Booking.com Accelerates Innovation with Confluent Platform

Booking.com, a global leader in online travel with services spanning 220 countries and available in 45 languages, recognized the transformative potential of data streaming early on. As their customer base expanded, the company sought to harness the power of real-time data to enhance user experience and drive informed business decisions. However, their initial self-managed Apache Kafka deployment presented operational challenges, diverting crucial resources from innovation.

To overcome these hurdles, Booking.com migrated to Confluent Platform, an enterprise-grade data streaming platform, to offload the complexities of Kafka management and refocus their efforts on creating value-added customer experiences. This strategic move allowed Booking.com to leverage Confluent's robust capabilities for improved reliability and enhanced out-of-the-box functionality for data management, and positioned them for future cloud migration with its cloud-native architecture.

The transition to Confluent Platform empowered Booking.com to streamline development, freeing up valuable engineering resources to prioritize innovation. With Confluent, Booking.com is now focused on deploying a "connected trip" experience, enabling customers to seamlessly book flights, accommodations, car rentals, and experiences in one visit. Furthermore, the platform has facilitated enhanced analytical and personalization workflows, providing teams in finance and data security with access to well-governed data products.

Looking ahead, Booking.com plans to transition fully to the public cloud, a move that Maxim Foursa, Senior Engineering Manager, believes will serve as a significant enabler for integration and development acceleration. With Confluent's support, Booking.com is poised to connect the world more seamlessly and efficiently.

Value Results:

• Enhanced operational efficiency by offloading Kafka complexities.

• Improved data platform reliability and enhanced out-of-the-box functionality.

• Streamlined development, freeing up resources for innovation.

• Better support for analytical, personalization, and core booking processes.

• Enabled a "connected trip" experience for customers.