers also now have access to 24/7 customer support and have the flexibility to book their way: using their eligible Citi credit card, ThankYou Points, or a combination of the two,” the announcement said.

The launch comes as consumers are spending more money on experiences, a category that includes travel, according to Mastercard’s Spending Pulse report.

Compared to February 2022, consumers last month spent 42.7% more on lodging, 15.6% more on airlines and 14.2% more on restaurants, the report found.

“This reflects suppressed growth in 2022, as well as continued demand for travel and experiences ahead of the popular spring break season,” Mastercard said earlier this month.

Meanwhile, recent comments by executives from United Airlines and Delta show optimism about this year’s travel season.

“It’s the first time we’ve gone through a January and February since COVID, and so we got it wrong,” United CEO Scott Kirby said at a J.P. Morgan investor conference. “But our March numbers are good … April, May, June, all look better.”

And while corporate travel demand has slowed, executives at the conference — whose comments were reported by The Wall Street Journal — said the lines between leisure travel and business aren’t as clear as they once were.

“As I tell many of my CEO friends across the industry and outside of the industry, I know where your employees are,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “They may not be in the office, but you can find them on my airplanes. That’s because of the new way of work, the new hybrid, new mobility.”

PYMNTS examined the ongoing demand for vacations in research last month, finding that consumers are continuing to indulge the desires to travel even as they scale back spending in other parts of their lives.

“In an otherwise endless barrage of bad economic news coming out of Q4 2022 and continuing into the first quarter of 2023, travel is one of the few bright spots,” PYMNTS wrote.