Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG)

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes.

We evaluate certain operating and financial measures on both an as-reported and constant-currency basis. We calculate constant currency based on the predominant transactional currency in each country, converting our current year results in currencies other than U.S. Dollars using the corresponding prior year monthly average exchange rates.

Overview

Our mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. We aim to provide consumers with a best-in-class experience offering the travel choices they want, with tailored planning, payment, language, and other options, seamlessly connecting them with our travel service provider partners. We offer these services through five primary consumer-facing brands: Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, and OpenTable. See Notes 1 and 17 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for information on our operating segments and revenue by geographic area.

We derive substantially all of our revenues from enabling consumers to make travel service reservations. We also earn revenues from advertising services, restaurant reservation and management services, travel-related insurance offerings, and other services.

Trends

Our global room nights in 2024 increased 9% year-over-year driven primarily by healthy travel demand in Europe and Asia. We saw the booking window expand in 2024 compared to 2023, which benefited year-over-year room night growth.

Our global room nights in the fourth quarter of 2024 were 13% higher than the fourth quarter of 2023 which was negatively impacted by the Israel-Hamas war. When excluding room nights from bookers in Israel in each comparable period, our overall room nights in the fourth quarter of 2024 increased 12% year-over-year. When excluding room nights from bookers in Israel in each comparable period, our overall room nights for the full year 2024 increased 9% year-over-year.

Quarterly Room Nights and Change versus the prior year

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Full Year Room Nights and Change versus the prior year

The cancellation rate in 2024 was in line with the prior year. Because we recognize revenues from bookings when the traveler checks in, our reported revenues are not at risk of being reversed due to cancellations. Increases in cancellation rates can negatively impact our marketing efficiency as a result of incurring performance marketing expenses at the time a booking is made even though that booking could be canceled in the future if it was booked under a flexible cancellation policy.

In 2024, our global average daily rates ("ADRs") on a constant currency basis were about in line with the prior year. Our global ADRs were negatively impacted by a higher mix of room nights from Asia, which is a lower ADR region. Excluding the changes in regional mix, our global ADRs on a constant currency basis increased year-over-year by about 1%. It is difficult to predict what the trend in industry ADRs will be in the future.

We focus on relentless innovation to grow our business by providing a best-in-class user experience with intuitive, easy-to-use online platforms that aim to exceed the expectations of consumers. We have a long-term strategy to create an ideal traveler experience, offering our customers relevant options and connections at the times and in the language they want them, making trips booked with us seamless, easy, and valuable. We refer to this as the "Connected Trip." The goal of our Connected Trip vision is to offer a differentiated and personalized online travel planning, booking, payment, and in-trip experience for each trip, enhanced by a robust loyalty program that provides value to travelers and partners across all trips. We believe these efforts will help improve traveler loyalty, frequency, and mix of direct bookings over time. We believe these improvements will benefit revenue growth and marketing efficiency in the future, however, to the extent our non-accommodation services have lower margins and increase as a percentage of our total business, our operating margins may be negatively affected.

Our mobile app is an important platform for experiencing the Connected Trip since the app travels with the traveler. The mix of our room nights booked on a mobile app in 2024 was a low-fifties percentage, up from a high-forties percentage in 2023. The significant majority of room nights booked on our mobile apps are direct, and we continue to see favorable repeat direct booking behavior from consumers in our mobile apps, which allow us more opportunities to engage directly with consumers. The revenues earned on a transaction on a mobile app may be less than a typical desktop transaction as we see different consumer purchasing patterns across devices. For example, accommodation reservations made on a mobile app typically are for shorter lengths of stay and have lower accommodation ADRs.

As part of our strategy to provide more payment options to consumers and travel service providers, increase the number and variety of our accommodations, and enable our long-term Connected Trip strategy, Booking.com increasingly processes transactions on a merchant basis, where it facilitates payments from travelers for the services provided. This allows Booking.com to process transactions for travel service providers and to increase its ability to offer secure and flexible transaction terms to consumers, such as the form and timing of payment. We believe that expanding these types of service offerings will benefit consumers and travel service providers, as well as our gross bookings, room night, and earnings growth rates. However, this results in additional expenses for personnel, payment processing, chargebacks (including those related to fraud), and other expenses related to these transactions, which are recorded in "Personnel" expenses and "Sales and other expenses" in our Consolidated Statements of Operations, as well as associated incremental revenues (e.g., payment card rebates), which are recorded in "Merchant revenues." To the extent more of our business is generated on a merchant basis, we incur a greater level of these merchant-related expenses, which negatively impacts our operating margins despite increases in associated incremental revenues. In 2024, the incremental revenues from facilitating payments were greater than the associated incremental variable expenses. The mix of our total gross bookings generated on a merchant basis was 63% in 2024, an increase from 54% in 2023.

We have established widely-used and recognized brands through marketing and promotional campaigns. Our total marketing expenses, which are comprised of performance and brand marketing expenses that are substantially variable in nature, were $7.3 billion in 2024, up 7% versus 2023 as a result of the year-over-year growth in travel demand and our efforts to invest in marketing. Our performance marketing expenses, which represent a substantial majority of our marketing expenses, are primarily related to the use of online search engines (primarily Google), affiliate marketing, meta-search, and social media channels to generate traffic to our platforms. Our brand marketing expenses are primarily related to costs associated with producing and airing digital branding and television advertising.

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Marketing efficiency, expressed as marketing expenses as a percentage of gross bookings, and performance marketing returns on investment ("ROIs") are impacted by a number of factors that are in some cases outside of our control. Such factors include ADRs, costs per click, cancellation rates, foreign currency exchange rates, our ability to convert paid traffic to booking customers, and the timing and effectiveness of our brand marketing campaigns. In recent years, we observed periods of stable or increasing ROIs. Although it is difficult to predict how ROIs will change in the future, ROIs could be negatively impacted by increased levels of competition and other factors. When evaluating our performance marketing spend, we typically consider several factors for each channel, such as the customer experience on the advertising platform, the incremental traffic we receive, and anticipated repeat rates. Marketing efficiency can also be impacted by the extent to which consumers come directly to our platforms for bookings. The mix of our total room nights booked by consumers coming directly to our platforms was a mid-fifties percentage in 2024, and was a higher percentage of room nights if we exclude the room nights booked through affiliate programs (i.e., business-to-business). Both of these percentages increased year-over-year, which benefited our marketing efficiency versus 2023. See Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We face risks relating to our marketing efforts" and "We are dependent on travel service providers, restaurants, search platforms, and other third parties."

Booking.com had approximately 4.0 million total properties on its website at December 31, 2024, representing an increase from approximately 3.4 million total properties at December 31, 2023. At December 31, 2024, the total properties on Booking.com's website consisted of approximately 3.5 million alternative accommodation properties (including homes, apartments, and other unique places to stay) and approximately 500,000 hotels, motels, and resorts.

The mix of Booking.com's room nights booked for alternative accommodation properties in 2024 was approximately 35%, up versus approximately 33% in 2023. We have observed a longer-term trend of an increasing mix of room nights booked for alternative accommodation properties as consumer demand for these types of properties has grown, and as we have increased the number and variety of these properties on Booking.com. We may experience lower profit margins due to additional costs, such as increased customer service or certain partner related costs, related to offering alternative accommodations. As our alternative accommodation business has grown, these different characteristics have negatively impacted our profit margins and this trend may continue.

Although we believe that providing an extensive collection of properties, excellent customer service, and an intuitive, easy-to-use consumer experience are important factors influencing a consumer's decision to make a reservation, for many consumers, the price of the travel service is the primary factor determining whether to book. Discounting and couponing (i.e., merchandising) occurs across the major regions in which we operate, particularly in Asia. In some cases, our competitors are willing to make little or no profit on a transaction or offer travel services at a loss in order to gain market share. As a result, it is important to offer travel services at a competitive price, whether through discounts, coupons, closed-user group rates or loyalty programs, increased flexibility in cancellation policies, or otherwise. These initiatives have resulted and, in the future, may result in lower ADRs and lower revenues as a percentage of gross bookings.

Over the long term, we intend to continue to invest in marketing and promotion, technology, and personnel, as well as exploring strategic alternatives such as acquisitions, within parameters consistent with efforts to improve long-term operating results. To create room for these investments, we intend to continue to look for ways to optimize our expenses.

In November 2024, we announced our intention to implement certain organizational changes, including modernizing processes and systems, initiating an expected workforce reduction, optimizing procurement, and seeking real estate savings (the "Transformation Program"). We believe it is important to make these organizational changes in order to drive further expense efficiency, create room for reinvestment in projects and initiatives that will support the growth of our business over the long run, and further improve our organizational agility. We expect the Transformation Program to ultimately deliver about $400 to $450 million in annual run rate savings over the next three years as compared to our 2024 expense base. We are in the early stages of this program and we expect the majority of the run rate savings to be achieved after 2025. We expect that restructuring costs and accelerated investments related to the Transformation Program will be incurred in the next two to three years and are estimated to be, in the aggregate, approximately one times the expected annual run rate savings.

Many taxing authorities seek to increase tax revenues and have targeted large multinational technology companies in these efforts. Many jurisdictions have implemented or are considering the adoption of a digital services tax or similar tax that imposes a tax on revenues earned from digital advertisements or the use of online platforms, even when there is no physical presence in the jurisdiction. Rates for these taxes range from 1.5% to 10% of revenues deemed generated in the jurisdiction. We record the applicable digital services taxes in "Sales and other expenses" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may have exposure to additional tax liabilities."

Increased regulatory focus on large technology companies could result in increased compliance costs or otherwise adversely affect our business. For example, the European Commission designated the Company as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act in 2024 and Booking.com as a "Very Large Online Platform" under the Digital Services Act in 2023. As a result of these designations, we are subject to additional rules and regulations that may not be applicable to our competitors. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "Our business is subject to various competition, consumer protection, and online commerce laws and regulations around the world, and as the size of our business grows, scrutiny of our business by legislators and regulators in these areas may intensify" and Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Our businesses outside of the U.S. represent a substantial majority of our financial results, but because we report our results in U.S. Dollars, we face exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates as the financial results and the financial condition of our businesses outside of the U.S. are translated from local currency (principally Euros and British Pounds Sterling) into U.S. Dollars. See Note 17 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for information related to revenues by geographic area. As a result of movements in foreign currency exchange rates, both the absolute amounts of and percentage changes in our foreign-currency-denominated net assets, gross bookings, revenues, operating expenses, and net income as expressed in U.S. Dollars are affected. Our total revenues increased by approximately 11% in 2024 as compared to 2023, but without the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates our total revenues increased year-over-year on a constant-currency basis by approximately 12%. Since our expenses are generally denominated in foreign currencies on a basis similar to our revenues, our operating margins have not been significantly impacted by currency fluctuations.

We generally enter into derivative instruments to minimize the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, such as foreign currency exchange derivative contracts to hedge our exposure to the impact of movements in foreign currency exchange rates on our transactional balances denominated in currencies other than the functional currency. See Note 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information. We designate certain portions of the aggregate principal value of our Euro-denominated debt as a hedge of the foreign currency exposure of the net investment in certain Euro functional currency subsidiaries. Foreign currency transaction gains or losses on the Euro-denominated debt that is not designated as a hedging instrument for accounting purposes are recognized in "Other income (expense), net" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations (see Notes 12 and 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements). Such foreign currency transaction gains or losses are dependent on the amount of net assets of the Euro functional currency subsidiaries, the amount of the Euro-denominated debt that is designated as a hedge, and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates."

Outlook

For the first quarter of 2025, we expect:

•the year-over-year growth in room nights will be between 5% and 7%;

•the year-over-year growth in gross bookings will be between 5% and 7%;

•the year-over-year growth in revenues will be between 2% and 4%; and

•operating income will be lower than the first quarter of 2024, due in part to the negative impact from the shift in Easter timing versus last year, as well as the negative impact from year-over-year changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Excluding these impacts, we expect operating income will be slightly higher than the first quarter of 2024.

For the full year 2025, we expect:

•the year-over-year growth in gross bookings will be in a mid single digit percentage range;

•the year-over-year growth in revenues will be in a mid single digit percentage range; and

•operating income will be higher than in 2024.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is based upon our Consolidated Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP"). Our significant accounting policies and estimates are more fully described in Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements. Certain of our accounting estimates are important to our financial position and results of operations and require us to make difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. We use our judgment to determine the appropriate assumptions to be used in the determination of certain estimates and evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis. Estimates are based on historical experience, terms of existing contracts, our observance of trends in the travel industry, and on other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Matters that involve significant estimates and judgments of management include the valuation of investments in private entities, income taxes, and contingencies.

Valuation of Investments in Private Entities

See Notes 2, 5, and 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to the investments in private entities and information on fair value measurements, including the three levels of inputs to the valuation techniques used to measure fair value. When inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly (observable market data), are available at the measurement date and are not significantly adjusted using unobservable inputs, the observable inputs would be classified as Level 2 inputs. When little or no market data is available, the fair value of these investments are measured using unobservable inputs ("Level 3 inputs").

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Our investments measured using Level 3 inputs primarily consist of investments in privately-held entities that were classified as either debt securities or equity securities without readily determinable fair values. Fair values of privately held securities are estimated using a variety of valuation methodologies, including both market and income approaches. We use valuation techniques appropriate for the type of investment and the information available about the investee as of the valuation date to determine fair value. Recent financing transactions in the investee are generally considered the best indication of the enterprise value and therefore used as a basis to estimate fair value. However, based on a number of factors, such as the proximity to the valuation date or the volume or other terms of these financing transactions, we may also use other valuation techniques to supplement this data, including the income approach. When a financing transaction occurs and represents fair value, we also use the calibration process, as appropriate, when estimating fair value on subsequent measurement dates. Calibration is the process of using observed transactions in the investee company's own instruments to ensure that the valuation techniques that will be employed to value the investee company investment on subsequent measurement dates begin with assumptions that are consistent with the original observed transaction as well as any more recent observed transactions in the instruments issued by the investee company.

Our investments in equity securities of private entities at December 31, 2024 and 2023, includes $51 million originally invested in Yanolja Co., Ltd. ("Yanolja"). Certain observable transactions subsequent to our original investment resulted in an adjusted carrying value of $306 million for the investment as of December 31, 2021. As of June 30, 2023 and 2022, we evaluated our investment in Yanolja for impairment using a combination of the market approach and the income approach in estimating the fair value of our investment as of those dates, and recognized impairment charges of $24 million and $184 million during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively (see Note 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements). The carrying value of our investment in Yanolja was $98 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

The market approach estimates value using prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable companies. The income approach estimates value based on the expectation of future cash flows that a company will generate. These future cash flows are discounted to their present values using a discount rate based on a company's weighted-average cost of capital adjusted to reflect the risks inherent in its cash flows. The key unobservable inputs and ranges used for the June 2023 impairment evaluation include the weighted average cost of capital of 10.5%-14.5% and a terminal earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA") multiple of 14x-16x. The key unobservable inputs and ranges used for the June 2022 impairment evaluation include, for the market approach, percentage decrease in the calibrated EBITDA multiple (36%) and for the income approach, the weighted average cost of capital of 10%-14% and the terminal EBITDA multiple of 14x-16x. Significant changes in any of these inputs would result in significantly different fair value measurements. A change in the assumption used for EBITDA multiples would result in a directionally similar change in the fair value and a change in the assumption used for weighted average cost of capital would result in a directionally opposite change in the fair value.

The determination of the fair values of investments where we are a minority shareholder and have access to limited information from the investee reflects numerous assumptions that are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including regarding the investee's expected growth rates and operating margin, as well as other matters outside of our control, such as discount rates and market comparables. It requires significant judgments and estimates and actual results could be materially different than those judgments and estimates utilized in the fair value estimate. Future events and changing market conditions may lead us to re-evaluate the assumptions reflected in the valuation, which may result in a need to recognize additional impairment charges.

Income Taxes

We determine our tax expense based on income and statutory tax rates applicable in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Due to the complex and dynamic nature of tax legislation, significant judgment is required in computing our tax expense and determining our tax positions. The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act") enacted in December 2017 made significant changes to U.S. federal tax law, including a one-time deemed repatriation tax imposed on accumulated unremitted international earnings, to be paid over eight years. We do not intend to indefinitely reinvest our international earnings that were subject to U.S. taxation pursuant to the mandatory deemed repatriation or subject to U.S. taxation as global intangible low-taxed income ("GILTI").

We regularly review our deferred tax assets for recoverability considering historical profitability, projected future taxable income, the expected timing of the reversals of temporary differences, and tax planning strategies and record valuation allowances as required.

We are subject to ongoing tax examinations and assessments, and face challenges regarding the amount of taxes due from time to time. These challenges include questions regarding the timing and amount of deductions on our tax returns. Although we believe that our tax filing positions are reasonable and comply with applicable law, we regularly review our tax filing positions, especially in light of tax law or business practice changes, and we may change our positions or determine that previous positions should be amended, either of which could result in changes to our tax liabilities. The final determination of tax audits or tax disputes may be different from what is reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals.

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The evaluation of tax positions and recognition of income tax benefits require significant judgment and we consult with external tax and legal counsel as appropriate. We consider the technical merits of our tax positions along with the applicable tax statutes, related interpretations and precedents, and our expectation of the outcome of proceedings (or negotiations) with tax authorities. We recognize liabilities when we believe that uncertain positions may not be fully sustained upon audit by the tax authorities, including any related appeals or litigation processes. Liabilities recognized for uncertain tax positions are based on a two-step approach for recognition and measurement. First, we evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained based on its technical merits. Second, we measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Interest and penalties attributable to uncertain tax positions, if any, are recognized as a component of income tax expense. The tax benefits ultimately realized by us may be different than what is recorded in the financial statements due to future events such as our settling a matter with tax authorities or our success in sustaining our tax positions.

See Notes 15 and 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Contingencies

Loss contingencies (other than income tax-related contingencies disclosed above) arise from actual or possible claims and assessments and pending or threatened litigation that may be brought against us. Based on our assessment of loss contingencies at each balance sheet date, a loss is recorded in the financial statements if it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. If the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated, we disclose information about the contingency in the financial statements. We also disclose information in our financial statements about reasonably possible loss contingencies.

The determination of whether a loss is probable and whether the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated requires significant judgment and evaluation of all the underlying facts and circumstances including judgments about the potential actions of third-party claimants, regulatory authorities, and courts. Claims, assessments, and litigations involve significant uncertainties such as the complexity of the facts, the legal theories involved, the nature of the claims, the judgment of the courts, the applicable methodology for determining potential damages, and, in the case of class actions, whether a class action can be certified and the extent to which members of a class would or would not file a claim.

On a quarterly basis, we update our analysis and estimates considering available information, including the impact of negotiations, settlements, rulings, and advice of legal counsel. Changes in our assessment of whether a loss is probable, our estimate of the loss, or our determination of whether the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position. Changes in our assumptions regarding a particular matter or the effectiveness of our strategies related to legal and other proceedings could also have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position. For all loss contingencies, until a matter is finally resolved, there may be an exposure to loss in excess of the liability accrued for the matter and such amounts could be material.

See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding certain contingencies.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements, which is incorporated into this Item 7 by reference.

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Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2024 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2023

Operating and Statistical Metrics

Our financial results are driven by certain operating metrics that encompass the booking and other business activity generated by our travel and travel-related services. Reservations of room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets capture the volume of units booked through our online travel companies' ("OTC") brands by our customers. Gross bookings is an operating and statistical metric that captures the total dollar value, generally inclusive of taxes and fees, of all travel services booked through our OTC brands by our customers, net of cancellations. Our non-OTC brands (KAYAK and OpenTable) have different business metrics from those of our OTC brands, so search queries through KAYAK and restaurant reservations through OpenTable do not contribute to our gross bookings.

Room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets reserved through our services for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were as follows:

Room nights reserved through our services increased in 2024 compared to 2023, driven primarily by increased travel demand in Europe and Asia. Rental car days reserved through our services increased in 2024 compared to 2023, driven primarily by year-over-year growth in rental car days reserved on Booking.com. Airline tickets reserved through our services increased in 2024 compared to 2023, driven primarily by the expansion of flight offerings at Booking.com and Agoda.

Gross bookings resulting from reservations of room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets made through our merchant and agency categories for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were as follows (numbers may not total due to rounding):

Merchant gross bookings increased and agency gross bookings decreased in 2024 compared to 2023, due primarily to the ongoing shift from agency to merchant bookings at Booking.com. The year-over-year increase in merchant gross bookings in 2024 was also due to strong growth in gross bookings from merchant accommodation reservation services at Agoda and merchant flight reservation services at Booking.com and Agoda.

The year-over-year increase in total gross bookings in 2024 was due primarily to the increase in room nights and the positive impact from year-over-year growth in flight gross bookings, partially offset by a negative impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations.

Flight gross bookings increased 28% year-over-year in 2024, due to airline ticket growth, partially offset by lower airline ticket prices. Rental car gross bookings increased 7% year-over-year in 2024, due primarily to rental car days growth, partially offset by lower average daily car rental prices.

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Revenues

Online travel reservation services

Substantially all of our revenues are generated by providing online travel reservation services, which facilitate online travel purchases by travelers from travel service providers.

Revenues from online travel reservation services are classified into two categories:

•Merchant. Merchant revenues are derived from travel-related transactions where we facilitate payments from travelers for the services provided, generally at the time of booking. These include transactions where travelers book accommodation, rental car, airline reservations, and other travel related services. The majority of our merchant revenues are from Booking.com's accommodation reservations. Merchant revenues include:

◦travel reservation commissions and transaction net revenues (i.e., the amount charged to travelers, including the contra-revenue impact of merchandising, less the amount owed to travel service providers) in connection with our merchant reservation services;

◦revenues from facilitating payments, such as credit card processing rebates and customer processing fees; and

◦ancillary fees, including travel-related insurance revenues.

•Agency. Agency revenues are derived from travel-related transactions where we do not facilitate payments from travelers for the services provided. Agency revenues consist almost entirely of travel reservation commissions from our accommodation, rental car, and airline reservation services. Substantially all of our agency revenues are from Booking.com's accommodation reservations.

Advertising and other revenues

Advertising and other revenues are derived primarily from:

•revenues earned by KAYAK for (a) sending referrals to OTCs and travel service providers and (b) advertising placements on its platforms; and

•revenues earned by OpenTable for (a) restaurant reservation services (fees paid by restaurants for diners seated through OpenTable's online reservation service) and (b) subscription fees for restaurant management services.

Merchant revenues increased while agency revenues decreased in 2024 compared to 2023 due primarily to the ongoing shift from agency to merchant revenues at Booking.com. The year-over-year increase in merchant revenues in 2024 was also due to strong growth in revenues from merchant accommodation reservation services at Agoda. Advertising and other revenues increased in 2024 compared to 2023 due to growth in advertising revenues at Booking.com and growth at OpenTable.

Total revenues as a percentage of gross bookings was 14.3% in 2024, up from 14.2% in 2023 due to an increase in revenues related to facilitating payments, mostly offset by an increase in the mix of flight gross bookings, which have lower revenues as a percentage of gross bookings.

Operating Expenses

Marketing Expenses

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Marketing expenses consist primarily of the costs of:

•search engine keyword purchases;

•affiliate programs;

•referrals from meta-search websites;

•other performance-based marketing, including social media marketing; and

•offline and online brand marketing.

Our marketing expenses, which are substantially variable in nature, increased year-over-year in 2024, to help drive additional gross bookings and revenues. Marketing expenses as a percentage of total gross bookings in 2024 were lower than in 2023 due to an increase in the share of room nights booked by consumers coming directly to our platforms, lower brand marketing expenses, and higher performance marketing ROIs, partially offset by increased spend in social media channels.

Sales and Other Expenses

Sales and other expenses consist primarily of:

•credit card and other payment processing fees associated with merchant transactions;

•fees paid to third parties that provide call center and other customer services;

•digital services taxes and other similar taxes;

•chargeback provisions and fraud prevention expenses associated with merchant transactions;

•provisions for expected credit losses, mostly related to accommodation commission receivables; and

•customer relations costs.

Sales and other expenses, which are substantially variable in nature, increased year-over-year in 2024 due primarily to an increase in merchant transaction costs of $242 million and an increase in digital services taxes and other similar taxes of $74 million. Merchant transactions increased year-over-year in 2024 due primarily to the ongoing shift from agency to merchant transactions at Booking.com. Digital services taxes and other similar taxes in 2024 were impacted by an accrual of $17 million related to Canadian digital services taxes related to the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 that were enacted in 2024 with retrospective effect. Sales and other expenses as a percentage of total revenues in 2024 were higher than in 2023 due primarily to the impact of increased merchant transactions, which grew faster than total revenue.

Personnel

Personnel expenses consist primarily of:

•salaries, bonuses, and stock-based compensation;

•employee health and other benefits; and

•payroll taxes.

Personnel expenses increased year-over-year in 2024 due to increases in salary expense of $163 million, as well as increases in employee health and other benefits expense and stock-based compensation expense. The year-over-year increase in personnel expenses in 2024 was partially offset by an accrual of $276 million related to the Netherlands pension fund matter in 2023. The year-over-year increase in personnel expenses was impacted by a 3% increase in employee headcount from approximately 23,600 as of December 31, 2023 to 24,300 as of December 31, 2024.

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General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of:

•fees for certain outside professionals;

•occupancy and office expenses;

•personnel-related expenses such as travel, relocation, recruiting, and training expenses; and

•certain travel transaction taxes.

General and administrative expenses decreased year-over-year in 2024 due to the accrual of a loss of $530 million related to a draft decision by the Spanish competition authority in 2023, which was subsequently reduced by $78 million in 2024 when the decision was finalized. In addition, the year-over-year decrease in general and administrative expenses in 2024 was due to the termination fee of $90 million related to the acquisition agreement for the Etraveli Group in 2023 as well as the settlement of certain indirect tax matters of $62 million in 2023. The year-over-year decrease in general and administrative expenses in 2024 was partially offset by additional expenses of $337 million related to the settlement agreement with the Italian Tax Authorities in 2024.

Information Technology

Information technology expenses consist primarily of:

•software license and system maintenance fees;

•cloud computing costs and outsourced data center costs;

•payments to contractors; and

•data communications and other expenses associated with operating our services.

Information technology expenses increased year-over-year in 2024 due to an increase in expenses related to cloud computing costs and outsourced data center costs, as well as software license and system maintenance fees.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expenses consist of:

•amortization of intangible assets with determinable lives;

•amortization of internally-developed and purchased software;

•depreciation of computer equipment; and

•depreciation of leasehold improvements, furniture and fixtures, and office equipment.

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased year-over-year in 2024 due primarily to increased depreciation of computer equipment, as well as amortization expense related to internally-developed and purchased software.

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Transformation Costs

* Not meaningful

See "–Trends" above for additional information on the Transformation Program that we announced in November 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2024, the program related costs, which primarily consist of professional fees, are recorded in "Transformation costs" in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. See Note 20 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Other Operating Expenses

* Not meaningful

Interest Expense and Interest and Dividend Income

The following table presents the changes in interest expense and interest and dividend income for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:

Interest expense increased for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to the amortization of debt discount related to convertible senior notes due May 2025 (see Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements) and the senior notes issued in 2023 and 2024. Interest and dividend income increased for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to higher money market fund investment balances.

Other Income (Expense), Net

The following table sets forth the composition of "Other income (expense), net" for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:

Foreign currency transaction gains (losses) for the year ended December 31, 2024 includes gains of $526 million related to our Euro-denominated debt and accrued interest that were not designated as net investment hedges and losses of $156 million on derivative contracts. Foreign currency transaction gains (losses) for the year ended December 31, 2023 includes losses of $163 million related to our Euro-denominated debt and accrued interest that were not designated as net investment hedges and losses of $106 million on derivative contracts.

See Notes 5 and 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to net gains (losses) on equity securities.

See Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the loss related to the conversion option on convertible senior notes.

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Income Taxes

Our 2024 effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21%, primarily due to the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax (as defined below) and a reduction to the Company's 2018 federal one-time deemed repatriation liability, pursuant to the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("Tax Act"), resulting from a recent U.S. Tax Court decision in Varian Medical Systems, Inc. vs. Commissioner, partially offset by higher international tax rates, non-deductible expenses related to the convertible senior notes and certain other non-deductible expenses, unrecognized tax benefits, and U.S. federal tax associated with the Company's international earnings. Our 2023 effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21%, primarily due to higher international tax rates, non-deductible fines, certain other non-deductible expenses, and U.S. federal tax associated with the Company's international earnings, partially offset by the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax.

Our effective tax rate was lower for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to a reduction to the Company's 2018 federal one-time deemed repatriation liability, pursuant to the Tax Act, resulting from a recent U.S. Tax Court decision in Varian Medical Systems, Inc. vs. Commissioner, and lower non-deductible fines, partially offset by higher unrecognized tax benefits, non-deductible expenses related to the convertible senior notes, and a decrease in the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax.

Under Dutch corporate income tax law, income generated from qualifying innovative activities is taxed at a rate of 9% ("Netherlands Innovation Box Tax") rather than the Dutch statutory rate of 25.8%. A portion of Booking.com's earnings during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 qualified for Innovation Box Tax treatment, which had a significant beneficial impact on our effective tax rates for these periods. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may not be able to maintain our 'Innovation Box Tax' benefit."

Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2023 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022

For a comparison of our results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, see Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 22, 2024.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary source of funds for operations is the cash flow that we generate from operations. We use our cash for a variety of needs, including ongoing investments in our business, share repurchases, dividends, repayment of debt, and capital expenditures. Our continued access to sources of liquidity depends on multiple factors. See Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "Our liquidity, credit ratings, and ongoing access to capital could be materially and negatively affected by global financial conditions and events." Our financial results and prospects are almost entirely dependent on facilitating the sale of travel-related services. Marketing expenses and personnel expenses are the most significant operating expenses for our business. See our Consolidated Statements of Operations and "Trends" and "Results of Operations" above for additional information on marketing expenses and personnel expenses, including stock-based compensation expenses.

We believe that our existing cash balances, liquid resources, and access to capital markets will be sufficient to fund our operating activities, capital expenditures, and other obligations through at least the next twelve months.

Cash, cash equivalents, and investments

At December 31, 2024, we had $16.7 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and investments, of which approximately $9.6 billion is held by our international subsidiaries. Cash, cash equivalents, and long-term investments held by our international subsidiaries are denominated primarily in Euros, U.S. Dollars, and British Pounds Sterling. Our investment policy seeks to preserve capital and maintain sufficient liquidity to meet operational and other needs of the business. See Notes 5 and 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Deferred merchant bookings

Deferred merchant bookings of $4.0 billion at December 31, 2024 includes cash payments received from travelers in advance of us completing our performance obligations and are comprised principally of amounts estimated to be payable to travel service providers as well as our estimated future revenues for our commission or margin and fees. The amounts are mostly subject to refunds for cancellations.

Debt

Our revolving credit facility extends a revolving line of credit up to $2 billion to us. We are in compliance with the maximum leverage ratio covenant under the facility, which is a condition to our ability to borrow.

In 2024, we issued senior notes with varying maturities for aggregate cash proceeds of $4.8 billion. The proceeds from the issuance of these senior notes are available for general corporate purposes, including to repurchase shares of our common stock and to redeem or repay outstanding indebtedness. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we paid $1.1 billion on the maturity of the Senior Notes due September 2024.

As of November 1, 2024, holders of our convertible senior notes due in May 2025 ("May 2025 Notes") are entitled to repayment of the principal amount of the notes in cash, and if they exercise their option to convert, the note holders are entitled to cash payment for the conversion premium, which is the conversion value in excess of the principal amount, settled at maturity. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we paid $198 million in aggregate upon the conversion of the May 2025 Notes at the note holders' option.

The total outstanding senior notes at December 31, 2024 had cumulative interest to maturity (based on coupon interest rates) of $4.5 billion, with $546 million payable within the next twelve months.

See Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our debt arrangements, including principal amounts, interest rates, and maturity dates.

Share repurchases and dividends

See Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our stock repurchases, authorization limits, and excise taxes. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we repurchased shares of our common stock for an aggregate cost of $6.5 billion, including $345 million to repurchase shares of our common stock withheld to satisfy employee withholding tax obligations related to stock-based compensation. As of December 31, 2024, we recorded an estimated excise tax liability of $56 million for share repurchases in 2024. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we remitted excise taxes of $96 million for our share repurchases in 2023. We expect to complete the share repurchases under the remaining authorization of $7.7 billion of the program authorized by our Board of Directors ("the Board") in 2023 by the end of 2026, assuming no major downturn in the travel market. In January 2025, our Board authorized a program to repurchase up to an additional $20 billion of our common stock.

During the year ended December 31, 2024, we paid cash dividends of $1.2 billion. In February 2025, the Board declared a cash dividend of $9.60 per share of common stock, payable on March 31, 2025 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 7, 2025.

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Commitments, contingencies, and other

At December 31, 2024, we had, in the aggregate, $986 million of non-cancellable purchase obligations individually greater than $10 million, of which $208 million is payable within the next twelve months. Such purchase obligations relate to agreements to purchase goods and services that are enforceable and legally binding, that specify all significant terms, including the quantities to be purchased, price provisions, and the approximate timing of the transaction.

At December 31, 2024, we had lease obligations of $756 million, of which $169 million is payable within the next twelve months. See Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

At December 31, 2024, we had a remaining transition tax liability of $487 million as a result of the Tax Act, which included $257 million reported as "Long-term U.S. transition tax liability" and $230 million included in "Accrued expenses and other current liabilities" in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. This liability will be paid over the next two years. Due to a recent U.S. Tax Court decision in Varian Medical Systems, Inc. vs. Commissioner, a portion of our total transition tax liability may be refunded. In accordance with the Tax Act, generally, future repatriation of our international cash will not be subject to a U.S. federal income tax liability as a dividend, but will be subject to U.S. state income taxes and international withholding taxes, which have been accrued by us.

See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for information related to the $650 million standby letters of credit and bank guarantees issued on our behalf at December 31, 2024.

See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Part I, Item IA, Risk Factors - "We may have exposure to additional tax liabilities." for information related to certain tax assessments and other tax matters.

See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Part I, Item IA, Risk Factors - "Our business is subject to various competition, consumer protection, and online commerce laws and regulations around the world, and as the size of our business grows, scrutiny of our business by legislators and regulators in these areas may intensify" for information related to certain regulatory matters, and our other contingent liabilities.

See "–Trends" above for information on the Transformation Program that we announced in November 2024 to implement certain organizational changes, including the estimated annual run rate savings and restructuring costs and accelerated investments required for the program.

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Cash Flow Analysis

Year Ended December 31, 2024 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2023

See our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for additional information related to our cash flows.

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 resulted from net income of $5.9 billion, a favorable net impact from adjustments for non-cash and other items of $2.1 billion, and a favorable net change in working capital and other assets and liabilities of $367 million. Non-cash and other items were principally associated with the loss related to the conversion option on convertible senior notes, stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization, unrealized foreign currency transaction gains related to Euro-denominated debt, provision for expected credit losses and chargebacks, and operating lease amortization. For the year ended December 31, 2024, deferred merchant bookings and other current liabilities increased by $1.4 billion and accounts receivable increased by $506 million, primarily due to higher business volumes, partially offset by faster accounts receivable collections in 2024. Merchant revenues increased while agency revenues decreased for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 due to the ongoing shift from agency to merchant revenues at Booking.com.

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 resulted from net income of $4.3 billion, a favorable net impact from adjustments for non-cash and other items of $1.3 billion, and a favorable net change in working capital and other assets and liabilities of $1.7 billion. Non-cash and other items were principally associated with stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization, deferred income tax benefit, provision for expected credit losses and chargebacks, unrealized foreign currency transaction losses related to Euro-denominated debt, and operating lease amortization. For the year ended December 31, 2023, deferred merchant bookings and other current liabilities increased by $2.7 billion and accounts receivable increased by $1.3 billion, primarily due to increases in business volumes. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company accrued a loss of $530 million related to a draft decision by the Spanish competition authority and a loss of $276 million related to the Netherlands pension fund matter. The related liabilities are included in "Accrued expenses and other current liabilities" in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2023. See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 resulted mainly from proceeds from the maturity of investments of $590 million, partially offset with additions to property and equipment of $429 million. Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 principally resulted from proceeds from the sale and maturity of investments of $1.8 billion, partially offset with additions to property and equipment of $345 million.

Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 resulted mainly from payments for the repurchase of common stock of $6.5 billion, payments on the maturity and conversion of debt of $1.3 billion, and dividends of $1.2 billion, partially offset with proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt of $4.8 billion. Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 principally resulted from payments for the repurchase of common stock of $10.4 billion and payment on the maturity of debt of $500 million, partially offset with proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt of $1.9 billion.

Year Ended December 31, 2023 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022

For a comparison of our cash flow activities for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, see Cash Flow Analysis in Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 22, 2024.

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes.

We evaluate certain operating and financial measures on both an as-reported and constant-currency basis. We calculate constant currency by converting our current year operating and financial results for transactions recorded in currencies other than U.S. Dollars using the corresponding prior year monthly average exchange rates rather than the current year monthly average exchange rates. Foreign exchange rate fluctuations impacted our year-over-year growth in gross bookings, revenues, and operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. Since our expenses are generally denominated in foreign currencies on a basis similar to our revenues, our operating margins have not been significantly impacted by currency fluctuations.

Overview

Our mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. We aim to provide consumers with a best-in-class experience offering the travel choices they want, with tailored language, payment, and other options, seamlessly connecting them with our travel service provider partners. We offer these services through five primary consumer-facing brands: Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, and OpenTable. See Note 1 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for information on our operating segments. See Note 17 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for information related to revenue by geographic area.

We derive substantially all of our revenues from enabling consumers to make travel service reservations. We also earn revenues from advertising services, restaurant reservations and restaurant management services, and other services, such as travel-related insurance services.

Trends

Since the second quarter of 2020 and through 2023, changes in accommodation room nights versus the comparable period in 2019 have generally improved as government-imposed travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have eased and consumer demand for travel has improved. In 2022, global room nights were 52% higher than in 2021 and 6% higher than in 2019. The year-over-year growth in room nights in 2022 was driven primarily by the recovery in Europe, Asia, and Rest of World, as well as by growth in North America. In 2023, global room nights increased 17% year-over-year driven primarily by the continued recovery in Asia and strong travel demand in Europe. Our global room nights in 2023 were up about 24% versus 2019. In 2023, we saw the booking window expand compared to 2022, which benefited year-over-year room night growth in 2023.

In March 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we suspended the booking of travel services in Russia and Belarus. This led to the loss of new bookings from bookers in these countries. Excluding room nights from bookers in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus in each comparable period, our overall room nights in 2023 were up about 17% versus 2022 and up about 29% versus 2019.

We saw a negative impact on room night growth in the fourth quarter of 2023 due to the Israel-Hamas war, particularly in Israel. In the fourth quarter of 2023, global room nights increased 9% year-over-year. Excluding room nights for bookers going to and from Israel, our overall room nights were up 11% year-over-year. There was also some impact on travel trends outside of the country, such as cancellations and a drop in new bookings. If the conflict continues or expands, it may adversely affect demand for our services, particularly in nearby areas.

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Quarterly Room Nights and Change versus the prior year and 2019

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The cancellation rate in 2023 was in line with the prior year. We have observed a general improvement in cancellation rates in recent years, though we have seen periods of elevated cancellation rates from time to time. Because we recognize revenue from bookings when the traveler checks in, our reported revenue is not at risk of being reversed due to cancellations. Increases in cancellation rates can negatively impact our marketing efficiency as a result of incurring performance marketing expense at the time a booking is made even though that booking could be canceled in the future if it was booked under a flexible cancellation policy. There are many factors in addition to cancellation rates that contribute to marketing efficiency including average daily rates ("ADRs"), costs per click, foreign currency exchange rates, our ability to convert paid traffic to bookings, the timing and effectiveness of our brand marketing campaigns, and the extent to which consumers come directly to our platforms for bookings.

The mix of our room nights booked for international travel in 2023 was approximately 52%, up versus approximately 46% in 2022 due in part to government-imposed limitations on international travel (travelers booking a stay at a property located outside their own country) in some parts of the world in 2022.

The mix of our room nights booked on a mobile device (including room nights booked on a mobile app or via a mobile website) in 2023 increased compared to 2022. The revenue earned on a transaction from a mobile device may be less than a typical desktop transaction as we see different consumer purchasing patterns across devices. For example, accommodation reservations made on a mobile device typically are for shorter lengths of stay and have lower accommodation ADRs. The mix of our room nights booked on a mobile app in 2023 was approximately 49%, up versus approximately 44% in 2022. We continue to see favorable repeat direct booking behavior from consumers in our mobile apps, which allow us more opportunities to engage directly with consumers.

Our global ADRs increased approximately 6% on a constant currency basis in 2023 as compared to 2022, driven primarily by higher ADRs in Europe and Asia. The increase in our global ADRs in 2023 as compared to 2022, was negatively impacted by approximately three percentage points from changes in geographical mix in our business driven primarily by a higher mix of room nights from Asia, which is a lower ADR region, and a lower mix of room nights from North America, which is a higher ADR region. The year-over-year increase in our global ADRs has resulted in our accommodation gross bookings growing faster than our room nights in 2023. It is difficult to predict what the trend in industry ADRs will look like going forward.

We focus on relentless innovation to grow our business by providing a best-in-class user experience with intuitive, easy-to-use online platforms that aim to exceed the expectations of online consumers. We have a long-term strategy to create an ideal traveler experience, offering our customers relevant options and connections at the times and in the language they want them, making trips booked with us seamless, easy, and valuable. We refer to this as the "Connected Trip." The goal of our Connected Trip vision is to offer a differentiated and personalized online travel planning, booking, payment, and in-trip experience for each trip, enhanced by a robust loyalty program that provides value to travelers and partners across all trips. We expect these efforts to benefit our revenue growth over time, however, to the extent our non-accommodation services (e.g., airline ticket reservation services) have lower margins and increase as a percentage of our total business, our operating margins may be negatively affected.

As part of our strategy to provide more payment options to consumers and travel service providers, increase the number and variety of our accommodations, and enable our long-term Connected Trip strategy, Booking.com increasingly processes transactions on a merchant basis, where it facilitates payments from travelers for the services provided. This allows Booking.com to process transactions for travel service providers and to increase its ability to offer secure and flexible transaction terms to consumers, such as the form and timing of payment. We believe that expanding these types of service offerings will benefit consumers and travel service providers, as well as our gross bookings, room night, and earnings growth rates. However, this results in additional expenses for personnel, payment processing, chargebacks (including those related to fraud), and other expenses related to these transactions, which are recorded in "Personnel" expenses and "Sales and other expenses" in our Consolidated Statements of Operations, as well as associated incremental revenues (e.g., payment card rebates), which are recorded in "Merchant revenues." To the extent more of our business is generated on a merchant basis, we incur a greater level of these merchant-related expenses, which negatively impacts our operating margins despite increases in associated incremental revenues. The mix of our gross bookings generated on a merchant basis was 54% in 2023, an increase from 44% in 2022.

We have established widely-used and recognized brands through marketing and promotional campaigns. Our total marketing expenses, which are comprised of performance and brand marketing expenses that are substantially variable in nature, were $6.8 billion in 2023, up 13% versus 2022 as a result of the improving demand environment and our efforts to invest in marketing, partially offset by a year-over-year improvement in performance marketing returns on investment ("ROIs") and a higher share of room nights booked by consumers coming directly to our platforms. Our performance marketing expense,

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which represents a substantial majority of our marketing expenses, is primarily related to the use of online search engines (primarily Google), affiliate marketing, and meta-search services to generate traffic to our platforms. Our brand marketing expense is primarily related to costs associated with producing and airing digital branding and television advertising.

Marketing efficiency, expressed as marketing expense as a percentage of gross bookings, and performance marketing ROIs are impacted by a number of factors that are subject to variability and are in some cases outside of our control, including ADRs, costs per click, cancellation rates, foreign currency exchange rates, our ability to convert paid traffic to booking customers, and the timing and effectiveness of our brand marketing campaigns. In recent years, we observed periods of stable or increasing ROIs. Although it is difficult to predict how performance marketing ROIs will change in the future, ROIs could be negatively impacted by increased levels of competition and other factors. When evaluating our performance marketing spend, we typically consider several factors for each channel, such as the customer experience on the advertising platform, the incremental traffic we receive, and anticipated repeat rates. Marketing efficiency can also be impacted by the extent to which consumers come directly to our platforms for bookings. Marketing expenses as a percentage of total gross bookings in 2023 were lower than in 2022 due to higher performance marketing ROIs and an increase in the share of room nights booked by consumers coming directly to our platforms. Performance marketing ROIs were higher in 2023 versus 2022 due in part to our ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency of our marketing spend. See Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We face risks relating to our marketing efforts." and "We are dependent on travel service providers, restaurants, search platforms, and other third parties."

Booking.com had approximately 3.4 million properties on its website at December 31, 2023, consisting of over 475,000 hotels, motels, and resorts and over 2.9 million alternative accommodation properties (including homes, apartments, and other unique places to stay), representing an increase from over 2.7 million properties at December 31, 2022. The year-over-year increase in total properties was driven primarily by an increase in alternative accommodation properties.

The mix of Booking.com's room nights booked for alternative accommodation properties in 2023 was approximately 33%, up versus approximately 30% in 2022. We have observed a longer-term trend of an increasing mix of room nights booked for alternative accommodation properties as consumer demand for these types of properties has grown, and as we have increased the number and variety of them on Booking.com. We may experience lower profit margins due to additional costs, such as increased customer service or certain partner related costs, related to offering alternative accommodations on our platforms. As our alternative accommodation business has grown, these different characteristics have negatively impacted our profit margins and this trend may continue.

Although we believe that providing an extensive collection of properties, excellent customer service, and an intuitive, easy-to-use consumer experience are important factors influencing a consumer's decision to make a reservation, for many consumers, the price of the travel service is the primary factor determining whether a consumer will book. Discounting and couponing (i.e., merchandising) occurs across all of the major regions in which we operate, particularly in Asia. In some cases, our competitors are willing to make little or no profit on a transaction or offer travel services at a loss in order to gain market share. As a result, it is increasingly important to offer travel services, such as accommodation reservations, at a competitive price, whether through discounts, coupons, closed-user group rates or loyalty programs, increased flexibility in cancellation policies, or otherwise. These initiatives have resulted and, in the future, may result in lower ADRs and lower revenue as a percentage of gross bookings. Total revenue as a percentage of gross bookings was negatively impacted by investments in merchandising at Booking.com in 2023 as compared to 2022.

Many taxing authorities are increasingly focused on ways to increase tax revenues and have targeted large multinational technology companies in these efforts. As a result, many countries and some U.S. states have implemented or are considering the adoption of a digital services tax or similar tax that imposes a tax on revenue earned from digital advertisements or the use of online platforms, even when there is no physical presence in the jurisdiction. Currently, rates for these taxes range from 1.5% to 10% of revenue deemed generated in the jurisdiction. The digital services taxes currently in effect, which we record in "Sales and other expenses" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, have negatively impacted our results of operations. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may have exposure to additional tax liabilities."

Increased regulatory focus on online businesses, including online travel businesses like ours, could result in increased compliance costs or otherwise adversely affect our business. For example, the Digital Markets Act ("DMA") and Digital Services Act ("DSA") give regulators in the EU more instruments to investigate and regulate digital businesses and impose new rules and requirements on platforms designated as "gatekeepers" under the DMA and online platforms more generally, with separate rules for "Very Large Online Platforms" (VLOP) under the DSA. In early 2023, Booking.com received a VLOP designation notice from the European Commission. The Company has met the quantitative notification criteria set forth in the DMA and expects to notify the European Commission of that fact within the required deadline. Certain of the DMA’s requirements will become enforceable later in 2024. As a result of the DMA, compliance costs may increase and changes to our

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products or business practices may be required. For information regarding risks related to the DMA and DSA, please see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "Our business is subject to various competition/anti-trust, consumer protection, and online commerce laws and regulations around the world, and as the size of our business grows, scrutiny of our business by legislators and regulators in these areas may intensify." For more information on the impacts of regulations on our business, see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Our businesses outside of the U.S. (see Note 17 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for information related to revenue by geographic area) represent a substantial majority of our financial results, but because we report our results in U.S. Dollars, we face exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates as the financial results and the financial condition of our businesses outside of the U.S. are translated from local currency (principally Euros and British Pounds Sterling) into U.S. Dollars. As a result of the movements in foreign currency exchange rates, both the absolute amounts of and percentage changes in our foreign-currency-denominated net assets, gross bookings, revenues, operating expenses, and net income as expressed in U.S. Dollars are affected. For example, our total gross bookings increased by 24% in 2023 as compared to 2022, but without the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates our total gross bookings increased year-over-year on a constant-currency basis by approximately 25%. Since our expenses are generally denominated in foreign currencies on a basis similar to our revenues, our operating margins have not been significantly impacted by currency fluctuations. We generally enter into derivative instruments to minimize the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. We enter into foreign currency forward contracts to hedge our exposure to the impact of movements in foreign currency exchange rates on our transactional balances denominated in currencies other than the functional currency. See Note 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our derivative contracts. In addition, we designate certain portions of the aggregate principal value of our Euro-denominated debt as a hedge of the foreign currency exposure of the net investment in certain Euro functional currency subsidiaries. Foreign currency transaction gains or losses on the Euro-denominated debt that is not designated as a hedging instrument for accounting purposes are recognized in "Other income (expense), net" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations (see Notes 12 and 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements). Such foreign currency transaction gains or losses are dependent on the amount of net assets of the Euro functional currency subsidiaries, the amount of the Euro-denominated debt that is designated as a hedge, and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates."

Other Factors

Over the long term, we intend to continue to invest in marketing and promotion, technology, and personnel within parameters consistent with attempts to improve long-term operating results, even if those expenditures create pressure on operating margins. In recent years, our investments in initiatives to drive future growth added pressure on operating margins. We also intend to broaden the scope of our business, including exploring strategic alternatives such as acquisitions.

The competition for technology talent in our industry is intense. As a result of the competitive labor market and inflationary pressure on compensation, our personnel expenses to attract and retain key talent have increased, which has adversely affected our results of operations and may adversely affect our results of operations in the future. See Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We rely on the performance of highly skilled employees; and, if we are unable to retain or motivate key employees or hire, retain, and motivate well-qualified employees, our business would be harmed."

Outlook

For the first quarter of 2024, we expect:

•the year-over-year growth in room nights will be between 4% and 6%;

•the year-over-year growth in gross bookings will be between 5% and 7%;

•the year-over-year growth in revenues will be between 11% and 13%; and

•operating profit will be higher than in the first quarter of 2023.

For the full year, we expect:

•the year-over-year growth in gross bookings will be slightly higher than 7%;

•the year-over-year growth in revenues will be similar to gross bookings; and

•operating profit will be higher than in 2023.

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Critical Accounting Estimates

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is based upon our Consolidated Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP"). Our significant accounting policies and estimates are more fully described in Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements. Certain of our accounting estimates are particularly important to our financial position and results of operations and require us to make difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. We use our judgment to determine the appropriate assumptions to be used in the determination of certain estimates and we evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis. Estimates are based on historical experience, terms of existing contracts, our observance of trends in the travel industry, and on other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Matters that involve significant estimates and judgments of management include the valuation of investments in private companies, the valuation of goodwill and other long-lived assets, income taxes, and contingencies.

Valuation of Investments in Private Companies

See Notes 2, 5, and 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to the investments in private companies and information on fair value measurements, including the three levels of inputs to the valuation techniques used to measure fair value. When inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly (observable market data), are available at the measurement date and are not significantly adjusted using unobservable inputs, the observable inputs would be classified as Level 2 inputs. When little or no market data is available, the fair value of these investments are measured using unobservable inputs ("Level 3 inputs").

Our investments measured using Level 3 inputs primarily consist of investments in privately-held companies that were classified as either debt securities or equity securities without readily determinable fair values. Fair values of privately held securities are estimated using a variety of valuation methodologies, including both market and income approaches. We use valuation techniques appropriate for the type of investment and the information available about the investee as of the valuation date to determine fair value. Recent financing transactions in the investee are generally considered the best indication of the enterprise value and therefore used as a basis to estimate fair value. However, based on a number of factors, such as the proximity to the valuation date or the volume or other terms of these financing transactions, we may also use other valuation techniques to supplement this data, including the income approach. When a financing transaction occurs and represents fair value, we also use the calibration process, as appropriate, when estimating fair value on subsequent measurement dates. Calibration is the process of using observed transactions in the investee company's own instruments to ensure that the valuation techniques that will be employed to value the investee company investment on subsequent measurement dates begin with assumptions that are consistent with the original observed transaction as well as any more recent observed transactions in the instruments issued by the investee company.

Our investments in equity securities of private companies at December 31, 2023 and 2022, include $51 million originally invested in Yanolja Co., Ltd. ("Yanolja"). In July 2021, Yanolja announced a new round of funding which was completed in October 2021 along with certain other transactions. As a result of these observable transactions, we increased the carrying value of our investment in Yanolja to $306 million as of December 31, 2021. As of June 30, 2023 and 2022, we evaluated our investment in Yanolja for impairment using a combination of the market approach and the income approach in estimating the fair value of our investment as of those dates, and recognized impairment charges of $24 million and $184 million during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively (see Note 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements). The carrying value of our investment in Yanolja was $98 million and $122 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The market approach estimates value using prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable companies. The income approach estimates value based on the expectation of future cash flows that a company will generate. These future cash flows are discounted to their present values using a discount rate based on a company's weighted-average cost of capital adjusted to reflect the risks inherent in its cash flows. The key unobservable inputs and ranges used for the June 2023 impairment evaluation include the weighted average cost of capital of 10.5%-14.5% and a terminal earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA") multiple of 14x-16x. The key unobservable inputs and ranges used for the June 2022 impairment evaluation include, for the market approach, percentage decrease in the calibrated EBITDA multiple (36%) and for the income approach, the weighted average cost of capital of 10%-14% and the terminal EBITDA multiple of 14x-16x. Significant changes in any of these inputs would result in significantly different fair value measurements. A change in the assumption used for EBITDA multiples would result in a

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directionally similar change in the fair value and a change in the assumption used for weighted average cost of capital would result in a directionally opposite change in the fair value.

The determination of the fair values of investments, where we are a minority shareholder and have access to limited information from the investee, reflects numerous assumptions that are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including key assumptions regarding the investee's expected growth rates and operating margin, as well as other key assumptions with respect to matters outside of our control, such as discount rates and market comparables. It requires significant judgments and estimates and actual results could be materially different than those judgments and estimates utilized in the fair value estimate. Future events and changing market conditions may lead us to re-evaluate the assumptions reflected in the valuation, which may result in a need to recognize additional impairment charges.

Valuation of Goodwill and other Long-lived Assets

The application of the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions to determine the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Our estimates of the fair value are based upon assumptions that we believe are reasonable. When we deem appropriate, we utilize assistance from third-party valuation firms. The consideration transferred is allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their respective values at the acquisition date. The excess of the consideration transferred over the net of the amounts allocated to the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recognized as goodwill. Goodwill is assigned to reporting units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the business combination.

A substantial portion of our intangible assets and goodwill relates to the acquisitions of OpenTable, KAYAK, and Getaroom. See Note 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to the acquisition of Getaroom in December 2021.

We review long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. The assessment of possible impairment is based upon the ability to recover the carrying value of the assets from the estimated undiscounted future net cash flows, before interest and taxes, of the related asset group.

We test goodwill for impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. We test goodwill at a reporting unit level and our annual goodwill impairment tests are performed as of September 30. As of September 30, 2023, we performed our annual goodwill impairment test and concluded that there was no impairment of goodwill.

The estimation of fair values of our reporting units reflect numerous assumptions that are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including key assumptions regarding each reporting unit's expected growth rates and operating margin and the competitive environment, as well as other key assumptions with respect to matters outside of our control, such as discount rates and market comparables. Generally, changes in the assumptions used for comparable company multiples would result in directionally similar changes in the fair value and changes in the assumptions used for discount rates would result in directionally opposite changes in the fair value. The estimation of fair value requires significant judgments and estimates and actual results could be materially different than the judgments and estimates used. During 2022 and part of 2023, there have been significant adverse changes in the market valuation of companies in the travel and technology industries. Discount rates have also been impacted during those periods due to rising interest rates and adverse changes in the macroeconomic environment. Future events and changing market conditions, including economic uncertainties such as inflation, rising interest rates and risks of a potential recession, may lead us to re-evaluate the assumptions used to estimate the fair values of our reporting units, which may result in a need to recognize additional goodwill impairment charges that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Income Taxes

We determine our tax expense based on our income and statutory tax rates applicable in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Due to the complex and dynamic nature of tax legislation, significant judgment is required in computing our tax expense and determining our tax positions. The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act") enacted in December 2017 made significant changes to U.S. federal tax law, including a one-time deemed repatriation tax imposed on accumulated unremitted international earnings, to be paid over eight years. We do not intend to indefinitely reinvest our international earnings that were subject to U.S. taxation pursuant to the mandatory deemed repatriation or subject to U.S. taxation as global intangible low-taxed income ("GILTI").

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We regularly review our deferred tax assets for recoverability considering historical profitability, projected future taxable income, the expected timing of the reversals of temporary differences, and tax planning strategies and record valuation allowances as required.

We are subject to ongoing tax examinations and assessments in various jurisdictions. We face challenges regarding the amount of taxes due from time to time. These challenges include questions regarding the timing and amount of deductions on our tax returns. Although we believe that our tax filing positions are reasonable and comply with applicable law, we regularly review our tax filing positions, especially in light of tax law or business practice changes, and we may change our positions or determine that previous positions should be amended, either of which could result in changes to our tax liabilities. The final determination of tax audits or tax disputes may be different from what is reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals.

The evaluation of tax positions and recognition of income tax benefits require significant judgment and we consult with external tax and legal counsel as appropriate. We consider the technical merits of our tax positions along with the applicable tax statutes, related interpretations and precedents, and our expectation of the outcome of proceedings (or negotiations) with tax authorities. We recognize liabilities when we believe that uncertain positions may not be fully sustained upon audit by the tax authorities, including any related appeals or litigation processes. Liabilities recognized for uncertain tax positions are based on a two-step approach for recognition and measurement. First, we evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained based on its technical merits. Second, we measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Interest and penalties attributable to uncertain tax positions, if any, are recognized as a component of income tax expense. The tax benefits ultimately realized by us may be different than what is recorded in the financial statements due to future events such as our settling the matter with the tax authorities and our success in sustaining our tax positions.

See Notes 15 and 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Contingencies

Loss contingencies (other than income tax-related contingencies disclosed above) arise from actual or possible claims and assessments and pending or threatened litigation that may be brought against us. Based on our assessment of loss contingencies at each balance sheet date, a loss is recorded in the financial statements if it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. If the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated, we disclose information about the contingency in the financial statements. We also disclose information in our financial statements about reasonably possible loss contingencies.

The determination of whether a loss is probable and whether the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated requires significant judgment and evaluation of all the underlying facts and circumstances including judgments about the potential actions of third-party claimants, regulatory authorities, and courts. Claims, assessments, and litigations involve significant uncertainties such as the complexity of the facts, the legal theories involved, the nature of the claims, the judgment of the courts, the applicable methodology for determining potential damages, and, in the case of class actions, whether a class action can be certified and the extent to which members of a class would or would not file a claim.

On a quarterly basis, we update our analysis and estimates considering all available information, including the impact of negotiations, settlements, rulings, and advice of legal counsel. Changes in our assessment of whether a loss is probable, our estimate of the loss, or our determination of whether the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position. Changes in our assumptions regarding a particular matter or the effectiveness of our strategies related to legal and other proceedings could also have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position. For all loss contingencies, until a matter is finally resolved, there may be an exposure to loss in excess of the liability accrued for the matter and such amounts could be material.

See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information, including the accrual of a loss of $530 million related to a draft decision by the Spanish competition authority and a loss of $276 million related to the Netherlands pension fund matter, which are recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2023.

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Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for details, which is incorporated into this Item 7 by reference thereto.

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Results of Operations

Operating and Statistical Metrics

Our financial results are driven by certain operating metrics that encompass the booking and other business activity generated by our travel and travel-related services. Specifically, reservations of room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets capture the volume of units booked through our online travel companies' ("OTC") brands by our travel reservation services customers. Gross bookings is an operating and statistical metric that captures the total dollar value, generally inclusive of taxes and fees, of all travel services booked through our OTC brands by our customers, net of cancellations. Our non-OTC brands (KAYAK and OpenTable) have different business metrics from those of our OTC brands, so search queries through KAYAK and restaurant reservations through OpenTable do not contribute to our gross bookings.

Revenues

Online travel reservation services

Substantially all of our revenues are generated by providing online travel reservation services, which facilitate online travel purchases between travel service providers and travelers.

Revenues from online travel reservation services are classified into two categories:

•Merchant. Merchant revenues are derived from travel-related transactions where we facilitate payments from travelers for the services provided, generally at the time of booking. Merchant revenues are derived from transactions where travelers book accommodation, rental car, airline reservations, and other travel related services. The majority of our merchant revenues is from Booking.com's accommodation reservations. Merchant revenues include:

◦travel reservation commissions and transaction net revenues (i.e., the amount charged to travelers, including the impact of merchandising, less the amount owed to travel service providers) in connection with our merchant reservation services;

◦revenues from facilitating payments, such as credit card processing rebates and customer processing fees; and

◦ancillary fees, including travel-related insurance revenues.

•Agency. Agency revenues are derived from travel-related transactions where we do not facilitate payments from travelers for the services provided. Agency revenues consist almost entirely of travel reservation commissions from our accommodation, rental car, and airline reservation services. Substantially all of our agency revenues is from Booking.com's accommodation reservations.

Advertising and other revenues

Advertising and other revenues are derived primarily from:

•revenues earned by KAYAK for (a) sending referrals to OTCs and travel service providers and (b) advertising placements on its platforms; and

•revenues earned by OpenTable for (a) restaurant reservation services (fees paid by restaurants for diners seated through OpenTable's online reservation service) and (b) subscription fees for restaurant management services.

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Year Ended December 31, 2023 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022

Operating and Statistical Metrics

Room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets reserved through our services for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:

Room nights reserved through our services increased in 2023 compared to 2022, driven primarily by the continued recovery in Asia and Europe. Rental car days reserved through our services increased in 2023 compared to 2022, driven primarily by year-over-year growth in rental car demand, which benefited from lower average daily car rental prices. Airline tickets reserved through our services increased in 2023 compared to 2022, driven primarily by the expansion of Booking.com's flight offering.

Gross bookings resulting from reservations of room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets made through our merchant and agency categories for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows (numbers may not total due to rounding):

Merchant and agency gross bookings increased in 2023 compared to 2022, due to the continued improvement in travel demand. Merchant gross bookings increased more than agency gross bookings due to the ongoing shift from agency bookings to merchant bookings at Booking.com.

The year-over-year increase in total gross bookings in 2023 was due primarily to the increase in room nights, the increase in constant-currency accommodation ADRs of approximately 6%, the positive impact from year-over-year growth in gross bookings from reservations for airline tickets, partially offset by the negative impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations.

Gross bookings resulting from reservations of airline tickets increased 64% year-over-year in 2023 due to higher airline ticket growth and higher average airline ticket prices. Gross bookings resulting from reservations of rental car days decreased 2% year-over-year in 2023 due primarily to lower average daily car rental prices, partially offset by higher rental car days growth.

Revenues

Merchant, agency, and advertising and other revenues increased in 2023 compared to 2022 due primarily to the continued improvement in travel demand. Merchant revenues in 2023 increased more than agency revenues due to the ongoing shift from agency revenues to merchant revenues at Booking.com.

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Total revenues as a percentage of gross bookings was 14.2% in 2023 up from 14.1% in 2022 due primarily to a more positive impact from differences in the timing of booking versus travel in 2023 compared to 2022 and an increase in revenue from facilitating payments, mostly offset by an increase in the mix of airline ticket gross bookings, changes in geographical mix, and an increase in investments in merchandising.

Operating Expenses

Marketing Expenses

Marketing expenses consist primarily of the costs of:

•search engine keyword purchases;

•affiliate programs;

•referrals from meta-search websites;

•online and offline brand marketing; and

•other performance-based marketing.

We adjust our marketing spend based on our growth and profitability objectives, as well as the travel demand and expected ROIs in our marketing channels. We rely on our marketing channels to generate a significant amount of traffic to our websites. Our marketing expenses, which are substantially variable in nature, increased year-over-year in 2023 to help drive additional gross bookings and revenues. Marketing expenses as a percentage of total gross bookings decreased year-over-year in 2023 due to year-over-year increases in performance marketing ROIs and in the mix of direct traffic. Performance marketing ROIs were higher in 2023 versus 2022, due in part to our ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency of our marketing spend.

Sales and Other Expenses

Sales and other expenses consist primarily of:

•credit card and other payment processing fees associated with merchant transactions;

•fees paid to third parties that provide call center and other customer services;

•digital services taxes and other similar taxes;

•chargeback provisions and fraud prevention expenses associated with merchant transactions;

•provisions for expected credit losses, primarily related to accommodation commission receivables and prepayments to certain customers; and

•customer relations costs.

Sales and other expenses, which are substantially variable in nature, increased year-over-year in 2023 due primarily to an increase in merchant transaction costs of $461 million and an increase in third-party call center costs of $155 million. Merchant transactions increased year-over-year in 2023 due to the continued improvement in travel demand trends, as well as the ongoing shift from agency transactions to merchant transactions at Booking.com. The year-over-year increase in third-party call center costs in 2023 was due in part to the transfer of certain customer service operations of Booking.com to Majorel in June 2022, which shifted costs from personnel expenses to sales and other expenses.

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Personnel

Personnel expenses consist primarily of:

•salaries, bonuses, and stock-based compensation;

•payroll taxes; and

•employee health and other benefits.

Personnel expenses, excluding stock-based compensation, increased 34% year-over-year in 2023 due to an increase in salary expenses of $309 million, an accrual of $276 million related to the Netherlands pension fund matter (see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information), and an increase in bonus expense accruals of $75 million. Employee headcount of approximately 23,600 as of December 31, 2023 increased by 9% as compared to December 31, 2022. Personnel expenses in 2023 and employee headcount as of December 31, 2023 were reduced due to the transfer of certain customer service operations of Booking.com to Majorel in June 2022, which shifted costs from personnel expenses to sales and other expenses. Stock-based compensation expense in 2023 was $530 million compared to $404 million in 2022.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of:

•fees for certain outside professionals;

•occupancy and office expenses;

•certain travel transaction taxes; and

•personnel-related expenses such as travel, relocation, recruiting, and training expenses.

General and administrative expenses increased year-over-year in 2023 due to the accrual of a loss of $530 million related to a draft decision by the Spanish competition authority (see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information), a $90 million termination fee related to the acquisition agreement for the Etraveli Group (see Note 20 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information), and year-over-year increases in certain travel transaction taxes and occupancy and office expenses.

Information Technology

Information technology expenses consist primarily of:

•software license and system maintenance fees;

•cloud computing costs and outsourced data center costs;

•payments to contractors; and

•data communications and other expenses associated with operating our services.

Information technology expenses increased in 2023 compared to 2022 due to increased cloud computing costs and outsourced data center costs, as well as increased software license and system maintenance fees.

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Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expenses consist of:

•amortization of intangible assets with determinable lives;

•amortization of internally-developed and purchased software;

•depreciation of computer equipment; and

•depreciation of leasehold improvements, furniture and fixtures, and office equipment.

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased in 2023 compared to 2022 due primarily to increased amortization expense related to internally-developed and purchased software, as well as depreciation of computer equipment.

Other Operating Expenses

* Not meaningful

Other operating expenses in 2022 includes the gain of $240 million on the sale and leaseback transaction related to Booking.com's headquarters building, partially offset by a loss of $41 million related to the transfer of certain customer service operations of Booking.com to Majorel. See Notes 10 and 20 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Interest Expense and Other Income (Expense), Net

Interest Expense

Other Income (Expense), Net

The following table sets forth the composition of "Other income (expense), net" for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:

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The following table presents the changes in interest and dividend income and interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:

Interest and dividend income increased for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the impact of higher interest rates on cash management activities (with related expenses recorded in interest expense) and investment activities. Interest expense increased for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to higher interest rates related to our cash management activities (with related income recorded in interest income) and the issuance of senior notes in November 2022 and May 2023, partially offset by the maturities of senior notes during 2022 and 2023.

See Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on "Other income (expense), net." See Notes 5 and 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to net losses on equity securities and the impairments of an investment in equity securities.

Foreign currency transaction (losses) gains for the year ended December 31, 2023 includes losses of $163 million related to our Euro-denominated debt and accrued interest that were not designated as net investment hedges and losses of $106 million on derivative contracts. Foreign currency transaction (losses) gains for the year ended December 31, 2022 includes gains of $46 million related to our Euro-denominated debt and accrued interest that were not designated as net investment hedges and losses of $52 million on derivative contracts.

Income Taxes

Our 2023 effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21%, primarily due to higher international tax rates, non-deductible fines, certain other non-deductible expenses, and U.S. federal tax associated with the Company's international earnings, partially offset by the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax (discussed below). Our 2022 effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21%, primarily due to higher international tax rates, a valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets related to certain unrealized losses on equity securities, certain non-deductible expenses, and an increase in unrecognized tax benefits, partially offset by the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax.

Our effective tax rate was lower for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to a lower valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets related to certain unrealized losses on equity securities, lower unrecognized tax benefits, and lower international tax rates, partially offset by an increase in non-deductible fines, and a decrease in the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax.

Under Dutch corporate income tax law, income generated from qualifying innovative activities is taxed at a rate of 9% ("Innovation Box Tax") rather than the Dutch statutory rate of 25.8%. A portion of Booking.com's earnings during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 qualified for Innovation Box Tax treatment, which had a significant beneficial impact on our effective tax rates for these periods. For more information regarding the Innovation Box Tax, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may not be able to maintain our 'Innovation Box Tax' benefit."

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Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2022 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021

In the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we have reclassified certain indirect taxes, primarily digital services taxes, between "General and administrative" expenses and "Sales and other expenses" to conform to the presentation in the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2023. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Operating and Statistical Metrics

Room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets reserved through our services for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 were as follows:

Room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets reserved through our services increased significantly in 2022 compared to 2021, due primarily to the continued improvement in travel demand trends as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessened in 2022 versus 2021.

Gross bookings resulting from reservations of room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets made through our agency and merchant categories for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 were as follows (numbers may not total due to rounding):

Agency gross bookings are derived from travel-related transactions where we do not facilitate payments from travelers for the services provided, while merchant gross bookings are derived from services where we facilitate payments. Agency and merchant gross bookings increased in 2022 compared to 2021 due primarily to the continued improvement in travel demand trends. Merchant gross bookings increased more than agency gross bookings due to the expansion of merchant accommodation reservation services at Booking.com.

The year-over-year increase in gross bookings in 2022 was due primarily to the increase in room nights and the increase in accommodation ADRs of approximately 15% on a constant-currency basis, partially offset by the negative impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations. Gross bookings resulting from reservations of airline tickets increased 86% year-over-year in 2022 due to higher unit growth and ticket price increases. Gross bookings resulting from reservations of rental car days increased 26% year-over-year in 2022 due primarily to higher unit growth.

Revenues

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Agency, merchant, and advertising and other revenues increased in 2022 compared to 2021 due primarily to the continued improvement in gross bookings as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessened in 2022 versus 2021, partially offset by the negative impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations. Merchant revenues in 2022 increased more than agency revenues due to the expansion of merchant accommodation reservation services at Booking.com.

Total revenues as a percentage of gross bookings was 14.1% in 2022, down from 14.3% in 2021 due to investments in merchandising and an increase in the mix of airline ticket gross bookings, partially offset by increased revenues from facilitating payments.

Operating Expenses

Marketing Expenses

Marketing expenses consist primarily of the costs of:

•search engine keyword purchases;

•referrals from meta-search and travel research websites;

•affiliate programs;

•offline and online brand marketing; and

•other performance-based marketing and incentives.

We adjust our marketing spend based on our growth and profitability objectives, as well as the travel demand and expected ROIs in our marketing channels. We rely on our marketing channels to generate a significant amount of traffic to our websites. Our marketing expenses, which are substantially variable in nature, increased significantly in 2022 compared to 2021, due primarily to the continued improvement in travel demand as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessened in 2022 versus 2021. Marketing expenses as a percentage of total gross bookings decreased slightly in 2022 compared to 2021 due to year-over-year increases in the mix of direct traffic, partially offset by year-over-year decreases in performance marketing ROIs. Performance marketing ROIs were lower in 2022 versus 2021 due to our efforts to invest in marketing during the recovery in the travel industry in 2022.

Sales and Other Expenses

Sales and other expenses consist primarily of:

•credit card and other payment processing fees associated with merchant transactions;

•fees paid to third parties that provide call center, website content translations, and other services;

•digital services taxes and other similar taxes;

•chargeback provisions and fraud prevention expenses associated with merchant transactions;

•provisions for expected credit losses, primarily related to accommodation commission receivables and prepayments to certain customers; and

•customer relations costs.

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Sales and other expenses, which are substantially variable in nature, increased significantly in 2022 compared to 2021, due primarily to an increase in merchant transaction costs of $573 million and an increase in third-party call center costs of $235 million. Merchant transactions increased year-over-year in 2022 due to the continued improvement in travel demand trends as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessened in 2022 versus 2021, as well as the expansion of merchant accommodation reservation services at Booking.com. The year-over-year increase in third-party call center costs in 2022 was due in part to the transfer of certain customer service operations of Booking.com to Majorel, which shifted costs from personnel expenses to sales and other expenses.

Personnel

Personnel expenses consist primarily of:

•salaries, bonuses, and stock-based compensation;

•payroll taxes; and

•employee health and other benefits.

Personnel expenses, excluding stock-based compensation, increased 6% in 2022 compared to 2021, due to an increase in salary expense of $139 million and an increase in bonus expense accruals of $66 million, partially offset by the $136 million expense, recorded in 2021, associated with the return of government assistance received through various government aid programs. Employee headcount of approximately 21,600 as of December 31, 2022 increased by 6% as compared to December 31, 2021. Personnel expenses in 2022 and employee headcount as of December 31, 2022 were reduced due to the transfer of certain customer service operations of Booking.com to Majorel which shifted costs from personnel expenses to sales and other expenses. Stock-based compensation expense was $404 million in 2022 compared to $370 million in 2021.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of:

•fees for outside professionals;

•occupancy and office expenses;

•personnel-related expenses such as travel, relocation, recruiting, and training expenses; and

•certain travel transaction taxes.

General and administrative expenses increased in 2022 compared to 2021 due to an increase of $97 million in certain travel transaction taxes, including the $46 million accrual related to the settlement of an Italian indirect tax matter. See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements. The year-over-year increase in general and administrative expenses was also driven by an increase of $75 million in personnel-related expenses and an increase of $53 million in fees for professional services.

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Information Technology

Information technology expenses consist primarily of:

•software license and system maintenance fees;

•cloud computing costs and outsourced data center costs;

•payments to contractors; and

•data communications and other expenses associated with operating our services.

Information technology expenses increased in 2022 compared to 2021 due to increased cloud computing costs, payments to contractors, and software license fees.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expenses consist of:

•amortization of intangible assets with determinable lives;

•amortization of internally-developed and purchased software;

•depreciation of computer equipment; and

•depreciation of leasehold improvements, furniture and fixtures, and office equipment.

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased in 2022 compared to 2021 due to increased amortization expense related to the acquisition of Getaroom, partially offset by decreased depreciation of computer equipment and leasehold improvements.

Other Operating Expenses

* Not meaningful

Other operating expenses in 2022 includes the gain of $240 million on the sale and leaseback transaction related to Booking.com's headquarters building, partially offset by a loss of $41 million related to the transfer of certain customer service operations of Booking.com to Majorel (see Notes 10 and 20 to our Consolidated Financial Statements). Other operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 principally relate to the restructuring charges as a result of restructuring actions taken in 2020 and are primarily related to employee severance and other termination benefits at Booking.com.

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Interest Expense and Other Income (Expense), Net

Interest Expense

Other Income (Expense), Net

The following table sets forth the composition of "Other income (expense), net" for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:

The following table presents the changes in interest and dividend income and interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:

Interest and dividend income increased for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to the impact of higher interest rates on cash management activities (with related expenses recorded in interest expense) and investment activities. Interest expense increased for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to higher interest rates relating to our cash management activities (with related income recorded in interest income) and the issuance of senior notes in November 2022. This was offset in part by the impact of the adoption on January 1, 2022 of the new accounting standards update for convertible instruments, the redemption of senior notes with higher interest rates in April 2021, and the maturity in September 2021 of convertible senior notes. The amortization of debt discount on convertible debt was recorded in Interest expense. With the adoption of the new accounting standards update, such amortization is not recorded in the financial statements for periods after January 1, 2022 (see Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements).

See Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on "Other income (expense), net." See Notes 5 and 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to net losses on equity securities and the impairments of an investment in equity securities.

Foreign currency transaction (losses) gains for the year ended December 31, 2022 includes gains of $46 million related to our Euro-denominated debt and accrued interest that were not designated as net investment hedges and losses of $52 million on derivative contracts. Foreign currency transaction gains for the year ended December 31, 2021 includes gains of $135 million related to our Euro-denominated debt and accrued interest that were not designated as net investment hedges and losses of $30 million on derivative contracts.

Loss on early extinguishment of debt is related to our Senior Notes due April 2025 and our Senior Notes due April 2027 that were redeemed in April 2021 (see Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements).

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Income Taxes

Our 2022 effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21%, primarily due to higher international tax rates, a valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets related to certain unrealized losses on equity securities, certain non-deductible expenses, and an increase in unrecognized tax benefits, partially offset by the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax (discussed below). Our 2021 effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21%, primarily due to the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax, partially offset by higher international tax rates and an increase in unrecognized tax benefits.

Our effective tax rate was higher for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to lower benefit resulting from the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax and higher valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets related to certain unrealized losses on equity securities, partially offset by lower international tax rates.

Under Dutch corporate income tax law, income generated from qualifying innovative activities is taxed at a rate of 9% ("Innovation Box Tax") for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2021 rather than the Dutch statutory rate of 25%. Previously, the Innovation Box Tax rate was 7%. Effective January 1, 2022, the Netherlands corporate income tax rate increased from 25% to 25.8%. A portion of Booking.com's earnings during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 qualified for Innovation Box Tax treatment, which had a significant beneficial impact on our effective tax rates for these periods. For more information regarding the Innovation Box Tax, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may not be able to maintain our 'Innovation Box Tax' benefit."

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our financial results and prospects are almost entirely dependent on facilitating the sale of travel-related services. Marketing expenses and personnel expenses are the most significant operating expenses for our business. We rely on marketing channels to generate traffic to our websites. See our Consolidated Statements of Operations and "Trends" and "Results of Operations" above for additional information on marketing expenses and personnel expenses, including stock-based compensation expenses. Our continued access to sources of liquidity depends on multiple factors. See Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "Our liquidity, credit ratings, and ongoing access to capital could be materially and negatively affected by global financial conditions and events."

At December 31, 2023, we had $13.1 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and investments, of which approximately $8.8 billion is held by our international subsidiaries. Cash, cash equivalents, and long-term investments held by our international subsidiaries are denominated primarily in Euros, U.S. Dollars, and Japanese Yen. See Notes 5 and 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information about our cash equivalents and investments. Our investment policy seeks to preserve capital and maintain sufficient liquidity to meet operational and other needs of the business. In February 2023, we completed the sale of our investment in equity securities of Meituan and received gross proceeds of $1.7 billion.

Deferred merchant bookings of $3.3 billion at December 31, 2023 represents cash payments received from travelers in advance of us completing our performance obligations and are comprised principally of amounts estimated to be payable to travel service providers as well as our estimated future revenue for our commission or margin and fees. The amounts are mostly subject to refunds for cancellations.

At December 31, 2023, we had a remaining transition tax liability of $690 million as a result of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("Tax Act"), which included $515 million reported as "Long-term U.S. transition tax liability" and $175 million included in "Accrued expenses and other current liabilities" in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. This liability will be paid over the next three years. In accordance with the Tax Act, generally, future repatriation of our international cash will not be subject to a U.S. federal income tax liability as a dividend, but will be subject to U.S. state income taxes and international withholding taxes, which have been accrued by us.

In May 2023, we entered into a five-year unsecured revolving credit facility with a group of lenders. The revolving credit facility extends a revolving line of credit up to $2 billion to us and provides for the issuance of up to $80 million of letters of credit, as well as up to $100 million of borrowings on same-day notice. The revolving credit facility contains a maximum leverage ratio covenant, compliance with which is a condition to our ability to borrow. Upon entering into this new revolving credit facility, we terminated the $2 billion five-year revolving credit facility entered into in August 2019. At December 31, 2023 there were no borrowings outstanding and $18 million of letters of credit issued under the new revolving credit facility.

See Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our debt arrangements, including principal amounts, interest rates, and maturity dates. Our convertible senior notes due in May 2025 are currently convertible at the option of the holder and have been classified as "Short-term debt" in the Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2023. If the note holders exercise their option to convert, we deliver cash to repay the principal amount of the notes and deliver shares of common stock or cash, at our option, to satisfy the conversion value in excess of the principal amount. At December 31, 2023, we had outstanding senior notes with varying maturities for an aggregate principal amount of $14.2 billion, with $2 billion payable within the next twelve months. The outstanding senior notes at December 31, 2023 had cumulative interest to maturity of $2.7 billion, with $440 million payable within the next twelve months. In May 2023, we issued senior notes with an aggregate principal amount of 1.75 billion Euros. The proceeds from the issuance of these senior notes are available for general corporate purposes, including to repurchase shares of our common stock. In March 2023, we repaid $500 million in aggregate principal amount on the maturity of the Senior Notes due March 2023.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, we repurchased shares of our common stock for an aggregate cost of $10.4 billion. At December 31, 2022, we had a total remaining authorization of $3.9 billion related to a program authorized by our Board of Directors ("the Board") in 2019 to repurchase up to $15 billion of our common stock. In the first quarter of 2023, the Board authorized a program to repurchase up to $20 billion of our common stock and at December 31, 2023, we had a total remaining authorization of $13.7 billion. We still expect to complete the share repurchases under the remaining authorization by the end of 2026, assuming no major downturn in the travel market. Effective January 1, 2023, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has mandated a 1% excise tax on share repurchases. Excise tax obligations that result from our share repurchases are accounted for as a cost of the treasury stock transaction. See Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our stock repurchases.

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On January 25, 2024, the Board adopted a dividend policy pursuant to which we intend to pay quarterly cash dividends on our common stock. Declaration of dividends pursuant to the policy will be subject to the Board’s consideration of, among other things, our financial performance, cash flows, capital needs, and liquidity. Pursuant to the dividend policy, on February 16, 2024 the Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $8.75 per share of common stock, payable on March 28, 2024 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 8, 2024.

At December 31, 2023, we had lease obligations of $961 million. See Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on our obligations related to operating and financing leases. Additionally, at December 31, 2023, we had, in the aggregate, $361 million of non-cancellable purchase obligations individually greater than $10 million, of which $188 million is payable within the next twelve months. Such purchase obligations relate to agreements to purchase goods and services that are enforceable and legally binding, that specify all significant terms, including the quantities to be purchased, price provisions, and the approximate timing of the transaction.

At December 31, 2023 there were $533 million of standby letters of credit and bank guarantees issued on our behalf. These are obtained primarily for regulatory purposes.

See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our commitments and contingencies, including the accrual of a loss of $530 million related to a draft decision by the Spanish competition authority and a loss of $276 million related to the Netherlands pension fund matter, which are recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2023.

We believe that our existing cash balances and liquid resources will be sufficient to fund our operating activities, capital expenditures, and other obligations through at least the next twelve months. However, if we are not successful in generating sufficient cash flow from operations or in raising additional capital when required in sufficient amounts and on terms acceptable to us, we may be required to reduce our planned capital expenditures and scale back the scope of our business plans, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, our ability to compete or our future growth prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. If additional funds were raised through the issuance of equity securities, the percentage ownership of our then current stockholders would be diluted. We may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations in the future, revenue growth or sustained profitability may not be realized, and future borrowings or equity sales may not be available in amounts sufficient to make anticipated capital expenditures, finance our strategies, or repay our indebtedness.

Cash Flow Analysis

Year Ended December 31, 2023 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $7.3 billion, resulting from net income of $4.3 billion, a favorable net impact of $1.3 billion from adjustments for non-cash and other items and a favorable net change in working capital and long-term assets and liabilities of $1.7 billion. Non-cash items were principally associated with stock-based compensation expense and other stock-based payments, depreciation and amortization, deferred income tax benefit, provision for expected credit losses and chargebacks, unrealized foreign currency transaction losses (gains) related to Euro-denominated debt, and operating lease amortization. For the year ended December 31, 2023, deferred merchant bookings and other current liabilities increased by $2.7 billion, and accounts receivable increased by $1.3 billion, primarily due to increases in business volumes. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company accrued a loss of $530 million related to a draft decision by the Spanish competition authority and a loss of $276 million related to the Netherlands pension fund matter. The related liabilities are included in "Accrued expenses and other current liabilities" in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2023. See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $6.6 billion, resulting from net income of $3.1 billion, a favorable impact of $1.7 billion from adjustments for non-cash and other items, and a favorable net change in working capital and long-term assets and liabilities of $1.8 billion. Non-cash items were principally associated with net losses on equity securities, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense and other stock-based payments, deferred income tax benefit, provision for expected credit losses and chargebacks, and operating lease amortization. For the year ended December 31, 2022, deferred merchant bookings and other current liabilities increased by $3.7 billion, and accounts receivable increased by $1.2 billion, primarily due to increases in business volumes.

Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $1.5 billion, principally resulting from proceeds from the sale and maturity of investments of $1.8 billion, partially offset by purchases of property and equipment of $345 million. Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $518 million, principally

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resulting from purchases of investments of $768 million, primarily in various corporate and government debt securities, as well as from purchases of property and equipment of $368 million. This was partially offset by proceeds from the Booking.com headquarters sale and leaseback transaction of $601 million and proceeds from the sales and maturities of investments of $32 million. See Notes 5 and 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $8.9 billion, principally resulting from payments for the repurchase of common stock of $10.4 billion and payments on the maturity of debt of $500 million, partially offset by the proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt of $1.9 billion. Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $4.9 billion, principally resulting from payments for the repurchase of common stock of $6.6 billion and payments on the maturity of debt of $1.9 billion. This was partially offset by the proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt of $3.6 billion.

Year Ended December 31, 2022 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021

For a comparison of our cash flow activities for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, see Cash Flow Analysis in Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2022.

Contingencies

For information related to certain tax assessments and other tax matters, see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Part I, Item IA, Risk Factors - "We may have exposure to additional tax liabilities."

For information related to certain regulatory matters, and our other contingent liabilities, see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Part I, Item IA, Risk Factors - "Our business is subject to various competition/anti-trust, consumer protection, and online commerce laws and regulations around the world, and as the size of our business grows, scrutiny of our business by legislators and regulators in these areas may intensify."

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements, including the notes to those statements, and the Section entitled "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements," included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in any forward-looking statements, which may be due to factors discussed in "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We evaluate certain operating and financial measures on both an as-reported and constant-currency basis. We calculate constant currency by converting our current-year period operating and financial results for transactions recorded in currencies other than U.S. Dollars using the corresponding prior-year period monthly average exchange rates rather than the current-year period monthly average exchange rates.

Overview

Our mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. We connect consumers who wish to make travel reservations with travel service providers around the world through our online platforms. We offer these services through six primary consumer-facing brands: Booking.com, Priceline, agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK, and OpenTable. See Note 1 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for information on our operating segments. See Note 17 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for information related to revenue by geographic area.

We derive substantially all of our revenues from enabling consumers to make travel service reservations. We also earn revenues from advertising services, restaurant reservations and restaurant management services, and various other services, such as travel-related insurance revenues.

Trends

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting implementation of travel restrictions by governments around the world resulted in a significant decline in travel activities and consumer demand for related services. Accommodation room nights, which include the impact of cancellations, declined rapidly as the COVID-19 pandemic spread in 2020. Since the beginning of the second quarter of 2020 and through 2022, changes in accommodation room nights versus the comparable period in 2019 have generally improved as government-imposed travel restrictions have eased, vaccines and other medical interventions have become more widespread, and consumer demand for travel has generally rebounded. In 2021, room nights were 66% higher than in 2020 but still 30% lower than in 2019. On a regional basis, considering where the traveler is booking from, North America was the only region in 2021 to have room nights increase versus 2019. In 2022, global room nights were 52% higher than in 2021 and 6% higher than in 2019. The year-over-year growth in room nights in 2022 was driven primarily by the continued recovery in Europe, Asia, and Rest of World, as well as by continued growth in North America.

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The comparison of room nights in 2021 and 2022 to the comparable period in 2019 avoids the distortion created from comparing to a prior year period that was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quarterly Room Nights and Change versus 2019

In early March 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we suspended the booking of travel services in Russia and Belarus. This led to the loss of new bookings from bookers in these countries. Excluding room nights from bookers in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus in both 2022 and 2019, our overall room nights in 2022 were up about 10% versus 2019.

We have observed an improvement in cancellation rates since the high in April 2020, though we have seen periods of elevated cancellation rates typically coinciding with significant increases in COVID-19 cases and newly imposed travel restrictions. The cancellation rate in 2022 improved compared to the cancellation rates in 2021 and 2019. In 2022, a higher share of our room nights were booked with flexible cancellation policies, as compared to 2019 and 2021, which could result in higher cancellation rates in future periods.

Because we recognize revenue from bookings when the traveler checks in, our reported revenue is not at risk of being reversed due to cancellations. Increases in cancellation rates can negatively impact our marketing efficiency as a result of incurring performance marketing expense at the time a booking is made even though that booking could be canceled in the future if it was booked under a flexible cancellation policy. There are many factors in addition to cancellation rates that contribute to marketing efficiency including average daily rates ("ADRs"), costs per click, foreign currency exchange rates, our ability to convert paid traffic to booking consumers, the timing and effectiveness of our brand marketing campaigns, and the extent to which consumers come directly to our platforms for bookings. Significant increases in cancellation rates such as those experienced during the second quarter of 2020 may increase our customer service costs.

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Since the second quarter of 2020, government-imposed travel restrictions have generally limited international travel (travelers booking a stay at a property located outside their own country) more than domestic travel (travelers booking a stay within their own country). We believe the continued easing of government-imposed travel restrictions in many countries throughout the world in 2022 helped drive an increase in the mix of our room nights booked for international travel versus 2021, however, the mix remained below 2019 levels.

We saw an increase in the mix of our room nights booked on a mobile device in 2022 compared to 2019. When comparing 2022 to 2021, we saw a decrease in the mix of our room nights booked on a mobile device in 2022 due to a year-over-year increase in the mix of our room nights booked for international travel and a year-over-year expansion of the booking window. Room nights booked on a mobile device generally have a lower mix of international travel and a shorter booking window than room nights booked on a desktop. The mix of our room nights booked on a mobile app in 2022 was above 2019 and 2021. We continue to see favorable repeat direct booking behavior from consumers in our mobile apps, which allow us more opportunities to engage directly with consumers. The revenue earned on a transaction from a mobile device may be less than a typical desktop transaction as we see different consumer purchasing patterns across devices. For example, accommodation reservations made on a mobile device typically are for shorter lengths of stay and have lower accommodation ADRs.

Our global ADRs increased approximately 25%, on a constant currency basis, in 2022 as compared to 2019, driven primarily by higher ADRs for accommodations located in Europe as well as increases in ADRs across all other regions as compared to 2019. In addition, we estimate that our global ADRs in 2022, as compared to 2019, benefited by approximately two percentage points from changes in the geographical mix of our business driven primarily by slower room night recovery in Asia, which is a low ADR region, and stronger room night performance in North America, which is a high ADR region. Our global ADRs increased approximately 15%, on a constant currency basis, in 2022 as compared to 2021, driven primarily by higher ADRs in Europe as well as increases in ADRs across all other regions as compared to 2021. The increase in our global ADRs in 2022, as compared to 2021, was negatively impacted by approximately three percentage points from changes in geographical mix in our business driven primarily by stronger year-over-year room night growth in Asia and lower year-over-year room night growth in North America.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, we observed a trend of declining constant-currency accommodation ADRs partially driven by the negative impact of the changing geographical mix of our business (e.g., lower ADR regions like Asia were generally growing faster than higher ADR regions like Western Europe and North America) as well as pricing pressures within local markets from time to time. Those declining ADR trends resulted in accommodation gross bookings growing less than room nights. As the travel market continues to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and with all regions experiencing general inflation in prices, we have seen travel industry ADRs generally increasing from pandemic lows in 2020. While our ADRs have continued to increase in 2022 as compared to 2019, it remains highly uncertain what the trend in industry ADRs will look like going forward.

We focus on relentless innovation to grow our business by, among other things, providing a best-in-class user experience with intuitive, easy-to-use online platforms to ensure that we are meeting the needs of online consumers while aiming to exceed their expectations. As part of these ongoing efforts, we have a long-term strategy to build a seamless offering of multiple elements of travel, allowing us to provide a more tailored and flexible consumer experience, which we refer to as the "Connected Trip," and we expect these efforts to increase room night growth and revenue growth over time. We may see a negative impact on our operating margins in the near term as we incur the expenses associated with Connected Trip-related investments. Further, to the extent our non-accommodation services (e.g., airline ticket reservation services) have lower margins and increase as a percentage of our total business, our operating margins may be negatively affected.

As part of our strategy to provide more payment options to consumers and travel service providers, increase the number and variety of accommodations available on Booking.com, and enable our long-term Connected Trip strategy, Booking.com increasingly processes transactions on a merchant basis, where it facilitates payments from travelers for the services provided. This allows Booking.com to process transactions for travel service providers and to increase its ability to offer secure and flexible transaction terms to consumers, such as the form and timing of payment. We believe that expanding these types of service offerings will benefit consumers and travel service providers, as well as our gross bookings, room night, and earnings growth rates. However, this results in additional expenses for personnel, payment processing, chargebacks (including those related to fraud), and other expenses related to these transactions, which are recorded in "Personnel" and "Sales and other expenses" in our Consolidated Statements of Operations, as well as associated incremental revenues (e.g., credit card rebates), which are recorded in "Merchant revenues." To the extent more of our business is generated on a merchant basis, we incur a greater level of these merchant-related expenses, which negatively impacts our operating margins despite increases in associated incremental revenues. The mix of our gross bookings generated on a merchant basis was 44% in 2022, an increase from 34% in 2021 and 27% in 2019.

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We have established widely used and recognized e-commerce brands through marketing and promotional campaigns. Our total marketing expenses, which are comprised of performance and brand marketing expenses that are substantially variable in nature, were $6.0 billion in 2022, up 58% versus 2021 and up 21% versus 2019 as a result of the improving demand environment and our efforts to invest in marketing. Our performance marketing expense, which represents a substantial majority of our marketing expense, is primarily related to the use of online search engines (primarily Google), meta-search and travel research services, and affiliate marketing to generate traffic to our platforms. Our brand marketing expense is primarily related to costs associated with producing and airing television advertising, online video advertising (for example, on YouTube and Facebook), and online display advertising.

Marketing efficiency, expressed as marketing expense as a percentage of gross bookings, and performance marketing returns on investment ("ROIs") are impacted by a number of factors that are subject to variability and are in some cases outside of our control, including ADRs, costs per click, cancellation rates, foreign currency exchange rates, our ability to convert paid traffic to booking customers, and the timing and effectiveness of our brand marketing campaigns. In recent years, we observed periods of stable or increasing ROIs. Although it is difficult to predict how performance marketing ROIs will change in the future, ROIs could be negatively impacted by increased levels of competition and other factors. When evaluating our performance marketing spend, we typically consider several factors for each channel, such as the customer experience on the advertising platform, the incremental traffic we receive, and anticipated repeat rates.

Marketing efficiency can also be impacted by the extent to which consumers come directly to our platforms for bookings. Marketing expenses as a percentage of total gross bookings in 2022 were lower than 2019 despite lower performance marketing ROIs due to an increase in the share of room nights booked by consumers coming directly to our platforms. Performance marketing ROIs were lower in 2022 versus 2019 due to our efforts to invest in marketing during the recovery in the travel industry in 2022. See Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We rely on marketing channels to generate a significant amount of traffic to our platforms and grow our business," and "Our business could be negatively affected by changes in online search and meta-search algorithms and dynamics or traffic-generating arrangements."

Historically, our growth has primarily been generated by the worldwide accommodation reservation business of Booking.com due in part to the availability of a large number of properties through Booking.com. Booking.com included over 2.7 million properties on its website at December 31, 2022, consisting of over 400,000 hotels, motels, and resorts and approximately 2.3 million alternative accommodation properties (including homes, apartments, and other unique places to stay), and representing an increase from approximately 2.4 million properties at December 31, 2021. The year-over-year increase in total properties was driven primarily by an increase in alternative accommodation properties.

The mix of Booking.com’s room nights booked for alternative accommodation properties in 2022 was approximately 30%, up slightly versus 2019 and 2021. We have observed an overall longer-term trend of an increasing mix of room nights booked for alternative accommodation properties as consumer demand for these types of properties has grown, and as we have increased the number and variety of alternative accommodation properties available to consumers on Booking.com. We may experience lower profit margins due to additional costs, such as increased customer service costs, related to offering alternative accommodations on our platforms. As our alternative accommodation business has grown, these different characteristics have negatively impacted our profit margins and this trend may continue.

Although we believe that providing an extensive collection of properties, excellent customer service, and an intuitive, easy-to-use consumer experience are important factors influencing a consumer's decision to make a reservation, for many consumers, the price of the travel service is the primary factor determining whether a consumer will book a reservation. Discounting and couponing (i.e., merchandising) occurs across all of the major regions in which we operate, particularly in Asia. In some cases, our competitors are willing to make little or no profit on a transaction, or offer travel services at a loss, in order to gain market share. As a result, it is increasingly important to offer travel services, such as accommodation reservations, at a competitive price, whether through discounts, coupons, closed-user group rates or loyalty programs, increased flexibility in cancellation policies, or otherwise. These initiatives have resulted and, in the future, may result in lower ADRs and lower revenue as a percentage of gross bookings. Total revenue as a percentage of gross bookings was negatively impacted by investments in merchandising in 2022 compared to 2021 and 2019.

Many taxing authorities are increasingly focused on ways to increase tax revenues and have targeted large multinational technology companies in these efforts. As a result, many countries and some U.S. states have implemented or are considering the adoption of a digital services tax or similar tax that imposes a tax on revenue earned from digital advertisements or the use of online platforms, even when there is no physical presence in the jurisdiction. Currently, rates for this tax range from 1.5% to 10% of revenue deemed generated in the jurisdiction. The digital services taxes currently in effect, which we record in "General and administrative" expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, have negatively impacted our

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results of operations. While the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has been working on multinational tax changes that could require all member parties to remove all digital services taxes, the timing for completion of that project has been delayed and many details remain uncertain. If that project is significantly delayed or not completed more countries could implement digital services taxes, which could negatively impact our results of operations and cash flows. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may have exposure to additional tax liabilities."

Increased regulatory focus on online businesses, including online travel businesses like ours, could result in increased compliance costs or otherwise adversely affect our business. For example, the Digital Markets Act ("DMA") and Digital Services Act ("DSA") give regulators in the EU more instruments to investigate and regulate digital businesses and impose new rules and requirements on platforms designated as "gatekeepers" under the DMA and online platforms more generally, with separate rules for "Very Large Online Platforms" under the DSA. For more information on the impacts of regulations on our business, see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "Our business is subject to various competition/anti-trust, consumer protection, and online commerce laws, rules, and regulations around the world, and as the size of our business grows, scrutiny of our business by legislators and regulators in these areas may intensify."

Our businesses outside of the U.S. (see Note 17 to our Consolidated Financial Statements) represent a substantial majority of our financial results, but because we report our results in U.S. Dollars, we face exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates as the financial results and the financial condition of our businesses outside of the U.S. are translated from local currency (principally Euros and British Pounds Sterling) into U.S. Dollars. For example, the U.S. Dollar strengthened in 2022 versus both the Euro and British Pound Sterling by 11% and 10%, respectively, as compared to 2021. As a

result of the movements in foreign currency exchange rates, both the absolute amounts of and percentage changes in our    foreign-currency-denominated net assets, gross bookings, revenues, operating expenses, and net income as expressed in U.S. Dollars are affected. Our total revenues increased by 56% in 2022 as compared to 2021, but without the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates our total revenue increased year-over-year on a constant-currency basis by approximately 71%. Since our expenses are generally denominated in foreign currencies on a basis similar to our revenues, our operating margins have not been significantly impacted by currency fluctuations. We designate certain portions of the aggregate principal value of our Euro-denominated debt as a hedge of the foreign currency exposure of the net investment in certain Euro functional currency subsidiaries. Foreign currency transaction gains or losses on the Euro-denominated debt that is not designated as a hedging instrument for accounting purposes are recognized in "Other income (expense), net" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations (see Notes 12 and 21 to our Consolidated Financial Statements). Such foreign currency transaction gains or losses are dependent on the amount of net assets of the Euro functional currency subsidiaries, the amount of the Euro-denominated debt that is designated as a hedge, and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates."

We generally enter into derivative instruments to minimize the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. See Note 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our derivative contracts.

Other Factors

Over the long term, we intend to continue to invest in marketing and promotion, technology, and personnel within parameters consistent with attempts to improve long-term operating results, even if those expenditures create pressure on operating margins. In recent years, we have experienced pressure on operating margins as we invested in initiatives to drive future growth. We also intend to broaden the scope of our business, including exploring strategic alternatives such as acquisitions.

The competition for technology talent in our industry is intense, including among established technology companies, startups, and companies transitioning to digital, and this level of competition could continue in the future. As a result of the competitive labor market and inflationary pressure on compensation, our personnel expenses to attract and retain key talent are increasing, which may adversely affect our results of operations. See Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We rely on the performance of highly skilled employees; and, if we are unable to retain or motivate key employees or hire, retain, and motivate well-qualified employees, our business would be harmed."

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Outlook

In January 2023, we saw an improvement in the monthly room night growth rate versus 2019 relative to the fourth quarter of 2022, with room nights growing about 26% versus January 2019, driven primarily by improvements in Europe, Rest of World, and Asia. On a year-over-year basis, room night growth in January 2023 was 60%, due in part to the negative impact of the Omicron variant on January 2022 room nights. While there continues to be uncertainty around the month to month trends, we assume that room night growth in the first quarter of 2023 will grow by over 30% relative to the first quarter of 2022. Given that assumption for room night growth, we expect the following for the first quarter of 2023:

•the year-over-year growth in gross bookings will be about four percentage points better than the year-over-year growth in room nights;

•revenues as a percentage of gross bookings will be higher than it was in the first quarter of 2022; and

•operating profit will be higher than in the first quarter of 2022.

For the full year, assuming gross bookings increase in 2023 compared to 2022 by a low teens percentage, we expect the following for full-year 2023:

•revenues as a percentage of gross bookings will be higher than it was in 2022; and

•operating profit will be higher than in 2019 and 2022.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is based upon our Consolidated Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP"). Our significant accounting policies and estimates are more fully described in Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements. Certain of our accounting estimates are particularly important to our financial position and results of operations and require us to make difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. We use our judgment to determine the appropriate assumptions to be used in the determination of `certain estimates and we evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis. Estimates are based on historical experience, terms of existing contracts, our observance of trends in the travel industry, and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Matters that involve significant estimates and judgments of management include the following:

Valuation of Investments in Private Companies

See Notes 2, 5, and 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to the investments in private companies and information on fair value measurements, including the three levels of inputs to the valuation techniques used to measure fair value. When inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly (observable market data), are available at the measurement date and are not significantly adjusted using unobservable inputs, the observable inputs would be classified as Level 2 inputs. When little or no market data is available, the fair value of these investments are measured using unobservable inputs ("Level 3 inputs").

Our investments measured using Level 3 inputs primarily consist of investments in privately-held companies that were classified as either debt securities or equity securities without readily determinable fair values. Fair values of privately held securities are estimated using a variety of valuation methodologies, including both market and income approaches. We use valuation techniques appropriate for the type of investment and the information available about the investee as of the valuation date to determine fair value. Recent financing transactions in the investee are generally considered the best indication of the enterprise value and therefore used as a basis to estimate fair value. However, based on a number of factors, such as the proximity to the valuation date or the volume or other terms of these financing transactions, we may also use other valuation techniques to supplement this data, including the income approach. When a recent financing transaction occurs and represents fair value, we also use the calibration process, as appropriate, when estimating fair value on subsequent measurement dates. Calibration is the process of using observed transactions in the investee company's own instruments to ensure that the valuation techniques that will be employed to value the investee company investment on subsequent measurement dates begin with assumptions that are consistent with the original observed transaction as well as any more recent observed transactions in the instruments issued by the investee company.

In July 2021, Yanolja announced a new round of funding which was completed in October 2021 along with certain other transactions. As a result of these observable transactions, we increased the carrying value of our investment in Yanolja to

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$306 million as of December 31, 2021. During the three months ended June 30, 2022, considering the significant adverse changes in the market valuations of companies in the travel and technology industries, we evaluated our investment in Yanolja for impairment and recognized an impairment charge of $184 million resulting in an adjusted carrying value of $122 million at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2022. As discussed below, we used unobservable inputs to determine fair value. We used a combination of the market approach and the income approach in estimating the fair value of our investment in Yanolja as of June 30, 2022. The market approach estimates value using prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable companies. The income approach estimates value based on the expectation of future cash flows that a company will generate. These future cash flows are discounted to their present values using a discount rate based on a company’s weighted-average cost of capital, and is adjusted to reflect the risks inherent in its cash flows. The key unobservable inputs and ranges used in estimating the fair value of our investment in Yanolja as of June 30, 2022 include, for the market approach, percentage decrease in the calibrated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA") multiple (36%) and for the income approach, the weighted average cost of capital (10%-14%) and terminal EBITDA multiple (14x-16x). Significant changes in any of these inputs in isolation would result in significantly different fair value measurements. Generally, a change in the assumption used for EBITDA multiples would result in a directionally similar change in the fair value and a change in the assumption used for weighted average cost of capital would result in a directionally opposite change in the fair value.

The determination of the fair values of investments in private companies, where we are a minority shareholder and have access to limited information from the investee, reflects numerous assumptions that are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including key assumptions regarding the investee’s expected growth rates and operating margin, as well as other key assumptions with respect to matters outside of our control, such as discount rates and market comparables. It requires significant judgments and estimates and actual results could be materially different than those judgments and estimates used. Future events and changing market conditions may lead us to re-evaluate the assumptions reflected in our valuation, which may result in a need to recognize additional impairment charges that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Valuation of Goodwill and other Long-lived Assets

The application of the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions to determine the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Our estimates of the fair value are based upon assumptions that we believe are reasonable. When we deem appropriate, we utilize assistance from third-party valuation firms. The consideration transferred is allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their respective values at the acquisition date. The excess of the consideration transferred over the net of the amounts allocated to the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recognized as goodwill. Goodwill is assigned to reporting units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the business combination.

A substantial portion of our intangible assets and goodwill relates to the acquisitions of OpenTable, KAYAK, and Getaroom. See Note 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to the acquisition of Getaroom in December 2021.

We review long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. The assessment of possible impairment is based upon the ability to recover the carrying value of the assets from the estimated undiscounted future net cash flows, before interest and taxes, of the related asset group.

We test goodwill for impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. We test goodwill at a reporting unit level and our annual goodwill impairment tests are performed as of September 30. As of September 30, 2022, we performed our annual goodwill impairment test and concluded that there was no impairment of goodwill.

The estimation of fair values of our reporting units reflect numerous assumptions that are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including key assumptions regarding each reporting unit’s expected growth rates and operating margin and the competitive environment, as well as other key assumptions with respect to matters outside of our control, such as discount rates and market comparables. Generally, changes in the assumptions used for comparable company multiples would result in directionally similar changes in the fair value and changes in the assumptions used for discount rates would result in directionally opposite changes in the fair value. The estimation of fair value requires significant judgments and estimates and actual results could be materially different than the judgments and estimates used. During 2022, there have been significant adverse changes in the market valuation of companies in the travel and technology industries. Discount rates have also been impacted during the period due to rising interest rates and adverse changes in the macroeconomic environment. Future events and changing market conditions, including economic uncertainties such as inflation, rising interest rates and risks of a potential

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recession, may lead us to re-evaluate the assumptions used to estimate the fair values of our reporting units, which may result in a need to recognize additional goodwill impairment charges that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, as a result of the deterioration of the Company’s business due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company recorded significant goodwill impairment charges (described below) related to the OpenTable and KAYAK reporting unit. For the 2020 annual goodwill impairment test and subsequent annual tests, including as of September 30, 2022, the estimated fair value of OpenTable and KAYAK was determined using a combination of standard valuation techniques, including an income approach (discounted cash flows) and a market approach (applying comparable company multiples). The carrying value of goodwill assigned to the OpenTable and KAYAK reporting unit was $973 million as of September 30, 2022. Future events and changing market conditions, including adverse changes in discount rates and market comparables, may require us to revise our assumptions and estimate a lower fair value for the OpenTable and KAYAK reporting unit at a future date, which may result in a need to recognize additional goodwill impairment charges that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. If the discount rate used in the income approach as of September 30, 2022 increases or decreases by 0.5%, the impact to the estimated fair value of OpenTable and KAYAK, at September 30, 2022, would have ranged from a decrease of approximately $98 million to an increase of approximately $111 million. If the comparable company multiple used in the market approach as of September 30, 2022 increases or decreases by 1x, the impact to the estimated fair value of OpenTable and KAYAK, at September 30, 2022, would have ranged from an increase of approximately $159 million to a decrease of approximately $159 million.

2020 Interim Goodwill Impairment Test

Due to the significant and negative financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (see Note 2), we performed an interim period goodwill impairment test at March 31, 2020 and recognized a goodwill impairment charge of $489 million related to the OpenTable and KAYAK reporting unit for the three months ended March 31, 2020, which is not tax-deductible, resulting in an adjusted carrying value of goodwill for OpenTable and KAYAK of $1.5 billion at March 31, 2020. The goodwill impairment was primarily driven by a significant reduction in the forecasted near-term cash flows of OpenTable and KAYAK as well as the significant decline in comparable companies' market values as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The estimated fair value of OpenTable and KAYAK was determined using a combination of standard valuation techniques, including an income approach (discounted cash flows) and a market approach (applying the recent decline in enterprise values of comparable publicly-traded companies to the recently calculated fair value for OpenTable and KAYAK as well as applying comparable company multiples). The income approach estimates fair value utilizing long-term growth rates and discount rates applied to the cash flow projections. In the cash flow projections, we assumed at the time that OpenTable and KAYAK would experience a significant decline in near-term cash flows with a recovery to 2019 levels of financial performance (including profitability) occurring in 2023. The shape and timing of the recovery was a key assumption in our fair value calculation (both in the income and market approaches).

2020 Annual Goodwill Impairment Test

As of September 30, 2020, we performed our annual goodwill impairment test and recognized a goodwill impairment charge of $573 million for the OpenTable and KAYAK reporting unit for the three months ended September 30, 2020, which is not tax-deductible, resulting in an adjusted carrying value of goodwill for OpenTable and KAYAK of $1.0 billion at September 30, 2020. The goodwill impairment was primarily driven by a significant reduction in the forecasted cash flows of OpenTable and KAYAK, reflecting a longer assumed recovery period to 2019 levels of profitability, mainly due to the continued material adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its impact on the flight vertical at KAYAK, and the lowered outlook for monetization opportunities in restaurant reservation services.

The estimated fair value of OpenTable and KAYAK was determined using a combination of standard valuation techniques, including an income approach (discounted cash flows) and a market approach (applying comparable company multiples). The income approach, applied as of September 30, 2020, reflected a reduction in the forecasted cash flows of OpenTable and KAYAK and a longer assumed recovery period to 2019 levels of profitability, driven primarily by a lowered outlook for monetization opportunities in restaurant reservation services and slower than previously expected recovery trends for airline travel, which is a key vertical for KAYAK. For the interim goodwill impairment test at March 31, 2020, we assumed a recovery to 2019 levels of financial performance would occur in 2023 for OpenTable and KAYAK. Based on our evaluation of all relevant information available as of September 30, 2020 for the annual goodwill impairment test, we expected at the time that OpenTable and KAYAK would not return to the 2019 level of profitability within five years from that date, and that it was uncertain whether the shape of the recovery would ultimately match our expectations. An increase or decrease of one percentage point to the profitability growth rates used in the cash flow projections would have resulted in an increase or

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decrease of approximately $100 million to the estimated fair value of OpenTable and KAYAK as of September 30, 2020. The discount rate is determined based on the reporting unit’s estimated weighted-average cost of capital and adjusted to reflect the risks inherent in its cash flows, which requires significant judgments. The discount rate used for the annual goodwill impairment test as of September 30, 2020 was higher than the discount rate used for the interim goodwill impairment test as of March 31, 2020. If the discount rate used in the income approach increases or decreases by 0.5%, the impact to the estimated fair value of OpenTable and KAYAK, at September 30, 2020, would have ranged from a decrease of approximately $65 million to an increase of approximately $70 million.

Income Taxes

We determine our tax expense based on our income and statutory tax rates applicable in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. Due to the complex nature of tax legislation and frequent changes with such associated legislation, significant judgment is required in computing our tax expense and determining our tax positions. The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act") enacted in December 2017 made significant changes to U.S. federal tax law, including a one-time deemed repatriation tax imposed on accumulated unremitted international earnings, to be paid over eight years. We do not intend to indefinitely reinvest our international earnings that were subject to U.S. taxation pursuant to the mandatory deemed repatriation or subject to U.S. taxation as global intangible low-taxed income ("GILTI").

We regularly review our deferred tax assets for recoverability considering historical profitability, projected future taxable income, the expected timing of the reversals of temporary differences, and tax planning strategies and record valuation allowances as required.

We are subject to ongoing tax examinations and assessments in various jurisdictions. We have been audited in many jurisdictions and from time to time face challenges regarding the amount of taxes due. These challenges include questions regarding the timing and amount of deductions that we have taken on our tax returns. Although we believe that our tax filing positions are reasonable and comply with applicable law, we regularly review our tax filing positions, especially in light of tax law or business practice changes, and we may change our positions or determine that previous positions should be amended, either of which could result in additional tax liabilities. The final determination of tax audits or tax disputes may be different from what is reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals.

The evaluation of tax positions and recognition of income tax benefits require significant judgment and we consult with external tax and legal counsel as appropriate. We consider the technical merits of our tax positions along with the applicable tax statutes, related interpretations and precedents, and our expectation of the outcome of proceedings (or negotiations) with tax authorities. We recognize liabilities when we believe that uncertain positions may not be fully sustained upon audit by the tax authorities, including any related appeals or litigation processes. Liabilities recognized for uncertain tax positions are based on a two-step approach for recognition and measurement. First, we evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained based on its technical merits. Second, we measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Interest and penalties attributable to uncertain tax positions, if any, are recognized as a component of income tax expense. The tax benefits ultimately realized by us may be different than what is recorded in the financial statements due to future events such as our settling the matter with the tax authorities and our success in sustaining our tax positions.

See Notes 15 and 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Contingencies

Loss contingencies (other than income tax-related contingencies disclosed above) arise from actual or possible claims and assessments and pending or threatened litigation that may be brought against us. Based on our assessment of loss contingencies at each balance sheet date, a loss is recorded in the financial statements if it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. If the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated, we disclose information about the contingency in the financial statements. We also disclose information in our financial statements about reasonably possible loss contingencies.

The determination of whether a loss is probable and whether the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated requires significant judgment and evaluation of all the underlying facts and circumstances, including judgments about the potential actions of third-party claimants, regulatory authorities, and courts. Claims, assessments, and litigations involve significant uncertainties such as the complexity of the facts, the legal theories involved, the nature of the claims, the judgment of the courts, the applicable methodology for determining potential damages, and, in the case of class actions, whether a class action can be certified and the extent to which members of a class would or would not file a claim.

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On a quarterly basis, we update our analysis and estimates considering all available information, including the impact of negotiations, settlements, rulings, and advice of legal counsel. Changes in our assessment of whether a loss is probable, our estimate of the loss, or our determination of whether the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position. Changes in our assumptions regarding a particular matter or the effectiveness of our strategies related to legal and other proceedings could also have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position. For all loss contingencies, until a matter is finally resolved, there may be an exposure to loss in excess of the liability accrued for the matter and such amounts could be material.

See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for details, which is incorporated into this Item 7 by reference thereto.

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Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2022 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021

We evaluate certain operating and financial measures on both an as-reported and constant-currency basis. We calculate constant currency by converting our current-year period operating and financial results for transactions recorded in currencies other than U.S. Dollars using the corresponding prior-year period monthly average exchange rates rather than the current-year period monthly average exchange rates. Foreign exchange rate fluctuations negatively impacted our year-over-year growth in gross bookings, revenues, and operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022. Since our expenses are generally denominated in foreign currencies on a basis similar to our revenues, our operating margins have not been significantly impacted by currency fluctuations.

Operating and Statistical Metrics

Our financial results are driven by certain operating metrics that encompass the booking and other business activity generated by our travel and travel-related services. Specifically, reservations of room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets capture the volume of units booked through our online travel companies' ("OTC") brands by our travel reservation services customers. Gross bookings is an operating and statistical metric that captures the total dollar value, generally inclusive of taxes and fees, of all travel services booked through our OTC brands by our customers, net of cancellations, and is widely used in the travel business. Our non-OTC brands (KAYAK and OpenTable) have different business metrics from those of our OTC brands, so search queries through KAYAK and restaurant reservations through OpenTable do not contribute to our gross bookings.

Room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets reserved through our services for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 were as follows:

Room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets reserved through our services increased significantly in 2022 compared to 2021, due primarily to the continued improvement in travel demand trends as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessened in 2022 versus 2021.

Gross bookings resulting from reservations of room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets made through our agency and merchant categories for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 were as follows (numbers may not total due to rounding):

Agency gross bookings are derived from travel-related transactions where we do not facilitate payments from travelers for the services provided, while merchant gross bookings are derived from services where we facilitate payments. Agency and merchant gross bookings increased in 2022 compared to 2021 due primarily to the continued improvement in travel demand trends. Merchant gross bookings increased more than agency gross bookings due to the expansion of merchant accommodation reservation services at Booking.com.

The year-over-year increase in gross bookings in 2022 was due primarily to the increase in room nights and the increase in accommodation ADRs of approximately 15% on a constant-currency basis, partially offset by the negative impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations. Gross bookings resulting from reservations of airline tickets increased 86% year-over-year in 2022 due to higher unit growth and ticket price increases. Gross bookings resulting from reservations of rental car days increased 26% year-over-year in 2022 due primarily to higher unit growth.

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Revenues

Online travel reservation services

Substantially all of our revenues are generated by providing online travel reservation services, which facilitate online travel purchases between travel service providers and travelers.

Revenues from online travel reservation services are classified into two categories:

•Agency. Agency revenues are derived from travel-related transactions where we do not facilitate payments from travelers for the services provided. Agency revenues consist almost entirely of travel reservation commissions from our accommodation, rental car, and airline reservation services. Substantially all of our agency revenue is from Booking.com's accommodation reservations.

•Merchant. Merchant revenues are derived from travel-related transactions where we facilitate payments from travelers for the services provided, generally at the time of booking. Merchant revenues are derived from transactions where travelers book accommodation, rental car, airline reservations, and other travel related services. The majority of our merchant revenue is from Booking.com's accommodation reservations. Merchant revenues include:

◦travel reservation commissions and transaction net revenues (i.e., the amount charged to travelers, including the impact of merchandising, less the amount owed to travel service providers) in connection with our merchant reservation services;

◦revenues from facilitating payments, such as credit card processing rebates and customer processing fees; and

◦ancillary fees, including travel-related insurance revenues.

Advertising and other revenues

Advertising and other revenues are derived primarily from:

•revenues earned by KAYAK for (a) sending referrals to OTCs and travel service providers and (b) advertising placements on its platforms; and

•revenues earned by OpenTable for (a) restaurant reservation services (fees paid by restaurants for diners seated through OpenTable's online reservation service) and (b) subscription fees for restaurant management services.

Agency, merchant, and advertising and other revenues increased in 2022 compared to 2021 due primarily to the continued improvement in gross bookings as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessened in 2022 versus 2021, partially offset by the negative impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations. Merchant revenues in 2022 increased more than agency revenues due to the expansion of merchant accommodation reservation services at Booking.com.

Total revenues as a percentage of gross bookings was 14.1% in 2022, down from 14.3% in 2021 due to investments in merchandising and an increase in the mix of airline ticket gross bookings, partially offset by increased revenues from facilitating payments.

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Operating Expenses

Marketing Expenses

Marketing expenses consist primarily of the costs of:

•search engine keyword purchases;

•referrals from meta-search and travel research websites;

•affiliate programs;

•offline and online brand marketing; and

•other performance-based marketing and incentives.

We adjust our marketing spend based on our growth and profitability objectives, as well as the travel demand and expected ROIs in our marketing channels. We rely on our marketing channels to generate a significant amount of traffic to our websites. Our marketing expenses, which are substantially variable in nature, increased significantly in 2022 compared to 2021, due primarily to the continued improvement in travel demand as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessened in 2022 versus 2021. Marketing expenses as a percentage of total gross bookings decreased slightly in 2022 compared to 2021 due to year-over-year increases in the mix of direct traffic, partially offset by year-over-year decreases in performance marketing ROIs. Performance marketing ROIs were lower in 2022 versus 2021 due to our efforts to invest in marketing during the recovery in the travel industry in 2022.

Sales and Other Expenses

Sales and other expenses consist primarily of:

•credit card and other payment processing fees associated with merchant transactions;

•fees paid to third parties that provide call center, website content translations, and other services;

•chargeback provisions and fraud prevention expenses associated with merchant transactions;

•provisions for expected credit losses, primarily related to accommodation commission receivables and prepayments to certain customers; and

•customer relations costs.

Sales and other expenses, which are substantially variable in nature, increased significantly in 2022 compared to 2021, due primarily to an increase in merchant transaction costs of $573 million, and an increase in third-party call center costs of $235 million. Merchant transactions increased year-over-year in 2022 due to the continued improvement in travel demand trends as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessened in 2022 versus 2021, as well as the expansion of merchant accommodation reservation services at Booking.com. The year-over-year increase in third-party call center costs in 2022 was due in part to the transfer of certain customer service operations of Booking.com to Majorel, which shifted costs from personnel expenses to sales and other expenses.

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Personnel

Personnel expenses consist primarily of:

•salaries;

•bonuses;

•stock-based compensation;

•payroll taxes; and

•employee health and other benefits.

Personnel expenses, excluding stock-based compensation, increased 6% in 2022 compared to 2021, due to an increase in salary expense of $139 million and an increase in bonus expense accruals of $66 million, partially offset by the $136 million expense, recorded in 2021, associated with the return of government assistance received through various government aid programs. Employee headcount of approximately 21,600 as of December 31, 2022 increased by 6% as compared to December 31, 2021. Personnel expenses in 2022 and employee headcount as of December 31, 2022 were reduced due to the transfer of certain customer service operations of Booking.com to Majorel which shifted costs from personnel expenses to sales and other expenses. Stock-based compensation expense was $404 million in 2022 compared to $370 million in 2021.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of:

•indirect taxes such as digital services taxes and travel transaction taxes;

•fees for outside professionals;

•occupancy and office expenses; and

•personnel-related expenses such as travel, relocation, recruiting, and training expenses.

General and administrative expenses increased in 2022 compared to 2021 due to an increase of $167 million in indirect taxes driven by higher digital services taxes, as well as the $46 million accrual related to the potential settlement of an Italian indirect tax matter. See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements. The year-over-year increase in general and administrative expenses was also driven by an increase of $75 million in personnel-related expenses and an increase of $53 million in fees for professional services. The year-over-year increase in digital services taxes was driven by the improvement in revenue.

Information Technology

Information technology expenses consist primarily of:

•software license and system maintenance fees;

•cloud computing costs and outsourced data center costs;

•payments to contractors; and

•data communications and other expenses associated with operating our services.

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Information technology expenses increased in 2022 compared to 2021 due to increased cloud computing costs, payments to contractors, and software license fees.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expenses consist of:

•amortization of intangible assets with determinable lives;

•amortization of internally-developed and purchased software;

•depreciation of computer equipment; and

•depreciation of leasehold improvements, furniture and fixtures, and office equipment.

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased in 2022 compared to 2021 due to increased amortization expense related to the acquisition of Getaroom, partially offset by decreased depreciation of computer equipment and leasehold improvements.

Restructuring, Disposal, and Other Exit Activities

* Not meaningful

Restructuring, disposal, and other exit activities in 2022 includes the gain of $240 million on the sale and leaseback transaction related to Booking.com's future headquarters building (see Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements), partially offset by a loss of $41 million related to the transfer of certain customer service operations of Booking.com to Majorel. Restructuring, disposal, and other exit activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 principally relate to the restructuring charges as a result of restructuring actions taken in 2020 and are primarily related to employee severance and other termination benefits at Booking.com (see Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements).

Interest Expense

Interest expense increased for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to higher interest rates relating to our cash management activities (with related income recorded in interest income) and the issuance of senior notes in November 2022. This was offset in part by the impact of the adoption on January 1, 2022 of the new accounting standards update for convertible instruments, the redemption of senior notes with higher interest rates in April 2021, and the maturity in September 2021 of convertible senior notes. The amortization of debt discount on convertible debt was recorded in Interest expense. With the adoption of the new accounting standards update, such amortization is not recorded in the financial statements for periods after January 1, 2022 (see Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements).

Other Income (Expense), Net

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The following table sets forth the composition of "Other income (expense), net" for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:

See Note 21 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Interest and dividend income increased for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to the impact of higher interest rates on cash management activities (with related expenses recorded in interest expense) and investment activities.

See Notes 5 and 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to net losses on equity securities and the impairment of an investment in equity securities.

Foreign currency transaction (losses) gains for the year ended December 31, 2022 includes gains of $46 million related to our Euro-denominated debt and accrued interest that were not designated as net investment hedges and losses of $52 million on derivative contracts. Foreign currency transaction gains for the year ended December 31, 2021 includes gains of $135 million related to our Euro-denominated debt and accrued interest that were not designated as net investment hedges and losses of $30 million on derivative contracts.

Loss on early extinguishment of debt is related to our Senior Notes due April 2025 and our Senior Notes due April 2027 that were redeemed in April 2021 (see Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements).

Income Taxes

Our 2022 effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21%, primarily due to higher international tax rates, a valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets related to certain unrealized losses on equity securities, certain non-deductible expenses, and an increase in unrecognized tax benefits, partially offset by the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax (discussed below). Our 2021 effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21%, primarily due to the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax, partially offset by higher international tax rates and an increase in unrecognized tax benefits.

Our effective tax rate was higher for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to lower benefit resulting from the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax and higher valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets related to certain unrealized losses on equity securities, partially offset by lower international tax rates.

Under Dutch corporate income tax law, income generated from qualifying innovative activities is taxed at a rate of 9% ("Innovation Box Tax") for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2021 rather than the Dutch statutory rate of 25%. Previously, the Innovation Box Tax rate was 7%. Effective January 1, 2022, the Netherlands corporate income tax rate increased from 25% to 25.8%. A portion of Booking.com's earnings during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 qualified for Innovation Box Tax treatment, which had a significant beneficial impact on our effective tax rates for these periods. For more information regarding the Innovation Box Tax, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may not be able to maintain our 'Innovation Box Tax' benefit."

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Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2021 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020

For a comparison of our results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, see Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2022.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our financial results and prospects are almost entirely dependent on facilitating the sale of travel-related services. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting implementation of restrictive measures resulted in a significant decline in travel activities and consumer demand for related services, in 2020 in particular. For more information, see Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "The COVID-19 pandemic has materially adversely affected, and may further adversely impact, our business and financial performance."

Marketing expenses and personnel expenses are the most significant operating expenses for our business. We rely on marketing channels to generate a significant amount of traffic to our websites. See our Consolidated Statements of Operations and "Trends" and "Results of Operations" above for additional information on marketing expenses and personnel expenses including stock-based compensation expenses.

Our continued access to sources of liquidity depends on multiple factors, including global economic conditions, the condition of global financial markets, the availability of sufficient amounts of financing, our ability to meet debt covenant requirements, our operating performance, and our credit ratings. If our credit ratings were to be downgraded, or financing sources were to ascribe higher risk to our rating levels, our industry or us, our access to capital and the cost of any financing would be negatively impacted. There is no guarantee that additional debt financing will be available in the future to fund our obligations, or that it will be available on commercially reasonable terms, in which case we may need to seek other sources of funding. In addition, the terms of future debt agreements could include more restrictive covenants than those we are currently subject to, which could restrict our business operations. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "Our liquidity, credit ratings, and ongoing access to capital could be materially and negatively affected by global financial conditions and events."

At December 31, 2022, we had $15.2 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term and long-term investments, of which approximately $9.3 billion is held by our international subsidiaries. Cash, cash equivalents, and long-term investments held by our international subsidiaries are denominated primarily in Euros, Hong Kong Dollars, and British Pounds Sterling. Cash equivalents and short-term and long-term investments are principally comprised of money market fund investments, time deposits and certificates of deposit, government and corporate debt securities, equity securities of Meituan, Grab Holdings Limited ("Grab") and DiDi Global Inc. ("DiDi"), and our investments in private companies. We completed the sale of our investment in equity securities of Meituan in February 2023 and received gross proceeds of $1.7 billion. See Notes 5 and 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Deferred merchant bookings of $2.2 billion at December 31, 2022 represents cash payments received from travelers in advance of us completing our performance obligations and are comprised principally of amounts estimated to be payable to travel service providers as well as our estimated future revenue for our commission or margin and fees. The amounts are mostly subject to refunds for cancellations.

At December 31, 2022, we had a remaining transition tax liability of $811 million as a result of the Tax Act, which included $711 million reported as "Long-term U.S. transition tax liability" and $100 million included in "Accrued expenses and other current liabilities" in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. This liability will be paid over the next four years. In accordance with the Tax Act, generally, future repatriation of our international cash will not be subject to a U.S. federal income tax liability as a dividend, but will be subject to U.S. state income taxes and international withholding taxes, which have been accrued by us. In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was enacted into law in the United States. The key provisions applicable to us include a 15% corporate minimum tax on book income. In addition, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may have exposure to additional tax liabilities."

In August 2019, we entered into a $2.0 billion five-year unsecured revolving credit facility with a group of lenders. The revolving credit facility provides for the issuance of up to $80 million of letters of credit as well as borrowings of up to $100 million on same-day notice, referred to as swingline loans. The proceeds of loans made under the facility can be used for working capital and general corporate purposes, including acquisitions, share repurchases and debt repayments. At December 31, 2022, there were no borrowings outstanding and $14 million of letters of credit issued under this revolving credit facility. The revolving credit facility contains a maximum leverage ratio covenant. After a 2020 amendment to the revolving credit facility, the permitted maximum leverage ratio is increased through and including the three months ending March 31, 2023 and we may not declare or make any cash distribution or repurchase any of our shares (with certain exceptions including in connection with tax withholding related to shares issued to employees) unless we are in compliance on a pro forma basis with the maximum leverage ratio covenant then in effect. Such restriction ends upon delivery of financial statements required for the three months ending June 30, 2023, or we have the ability to terminate this restriction earlier if we demonstrate compliance with the original maximum leverage ratio covenant in the revolving credit facility. At December 31, 2022, we were

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in compliance with the relevant maximum leverage ratio covenant. There can be no assurance that we will be able to meet the maximum leverage ratio covenant at any particular time, and our ability to borrow under the revolving credit facility depends on compliance with the covenant. Further, the lenders have the right to require repayment of any amounts borrowed under the facility if we are not in compliance with the covenant.

In November 2022, the Company issued senior notes for an aggregate principal amount of 3.5 billion Euros with interest rates ranging from 4.0% to 4.75% and with maturity dates ranging from November 2026 to November 2034. The Company paid $19 million in debt issuance costs during the year ended December 31, 2022 related to the issuance of these senior notes. A portion of the proceeds from the issuance of these senior notes were used to repay the Senior Notes due November 2022 (the "November 2022 Notes"). In addition, we intend to repay the Senior Notes due March 2023 from these proceeds upon maturity. The remaining proceeds from the issuance of these senior notes are available to be used for general corporate purposes.

In November 2022, we repaid $778 million on the maturity of the November 2022 Notes. In March 2022, the Company repaid $1.1 billion on the maturity of Senior Notes due March 2022. In addition, the Company paid the applicable accrued and unpaid interest relating to these senior notes.

At December 31, 2022, we had outstanding senior notes with varying maturities for an aggregate principal amount of $12.5 billion, with $500 million payable within the next twelve months. The senior notes had a cumulative interest to maturity of $2.4 billion, with $365 million payable within the next twelve months. See Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our debt arrangements, including principal amounts, interest rates and maturity dates.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, we repurchased shares of our common stock for an aggregate cost of $6.7 billion. At December 31, 2022, we had a total remaining amount of $3.9 billion authorized by our Board of Directors to repurchase our common stock. In February 2023, our Board authorized a program to repurchase up to an additional $20.0 billion of our common stock. We expect to complete repurchases under the two authorizations within the next four years, assuming we remain in compliance with the applicable maximum leverage ratio covenant under the credit facility amendment. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has mandated a 1% excise tax on stock repurchases effective from January 1, 2023. See Notes 12 and 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements. Stock repurchases subsequent to December 31, 2022 were approximately $542 million as of February 22, 2023.

In November 2021, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire global flight booking provider Etraveli Group for approximately 1.6 billion Euros ($1.7 billion). Completion of the acquisition is subject to certain closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

In December 2022, we entered into a sale and leaseback transaction for Booking.com’s future headquarters building. The building was sold for an aggregate consideration of approximately 566 million Euros ($601 million) and we concurrently entered into an agreement to lease the building from the purchaser for an initial term of 16.5 years, with up to five renewal options of five years each. The annual base rent under the lease is 24 million Euros ($26 million) and will increase annually based on the consumer price index, subject to a specified ceiling. See Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

At December 31, 2022, we had lease obligations of $867 million. See Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on our obligations related to operating and financing leases. Additionally, at December 31, 2022, we had, in the aggregate, $378 million of non-cancellable purchase obligations individually greater than $10 million payable over the next five years, of which $143 million is payable within the next twelve months. Such purchase obligations relate to agreements to purchase goods and services that are enforceable and legally binding, that specify all significant terms, including the quantities to be purchased, price provisions, and the approximate timing of the transaction.

At December 31, 2022 there were $452 million of standby letters of credit and bank guarantees issued on our behalf. These are obtained primarily for regulatory purposes.

See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our commitments and contingencies.

We believe that our existing cash balances and liquid resources will be sufficient to fund our operating activities, capital expenditures, and other obligations through at least the next twelve months. However, if we are not successful in generating sufficient cash flow from operations or in raising additional capital when required in sufficient amounts and on terms acceptable to us, we may be required to reduce our planned capital expenditures and scale back the scope of our business plans,

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either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, our ability to compete or our future growth prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. If additional funds were raised through the issuance of equity securities, the percentage ownership of our then current stockholders would be diluted. We may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations in the future, revenue growth or sustained profitability may not be realized, and future borrowings or equity sales may not be available in amounts sufficient to make anticipated capital expenditures, finance our strategies, or repay our indebtedness.

Cash Flow Analysis

Year Ended December 31, 2022 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $6.6 billion, resulting from net income of $3.1 billion, a favorable net impact of $1.7 billion from adjustments for non-cash items and the gain on the sale and leaseback transaction, and a favorable net change in working capital and long-term assets and liabilities of $1.8 billion. Non-cash items were principally associated with net losses on equity securities, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense and other stock-based payments, deferred income tax benefit, provision for expected credit losses and chargebacks, and operating lease amortization. For the year ended December 31, 2022, deferred merchant bookings and other current liabilities increased by $3.7 billion, and accounts receivable increased by $1.2 billion, primarily due to increases in business volumes.

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $2.8 billion, resulting from net income of $1.2 billion, a favorable impact of $1.4 billion from adjustments for non-cash items and the loss on early extinguishment of debt, and a favorable net change in working capital and other long-term assets and liabilities of $269 million. Non-cash items were principally associated with net losses on equity securities, deferred income tax benefit, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense and other stock-based payments, and operating lease amortization. For the year ended December 31, 2021, accounts receivable increased by $1.0 billion and deferred merchant bookings and other current liabilities increased by $1.5 billion, primarily due to increases in business volumes.

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $518 million, principally resulting from purchases of investments of $768 million, primarily in various corporate and government debt securities (see Note 5), as well as from purchases of property and equipment of $368 million. This was partially offset by proceeds from the sale and leaseback transaction of $601 million and proceeds from the sales and maturities of investments of $32 million. Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $1.0 billion, principally resulting from the acquisition of Getaroom of $1.2 billion and purchases of property and equipment of $304 million. This was partially offset by proceeds from the sales and maturities of investments of $508 million, net of purchases of $17 million.

Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $4.9 billion, almost entirely resulting from payments for the repurchase of common stock of $6.6 billion and payments on the maturity of debt of $1.9 billion. This was partially offset by the proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt of $3.6 billion. Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $1.2 billion, almost entirely resulting from payments on the redemption and conversion of debt of $3.1 billion and payments for the repurchase of common stock of $163 million, partially offset by the proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt of $2.0 billion.

Year Ended December 31, 2021 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020

For a comparison of our cash flow activities for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, see Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2022.

Contingencies

For information related to the French and other tax assessments and other tax matters, see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Part I, Item IA, Risk Factors - "We may have exposure to additional tax liabilities."

For information related to the pension matter and our other contingent liabilities, see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements, including the notes to those statements, and the Section entitled "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements," included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in any forward-looking statements, which may be due to factors discussed in "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We evaluate certain operating and financial measures on both an as-reported and constant-currency basis. We calculate constant currency by converting our current-year period operating and financial results for transactions recorded in currencies other than U.S. Dollars using the corresponding prior-year period monthly average exchange rates rather than the current-year period monthly average exchange rates.

Overview

Our mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. We connect consumers who wish to make travel reservations with travel service providers around the world through our online platforms. Consumers can also use our meta-search services to easily compare travel reservation information from hundreds of online travel platforms at once. We also offer various other services to consumers and partners, such as travel-related insurance products and restaurant management services to restaurants.

We offer these services through six primary consumer-facing brands: Booking.com, Priceline, agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK, and OpenTable. We continue to increase the collaboration, cooperation, and interdependency among our brands to provide consumers with the most comprehensive services. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements - Segment Reporting for information on our operating segments.

The results of our business outside of the U.S. consist of the results of Booking.com, agoda, and Rentalcars.com in their entirety and the parts of the KAYAK and OpenTable businesses located outside of the U.S. This classification is independent of where the consumer resides, where the consumer is physically located while using our services, or the location of the travel service provider or restaurant. For example, a reservation made through Booking.com (which is domiciled in the Netherlands) at a hotel in New York by a consumer in the U.S. is part of the results of our businesses outside of the U.S. In 2021, the revenues from our businesses outside of the U.S. (the substantial majority of which is generated by Booking.com through facilitating accommodation reservations) represented approximately 87% of our consolidated revenues. See Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more geographic information.

We derive substantially all of our revenues from enabling consumers to make travel service reservations. We also earn revenues from advertising services, restaurant reservations and restaurant management services, and various other services, such as travel-related insurance revenues.

Trends

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting implementation of travel restrictions by governments around the world resulted in a significant decline in travel activities and consumer demand for related services in 2020 in particular. Accommodation room nights, which include the impact of cancellations, declined rapidly as the COVID-19 pandemic spread in the first quarter of 2020 and the beginning of the second quarter of 2020. Since the beginning of the second quarter of 2020 and through 2021, accommodation room night declines versus the comparable period in 2019 have generally improved as government-imposed travel restrictions have eased, vaccines and other medical interventions have become more widespread, and consumer demand for travel has started to rebound. However, there have been periods of worsening trends due to spikes in COVID-19 cases and newly implemented travel restrictions, primarily related to new variants.

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We have observed an improvement in cancellation rates since the high in April 2020, though we have seen periods of elevated cancellation rates typically coinciding with significant increases in COVID-19 cases and newly imposed restrictions. The cancellation rate in 2021 improved meaningfully when compared to 2020 but remained a few percentage points higher than in 2019. In 2021, a higher share of our room nights were booked with flexible cancellation policies, as compared to 2019 and 2020, which could result in higher than normal cancellation rates in future quarters. Increases in cancellation rates can negatively impact our marketing efficiency and we may see increased customer service costs as we did early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, we saw an increase in the share of room nights booked for international travel (travelers booking a stay at a property located outside their own country) versus 2020, however, the share remained well below 2019 levels. Since the second quarter of 2020, the share of room nights booked for international travel has been substantially lower than 2019 levels, as government-imposed travel restrictions have generally limited international travel more than domestic travel (travelers booking a stay within their own country).

We have seen an increase in the share of room nights booked on a mobile device and an increased share of mobile app bookings in 2021 as compared to 2019 and 2020. We also see favorable repeat direct booking behavior from consumers in our apps and they allow us more opportunities to engage directly with consumers. The revenue earned on a mobile transaction may be less than a typical desktop transaction due to different consumer purchasing patterns. For example, accommodation reservations made on a mobile device typically are for shorter lengths of stay, have lower accommodation average daily rates ("ADRs"), and are not made as far in advance.

Our global ADRs increased in 2021 as compared to 2019, due in part to changes in the geographical mix of our business driven primarily by stronger room night performance in North America, which is a high ADR region, and weaker room night performance in Asia, which is a low ADR region. In addition, our global ADRs in 2021 benefited from higher ADRs in Europe and North America as compared to 2019, driven by rate increases across many destination types with notable strength in beach-oriented leisure destinations. Global ADRs in 2020 were meaningfully below 2019 ADRs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, we observed a trend of declining constant-currency accommodation ADRs partially driven by the negative impact of the changing geographical mix of our business (e.g., lower ADR regions like Asia were generally growing faster than higher ADR regions like Western Europe and North America) as well as pricing pressures within local markets from time to time. Those declining ADR trends we experienced prior to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in and could in the future result in our gross bookings growing less than our room nights. As the travel market continues to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect travel industry ADRs generally to increase from the pandemic lows in 2020, and as a result our ADRs to increase similarly, however, the pace of recovery and improvement in industry ADRs remains highly uncertain.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced many years of growth in our accommodation reservation services. We believe this growth was the result of, among other things, the broader shift of travel purchases from offline to online, the widespread adoption of mobile devices, and the growth of travel overall. We also believe this growth was the result of the continued innovation and execution by our teams around the world to increase the number and the variety of accommodations we offer consumers, increase and improve content, build distribution, and improve the consumer experience on our online platforms, as well as to consistently and effectively market our brands through performance and brand marketing efforts. As the travel market recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect to see higher than pre-COVID-19 pandemic growth rates until we return to the level of travel market demand that we observed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, after which we expect prior trends to generally resume. However, we believe that we have an opportunity to grow the size of our business beyond pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels in both mature and less mature markets.

We are constantly innovating to grow our business by, among other things, providing a best-in-class user experience with intuitive, easy-to-use online platforms to ensure that we are meeting the needs of online consumers while aiming to exceed

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their expectations. As part of these ongoing efforts, we have a long-term strategy to build a more integrated offering of multiple elements of travel connected by a payment platform, which we refer to as the "Connected Trip," and we expect these efforts to increase room night growth and revenue growth over time. We may see a negative impact on our operating margins in the near term as we incur the expenses associated with Connected Trip-related investments. Further, to the extent our non-accommodation services (e.g., airline ticket reservation services) have lower margins and grow faster than our accommodation services, whether as part of the Connected Trip or otherwise, our operating margins may be negatively affected. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may not be able to keep up with rapid technological or other market changes."

As part of our strategy to provide more payment options to consumers and travel service providers, increase the number and variety of accommodations available on Booking.com, and enable our long-term Connected Trip strategy, Booking.com is increasingly processing transactions on a merchant basis, where it facilitates payments from travelers for the services provided. This allows Booking.com to process transactions for travel service providers and to increase its ability to offer secure and flexible transaction terms to consumers, such as the form and timing of payment. We believe that adding these types of service offerings will benefit consumers and travel service providers, as well as our gross bookings, room night, and earnings growth rates. However, this results in additional expenses for personnel, payment processing, chargebacks (including those related to fraud), and other expenses related to these transactions, which are recorded in "Personnel" and "Sales and other expenses" in our Consolidated Statements of Operations, as well as associated incremental revenues (e.g., credit card rebates), which are recorded in "Merchant revenues." To the extent more of our business is generated on a merchant basis, we incur a greater level of these merchant-related expenses, which negatively impacts our operating margins despite increases in associated incremental revenues.

We have established widely used and recognized e-commerce brands through marketing and promotional campaigns. Our marketing expenses, which are comprised of performance marketing and brand marketing expenses, declined significantly as a result of the negative impact on travel demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, our marketing expense increased significantly versus 2020 as a result of the improving demand environment and our own efforts to invest in marketing, but remained below 2019 levels. Our performance marketing expense, which represents a substantial majority of our marketing expense, is primarily related to the use of online search engines (primarily Google), meta-search and travel research services, and affiliate marketing to generate traffic to our platforms. Our brand marketing expense is primarily related to costs associated with producing and airing television advertising, online video advertising (for example, on YouTube and Facebook), online display advertising, and other brand marketing. Total marketing expenses were $3.8 billion, $2.2 billion, and $5.0 billion for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively.

Marketing efficiency, expressed as marketing expense as a percentage of gross bookings, and performance marketing returns on investment ("ROIs") are impacted by a number of factors that are subject to variability and are in some cases outside of our control, including ADRs, costs per click, cancellation rates, foreign currency exchange rates, our ability to convert paid traffic to booking customers, and the timing and effectiveness of our brand marketing campaigns. Marketing efficiency can also be impacted by the extent to which consumers come directly to our platforms for bookings. In 2021, the share of room nights booked by consumers coming directly to our platforms increased as compared to 2020 and 2019, which benefits marketing efficiency.

In recent years, we observed periods of stable or increasing ROIs. In 2021, ROIs were about in line with 2019 levels and increased versus 2020 when ROIs were negatively impacted by a significant increase in cancellation rates early in the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect volatility in our ROIs as the pandemic continues to affect travel, and that ROIs could be negatively impacted in the future by increased levels of competition and other factors. When evaluating our performance marketing spend, we typically consider several factors for each channel, such as the customer experience on the advertising platform, the incremental traffic we receive, and the anticipated repeat rate from a particular platform. See Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We rely on marketing channels to generate a significant amount of traffic to our platforms and grow our business." and "Our business could be negatively affected by changes in online search and meta-search algorithms and dynamics or traffic-generating arrangements."

Historically, our growth has primarily been generated by the worldwide accommodation reservation business of our most significant brand, Booking.com, due in part to the availability of a large number of properties through Booking.com. Booking.com included approximately 2.4 million properties on its website at December 31, 2021, consisting of over 400,000 hotels, motels, and resorts, and over 1.9 million homes, apartments, and other unique places to stay, all of which were about in line with the number of properties on its website at December 31, 2020. Booking.com categorizes properties listed on its website as either (a) hotels, motels, and resorts, which groups together more traditional accommodation types (including hostels and inns), or (b) homes, apartments, and other unique places to stay, also referred to as alternative accommodations, which encompasses all other types of accommodations, including bed and breakfasts, villas, apart-hotels, and beyond. We intend to

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continue to improve the accommodation choices available for reservation on our platforms but the number of accommodations on our platforms may vary in part as a result of removing or adding accommodations from time to time.

The share of Booking.com’s room nights booked for alternative accommodation properties in 2021 was about 29%, which was about the same as the share of room nights in 2019 and down slightly from 2020. Prior to the pandemic, we observed an overall longer-term trend of an increasing share of room nights booked for alternative accommodation properties as consumer demand for these types of properties has grown, and as we have increased the number and variety of alternative accommodation properties available to consumers on Booking.com. We may experience lower profit margins due to certain additional costs, such as increased customer service costs, related to offering alternative accommodations on our platforms. As our alternative accommodation business has grown, these different characteristics have negatively impacted our profit margins and this trend may continue.

Although we believe that providing an extensive collection of properties, excellent customer service, and an intuitive, easy-to-use consumer experience are important factors influencing a consumer's decision to make a reservation, for many consumers, particularly in certain markets, the price of the travel service is the primary factor determining whether a consumer will book a reservation. Discounting and couponing coupled with a high degree of consumer shopping behavior is particularly common in Asian markets. In some cases, our competitors are willing to make little or no profit on a transaction, or offer travel services at a loss, in order to gain market share. As a result, it is increasingly important to offer travel services, such as accommodation reservations, at a competitive price, whether through discounts, coupons, closed-user group rates or loyalty programs, increased flexibility in cancellation policies, or otherwise. These initiatives have resulted and in the future may result in lower ADRs and lower revenue as a percentage of gross bookings.

Many taxing authorities are increasingly focused on ways to increase tax revenues and have targeted large multinational technology companies in these efforts. As a result, many countries and some U.S. states have implemented or are considering the adoption of a digital services tax or similar tax that imposes a tax on revenue earned from digital advertisements or the use of online platforms, even when there is no physical presence in the jurisdiction. Currently, rates for this tax range from 1.5% to 10% of revenue deemed generated in the jurisdiction. The digital services taxes currently in effect, which we record in "General and administrative" expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, have negatively impacted our results of operations. While the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has been working on multinational tax changes that could require all member parties to remove all digital services taxes, the timing and details are not yet known. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may have exposure to additional tax liabilities."

Many national governments have conducted or are conducting investigations into competitive practices within the online travel industry, and we may be involved or affected by such investigations and their results. Some countries have adopted or proposed legislation that could also affect business practices within the online travel industry. For example, France, Italy, Belgium, and Austria have passed legislation prohibiting parity contract clauses in their entirety. Also, a number of governments are investigating or conducting information-gathering exercises with respect to compliance by online travel companies ("OTCs") with consumer protection laws, including practices related to the display of search results and search ranking algorithms, claims regarding discounts, disclosure of charges and availability, and similar messaging. In December 2020, the European Commission proposed the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act, which are expected to give regulators more instruments to investigate digital businesses and impose new rules on certain digital platforms if they are determined to be "gatekeepers." The proposed legislation is not final and it is not known what the laws will look like in their final forms. If regulators were to determine that we are a gatekeeper under the proposed legislation, we could be subject to additional rules and regulations not applicable to all our competitors and our business could be harmed. For more information on these matters and their potential effects on our business, see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "Our business is subject to various competition, consumer protection, and online commerce laws, rules, and regulations around the world, and as the size of our business grows, scrutiny of our business by legislators and regulators in these areas may intensify." In general, increased regulatory focus on online businesses, including online travel businesses like ours, could result in increased compliance costs or otherwise adversely affect our business.

Our businesses outside of the U.S. represent a substantial majority of our financial results, but because we report our results in U.S. Dollars, we face exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates as the financial results and the financial condition of our businesses outside of the U.S. are translated from local currency (principally Euros and British Pounds Sterling) into U.S. Dollars. As a result, both the absolute amounts of and percentage changes in our foreign-currency-denominated net assets, gross bookings, revenues, operating expenses, and net income as expressed in U.S. Dollars are affected by foreign currency exchange rate changes. For example, total revenues from our businesses outside of the U.S. increased by 58% in 2021 as compared to 2020, but without the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, increased year-over-year on a constant-currency basis by approximately 57%. Since our expenses are generally denominated in foreign currencies on a basis similar to our revenues, our operating margins have not been significantly impacted by currency fluctuations. We

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designate certain portions of the aggregate principal value of our Euro-denominated debt as a hedge of the foreign currency exposure of the net investment in certain Euro functional currency subsidiaries. Foreign currency transaction gains or losses on the Euro-denominated debt that is not designated as a hedging instrument for accounting purposes are recognized in "Other income (expense), net" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations (see Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements). Such foreign currency transaction gains or losses are dependent on the amount of net assets of the Euro functional currency subsidiaries, the amount of the Euro-denominated debt that is designated as a hedge, and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates."

We generally enter into derivative instruments to minimize the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations on our transactional balances denominated in currencies other than the functional currency. We will continue to evaluate the use of derivative instruments in the future. See Note 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our derivative contracts.

Outlook

In December 2021, the spread of the Omicron variant and renewed travel restrictions in certain markets contributed to a 35% decline in room nights relative to December 2019. In January 2022, we saw room nights decline about 22% relative to January 2019, and in the first half of February 2022 room nights were about in line with the first half of February 2019, in each case primarily driven by improving room night trends in Europe. Given these rapid changes, particularly during the last six weeks, we cannot accurately predict the number of room nights that will be booked in the first quarter of 2022. Following from the above, for the first quarter of 2022 we currently expect:

•the change in gross bookings relative to the first quarter of 2019 will be several percentage points better than the change in room nights for the same period primarily due to an increase in accommodation ADRs;

•revenues as a percentage of gross bookings will be lower than it was in the first quarter of 2019; and

•we will have an operating profit in the first quarter of 2022.

Seasonality and Other Timing Factors

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, our gross bookings were generally similar in the first three quarters of the year and higher than in the fourth quarter. We generally recognize our marketing activities as the expense is incurred, which is typically in the quarter when the gross bookings for the associated reservations are recognized. However, we would generally recognize revenue from these bookings when the travel begins (at "check-in"), and accommodation check-ins in Europe and North America are generally highest in the third quarter during those regions’ peak summer travel season and lowest in the first quarter. As a result of this timing difference between when we record marketing expense and when we generally recognize associated revenue, we typically experience our highest levels of profitability in the third quarter and our lowest level of profitability in the first quarter. In addition to the typical seasonality effects on our business, our quarterly results and quarterly year-over-year growth rates can be impacted by:

•The length of the booking window (the average time between the booking of a travel reservation and when the travel begins), which impacts the relationship between our gross bookings (recognized at the time of booking) and our revenues (recognized at the time of check-in);

•The level of acceleration or deceleration in the gross bookings growth rate. For example, our operating margins are typically negatively impacted in the near term from gross bookings and related variable marketing expense growth acceleration, as revenue growth is typically less impacted by accelerating gross bookings growth in the near term. Any such acceleration would positively impact revenue growth in subsequent periods as a portion of the revenue recognized from such gross bookings will occur in future quarters. Conversely, in periods where our gross bookings growth rate substantially decelerates, our operating margins typically benefit; and

•The date on which certain holidays (e.g., Easter and Ramadan) fall.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the booking window and seasonality of our business in 2020 and 2021. For example, in 2021 we saw a contraction of the booking window as an increased percentage of bookings were made for travel that was to occur close to the time of booking. It is difficult to accurately predict travel patterns given the COVID-19 pandemic, and we may not experience typical seasonality effects on our business throughout the duration of the pandemic, and potentially for some time thereafter. As the travel market recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect to see periods of

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gross bookings growth rate acceleration, which will likely result in periods where our operating margins are negatively impacted due to the timing difference of when marketing expense is recorded and when revenue is recognized.

Other Factors

We believe that our future success depends in large part on our ability to continue to profitably grow our brands worldwide, and, over time, to offer other travel and travel-related services. Factors beyond our control, such as terrorist attacks, extreme weather or natural disasters, travel-related health concerns including pandemics and epidemics such as COVID-19, wars and regional hostilities, travel-related accidents, or increased focus on the environmental impact of travel, can disrupt travel, limit the ability or willingness of travelers to visit certain locations, or otherwise result in declines in travel demand, negatively affecting our business and results of operations. See Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "The COVID-19 pandemic has materially adversely affected, and may further adversely impact, our business and financial performance." and "Declines or disruptions in the travel industry could adversely affect our business and financial performance."

The extent of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations, cash flows and growth prospects is highly uncertain and will ultimately depend on future developments. While we have seen signs of a recovery in travel demand in most parts of the world, we continue to expect that our business will be adversely impacted by surges of COVID-19 case counts, including those driven by variants of COVID-19, as well as any government-imposed travel restrictions in reaction to COVID-19 outbreaks, which could remain a risk for an extended period of time. Over the long term, we intend to continue to invest in marketing and promotion, technology, and personnel within parameters consistent with attempts to improve long-term operating results, even if those expenditures create pressure on operating margins. In recent years, we have experienced pressure on operating margins as we invested in initiatives to drive future growth. We also intend to broaden the scope of our business, including exploring strategic alternatives such as acquisitions.

The competition for technology talent in our industry has intensified, including among established technology companies, startups, and companies transitioning to digital. The competition for talent is exacerbated by an increased willingness of certain companies to offer flexible and remote working policies, which expands the pool of candidates from which our competitors may attract talent. This could continue in the future due to an actual or perceived slower pace of recovery of the travel industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic than other industries and other factors beyond our control. As a result of the highly competitive labor market, our personnel expenses to attract and retain key talent are increasing, which may adversely affect our results of operations. See Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We rely on the performance of highly skilled employees; and, if we are unable to retain or motivate key employees or attract, retain, and motivate well-qualified employees, our business would be harmed."

Critical Accounting Estimates

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is based upon our Consolidated Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S. GAAP"). Our significant accounting policies and estimates are more fully described in Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements. Certain of our accounting estimates are particularly important to our financial position and results of operations and require us to make difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. We use our judgment to determine the appropriate assumptions to be used in the determination of certain estimates and we evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis. Estimates are based on historical experience, terms of existing contracts, our observance of trends in the travel industry, and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Matters that involve significant estimates and judgments of management include the following:

Valuation of Goodwill and other Long-lived Assets

The application of the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions to determine the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Our estimates of the fair value are based upon assumptions that we believe are reasonable. When we deem appropriate, we utilize assistance from third-party valuation firms. The consideration transferred is allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their respective fair values at the acquisition date. The excess of the consideration transferred over the net of the amounts allocated to the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recognized as goodwill. Goodwill is assigned to reporting units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the business combination.

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A substantial portion of our intangible assets and goodwill relates to the acquisitions of OpenTable, KAYAK, and Getaroom. See Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information related to the acquisition of Getaroom in December 2021.

We review long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. The assessment of possible impairment is based upon the ability to recover the carrying value of the assets from the estimated undiscounted future net cash flows, before interest and taxes, of the related asset group. As of December 31, 2021, no impairment indicators were identified for our long-lived assets.

We test goodwill for impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. We test goodwill at a reporting unit level and our annual goodwill impairment tests are performed as of September 30. As of September 30, 2021, we performed our annual goodwill impairment test and concluded that there was no impairment of goodwill. No additional impairment indicators were identified as of December 31, 2021.

2020 Interim Goodwill Impairment Test

Due to the significant and negative financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (see Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements), we performed an interim period goodwill impairment test at March 31, 2020 and recognized a goodwill impairment charge of $489 million related to the OpenTable and KAYAK reporting unit for the three months ended March 31, 2020, which is not tax-deductible, resulting in an adjusted carrying value of goodwill for OpenTable and KAYAK of $1.5 billion at March 31, 2020. The goodwill impairment was primarily driven by a significant reduction in the forecasted near-term cash flows of OpenTable and KAYAK as well as the significant decline in comparable companies' market values as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The estimated fair value of OpenTable and KAYAK was determined using a combination of standard valuation techniques, including an income approach (discounted cash flows) and a market approach (applying the recent decline in enterprise values of comparable publicly-traded companies to the recently calculated fair value for OpenTable and KAYAK as well as applying comparable company multiples).

The income approach estimates fair value utilizing long-term growth rates and discount rates applied to the cash flow projections. In the cash flow projections, we assumed at the time that OpenTable and KAYAK would experience a significant decline in near-term cash flows with a recovery to 2019 levels of financial performance (including profitability) occurring in 2023. The shape and timing of the recovery was a key assumption in our fair value calculation (both in the income and market approaches).

2020 Annual Goodwill Impairment Test

As of September 30, 2020, we performed our annual goodwill impairment test and recognized a goodwill impairment charge of $573 million for the OpenTable and KAYAK reporting unit for the three months ended September 30, 2020, which is not tax-deductible, resulting in an adjusted carrying value of goodwill for OpenTable and KAYAK of $1.0 billion at September 30, 2020. The goodwill impairment was primarily driven by a significant reduction in the forecasted cash flows of OpenTable and KAYAK, reflecting a longer assumed recovery period to 2019 levels of profitability, mainly due to the continued material adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its impact on the flight vertical at KAYAK, and the lowered outlook for monetization opportunities in restaurant reservation services.

The estimated fair value of OpenTable and KAYAK was determined using a combination of standard valuation techniques, including an income approach (discounted cash flows) and a market approach (applying comparable company multiples).

The income approach estimates fair value utilizing long-term growth rates and discount rates applied to the cash flow projections. The income approach, applied as of September 30, 2020, reflected a reduction in the forecasted cash flows of OpenTable and KAYAK and a longer assumed recovery period to 2019 levels of profitability, driven primarily by a lowered outlook for monetization opportunities in restaurant reservation services and slower than previously expected recovery trends for airline travel, which is a key vertical for KAYAK. For the interim goodwill impairment test at March 31, 2020, we expected a recovery to 2019 levels of financial performance occurring in 2023 for OpenTable and KAYAK. Based on our evaluation of all relevant information available as of September 30, 2020 for the annual goodwill impairment test, we expected at the time that OpenTable and KAYAK would not return to the 2019 level of profitability within five years from that date, and that it was uncertain whether the shape of the recovery would ultimately match our expectations. An increase or decrease of one

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percentage point to the profitability growth rates used in the cash flow projections would have resulted in an increase or decrease of approximately $100 million to the estimated fair value of OpenTable and KAYAK as of September 30, 2020. The discount rate is determined based on the reporting unit’s estimated weighted-average cost of capital and adjusted to reflect the risks inherent in its cash flows, which requires significant judgments. The discount rate used for the annual goodwill impairment test as of September 30, 2020 was higher than the discount rate used for the interim goodwill impairment test as of March 31, 2020. If the discount rate used in the income approach increases or decreases by 0.5%, the impact to the estimated fair value of OpenTable and KAYAK, at September 30, 2020, would have ranged from a decrease of approximately $65 million to an increase of approximately $70 million.

The estimation of fair values of our reporting units reflect numerous assumptions that are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including key assumptions regarding each reporting unit’s expected growth rates and operating margin, expected length and severity of the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, the shape and timing of the subsequent recovery and the competitive environment, as well as other key assumptions with respect to matters outside of our control, such as discount rates and market comparables. It requires significant judgments and estimates and actual results could be materially different than the judgments and estimates used to estimate fair value. Future events and changing market conditions may lead us to re-evaluate the assumptions used to estimate the fair values of our reporting units, particularly the assumptions related to the length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shape and timing of the subsequent recovery, which may result in a need to recognize additional goodwill impairment charges that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Valuation of Investments in Private Companies

See Note 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to the investments in private companies. See Note 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on fair value measurements, including the three levels of inputs to measure fair value. When inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly (observable market data), is available at the measurement date and is not significantly adjusted using unobservable inputs, the observable inputs would be classified as Level 2 inputs. When little or no market data is available, the fair value of these investments are measured using unobservable inputs ("Level 3 inputs").

As of December 31, 2020, our investments measured using Level 3 inputs primarily consisted of preferred stock investments in privately-held companies that were classified as either debt securities or equity securities without readily determinable fair values. Fair values of privately held securities are estimated using a variety of valuation methodologies, including both market and income approaches. We have used valuation techniques appropriate for the type of investment and the information available about the investee as of the valuation date to determine fair value. Recent financing transactions in the investee, such as new investments in preferred stock, are generally considered the best indication of the enterprise value and therefore used as a basis to estimate fair value. However, based on a number of factors, such as the proximity in timing to the valuation date or the volume or other terms of these financing transactions, we may also use other valuation techniques to supplement this data, including the income approach. In addition, an option-pricing model ("OPM") is utilized to allocate value to the various classes of securities of the investee, including the class owned by us. The model includes assumptions around the investees’ expected time to liquidity and volatility.

Our investment in preferred shares of Grab Holdings Inc., which was classified as debt securities for accounting purposes at December 31, 2020, had an aggregate estimated fair value of $200 million at December 31, 2020. We measured this investment using Level 3 inputs and management's estimates that incorporated the current market participant expectations of future cash flows considered alongside recent financing transactions of the investee and other relevant information. In December 2021, pursuant to a business combination transaction involving Grab Holdings Inc., Grab Holdings Limited (“Grab”) and Altimeter Growth Corp. (the "Grab Transaction"), the preferred shares were converted to Class A ordinary shares of Grab and such ordinary shares began publicly trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market. As a result, the Company's investment was classified as equity securities with readily determinable fair values (see Note 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements). At December 31, 2021, the investment had a fair value of $301 million.

For our investment in the equity securities of DiDi Global Inc. ("DiDi"), considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (see Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements), we performed an impairment analysis as of March 31, 2020 that resulted in an adjusted carrying value of $400 million at each of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2020. As a result of DiDi's initial public offering in June 2021, we reclassified our DiDi investment as equity securities with readily determinable fair values. At December 31, 2021, the investment had a fair value of $195 million.

We had $51 million invested in Yanolja Co., Ltd. ("Yanolja") at December 31, 2021 and 2020. In July 2021, Yanolja announced a new round of funding into the company. The new round of funding and certain other transactions in the equity securities of Yanolja were completed in October 2021. As a result of these observable transactions, we recorded an unrealized

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gain of $255 million in "Other income (expense), net" in the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 that resulted in an adjusted carrying value of $306 million at December 31, 2021 (see Note 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements).

The determination of the fair values of investments in private companies, where we are a minority shareholder and have access to limited information from the investee, reflects numerous assumptions that are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including key assumptions regarding the investee’s expected growth rates and operating margin, expected length and severity of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the investee and the shape and timing of the subsequent recovery, as well as other key assumptions with respect to matters outside of our control, such as discount rates and market comparables. It requires significant judgments and estimates and actual results could be materially different than those judgments and estimates utilized in the fair value estimate. Future events and changing market conditions may lead us to re-evaluate the assumptions reflected in our valuation, particularly the assumptions related to the length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shape and timing of the recovery and the overall impact on the investee’s business, which may result in a need to recognize an additional impairment charge that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Income Taxes

We determine our tax expense based on our income and statutory tax rates applicable in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. Due to the complex nature of tax legislation and frequent changes with such associated legislation, significant judgment is required in computing our tax expense and determining our tax positions. The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act") enacted in December 2017 made significant changes to U.S. federal tax law, including a one-time deemed repatriation tax imposed on accumulated unremitted international earnings, to be paid over eight years. We do not intend to indefinitely reinvest our international earnings that were subject to U.S. taxation pursuant to the mandatory deemed repatriation or subject to U.S. taxation as global intangible low-taxed income ("GILTI").

We regularly review our deferred tax assets for recoverability considering historical profitability, projected future taxable income, the expected timing of the reversals of temporary differences, and tax planning strategies and record valuation allowances as required.

We are subject to ongoing tax examinations and assessments in various jurisdictions. We have been audited in many jurisdictions and from time to time face challenges regarding the amount of taxes due. These challenges include questions regarding the timing and amount of deductions that we have taken on our tax returns. Although we believe that our tax filing positions are reasonable and comply with applicable law, we regularly review our tax filing positions, especially in light of tax law or business practice changes, and we may change our positions or determine that previous positions should be amended, either of which could result in additional tax liabilities. The final determination of tax audits or tax disputes may be different from what is reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals.

The evaluation of tax positions and recognition of income tax benefits require significant judgement and we consult with external tax and legal counsel as appropriate. We consider the technical merits of our tax positions along with the applicable tax statutes, related interpretations and precedents, and our expectation of the outcome of proceedings (or negotiations) with tax authorities. We recognize liabilities when we believe that uncertain positions may not be fully sustained upon audit by the tax authorities, including any related appeals or litigation processes. Liabilities recognized for uncertain tax positions are based on a two-step approach for recognition and measurement. First, we evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained based on its technical merits. Second, we measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Interest and penalties attributable to uncertain tax positions, if any, are recognized as a component of income tax expense. The tax benefits ultimately realized by us may be different than what is recorded in the financial statements due to future events such as our settling the matter with the tax authorities and our success in sustaining our tax positions.

See Notes 15 and 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

Contingencies

Loss contingencies (other than income tax-related contingencies disclosed above) arise from actual or possible claims and assessments and pending or threatened litigation that may be brought against us by individuals, governments, or other entities. Based on our assessment of loss contingencies at each balance sheet date, a loss is recorded in the financial statements if it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. If the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated, we disclose information about the contingency in the financial statements. We also disclose information in our financial statements about reasonably possible loss contingencies.

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The determination of whether a loss is probable and whether the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated requires significant judgment and evaluation of all the underlying facts and circumstances, including judgments about the potential actions of third-party claimants, regulatory authorities, and courts. Claims, assessments, and litigations involve significant uncertainties such as the complexity of the facts, the legal theories involved, the nature of the claims, the judgment of the courts, the applicable methodology for determining potential damages, and, in the case of class actions, whether a class action can be certified and the extent to which members of a class would or would not file a claim.

On a quarterly basis, we update our analysis and estimates considering all available information, including the impact of negotiations, settlements, rulings, and advice of legal counsel. Changes in our assessment of whether a loss is probable, our estimate of the loss, or our determination of whether the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position. Changes in our assumptions regarding a particular matter or the effectiveness of our strategies related to legal and other proceedings could also have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position. For all loss contingencies, until a matter is finally resolved, there may be an exposure to loss in excess of the liability accrued for the matter and such amounts could be material.

See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements - See Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for details, which is incorporated into this Item 7 by reference thereto.

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Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2021 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020

We evaluate certain operating and financial measures on both an as-reported and constant-currency basis. We calculate constant currency by converting our current-year period operating and financial results for transactions recorded in currencies other than U.S. Dollars using the corresponding prior-year period monthly average exchange rates rather than the current-year period monthly average exchange rates.

Operating and Statistical Metrics

Our financial results are driven by certain operating metrics that encompass the booking and other business activity generated by our travel and travel-related services. Specifically, reservations of room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets capture the volume of units booked through our OTC brands by our travel reservation services customers. Gross bookings is an operating and statistical metric that captures the total dollar value, generally inclusive of taxes and fees, of all travel services booked through our OTC brands by our customers, net of cancellations, and is widely used in the travel business. Our non-OTC brands (KAYAK and OpenTable) have different business metrics from those of our OTC brands, so search queries through KAYAK and restaurant reservations through OpenTable do not contribute to our gross bookings.

Room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets reserved through our services for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were as follows:

Room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets reserved through our services increased significantly in 2021 compared to 2020 due primarily to the significant improvement in travel demand trends since the second quarter of 2020, which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The year-over-year increase in airline tickets in 2021 was also driven by strong execution and growth at Priceline, which operates primarily in the U.S. domestic travel market, a market that has recovered significantly faster than the global travel market from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to a lesser extent by strong growth at Booking.com, which had a relatively small amount of airline tickets booked in 2020.

Gross bookings resulting from reservations of room nights, rental car days, and airline tickets made through our agency and merchant categories for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were as follows (numbers may not total due to rounding):

Agency gross bookings are derived from travel-related transactions where we do not facilitate payments from travelers for the services provided, while merchant gross bookings are derived from services where we facilitate payments. Agency and merchant gross bookings increased in 2021 compared to 2020 due primarily to the significant improvement in travel demand trends since the second quarter of 2020, which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Merchant gross bookings increased more than agency gross bookings in 2021 compared to 2020 due to the expansion of merchant accommodation reservation services at Booking.com.

Gross bookings increased in 2021 compared to 2020 due primarily to the increase in room nights, accommodation ADRs of approximately 25%, on a constant-currency basis, and the positive impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations. Gross

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bookings resulting from reservations of rental car days and airline tickets also increased due to higher unit growth for both services.

Revenues

Online travel reservation services

Substantially all of our revenues are generated by providing online travel reservation services, which facilitate online travel purchases between travel service providers and travelers.

Revenues from online travel reservation services are classified into two categories:

•Agency. Agency revenues are derived from travel-related transactions where we do not facilitate payments from travelers for the services provided. Agency revenues consist almost entirely of travel reservation commissions from our accommodation, rental car, and airline reservation services. Substantially all of our agency revenue is from Booking.com agency accommodation reservations.

•Merchant. Merchant revenues are derived from travel-related transactions where we facilitate payments from travelers for the services provided, generally at the time of booking. Merchant revenues are derived from transactions where travelers book accommodation, rental car, and airline reservations. Merchant revenues include:

◦travel reservation commissions and transaction net revenues (i.e., the amount charged to travelers less the amount owed to travel service providers) in connection with our merchant reservation services;

◦credit card processing rebates and customer processing fees; and

◦ancillary fees, including travel-related insurance revenues.

Advertising and other revenues

Advertising and other revenues are derived primarily from:

•revenues earned by KAYAK for (a) sending referrals to OTCs and travel service providers and (b) advertising placements on its platforms; and

•revenues earned by OpenTable for (a) restaurant reservation services (fees paid by restaurants for diners seated through OpenTable's online reservation service) and (b) subscription fees for restaurant management services.

Agency and merchant revenues increased in 2021 compared to 2020 due primarily to the significant improvement in travel demand trends since the second quarter of 2020, which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Merchant revenues in 2021 increased more year-over-year than agency revenues due to the expansion of merchant accommodation reservation services at Booking.com.

Advertising and other revenues increased in 2021 compared to 2020 due primarily to the significant improvement in travel and restaurant demand trends since the second quarter of 2020, which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, since the second quarter of 2021 our advertising and other revenues benefited from fees payable by restaurants for diners seated through OpenTable's online reservation service and subscription fees for restaurant management services, as the program that waived those fees ended in March 2021.

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Total revenues as a percentage of gross bookings was 14.3% in 2021 compared to 19.2% in 2020. In 2021, revenues as a percentage of gross bookings was negatively impacted by the timing of booking versus travel as a lower amount of gross bookings made in 2020 were related to travel in 2021 than gross bookings made in 2021 related to expected travel in 2022, which is when we expect to recognize the associated revenue. In addition, in 2020, revenues as a percentage of gross bookings was positively impacted by timing of booking versus travel as revenue benefited from travel earlier in the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, while gross bookings were more negatively impacted by a significant increase in cancellations in March and April 2020.

Our businesses outside of the U.S. accounted for approximately $9.5 billion of our total revenues in 2021, a 58% increase compared to 2020. Total revenues attributable to our U.S. businesses increased 83% in 2021 compared to 2020. Revenues attributable to our U.S. businesses in 2021 increased more year-over-year than our businesses outside of the U.S. due mainly to growth at Priceline, which operates primarily in the U.S. domestic travel market, a market that has recovered significantly faster than the global travel market from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Operating Expenses

Marketing expenses

Marketing expenses consist primarily of the costs of:

•search engine keyword purchases;

•referrals from meta-search and travel research websites;

•affiliate programs;

•offline and online brand marketing; and

•other performance-based marketing and incentives.

We adjust our marketing spend based on our growth and profitability objectives, as well as the travel demand and expected ROIs in our marketing channels. We rely on our marketing channels to generate a significant amount of traffic to our websites. In 2021, our marketing expense, which is substantially variable in nature, increased significantly compared to 2020, due primarily to the improvement in travel demand trends since the second quarter of 2020, which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Marketing expenses as a percentage of total gross bookings decreased in 2021 compared to 2020 due to year-over-year increases in performance marketing ROIs and favorable changes in the share of traffic by channel in 2021.

Sales and Other Expenses

Sales and other expenses consist primarily of:

•credit card and other payment processing fees associated with merchant transactions;

•fees paid to third parties that provide call center, website content translations, and other services;

•chargeback provisions and fraud prevention expenses associated with merchant transactions;

•customer relations costs; and

•provisions for expected credit losses, primarily related to accommodation commission receivables and prepayments to certain customers.

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In 2021, sales and other expenses, which are substantially variable in nature, increased compared to 2020 due primarily to an increase in merchant transaction costs of $215 million and an increase in outsourced call center costs of $100 million. Merchant transactions increased in 2021 compared to 2020 due to the significant improvement in travel demand trends since the second quarter of 2020 and the expansion of merchant accommodation reservation services at Booking.com. The increase in merchant transaction and outsourced call center costs were partially offset by a decrease in expected credit loss expenses of $176 million in 2021 as we substantially increased our provision for expected credit losses in the first quarter of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personnel

Personnel expenses consist primarily of:

•salaries;

•stock-based compensation;

•bonuses;

•payroll taxes; and

•employee health and other benefits.

Personnel expenses excluding stock-based compensation expense increased 14% in 2021 compared to 2020 due to $136 million of expense in 2021 for the return of government assistance received through various government aid programs, a $126 million benefit from government grants and other assistance recognized in 2020, and a $124 million higher bonus expense accrual, partially offset by $127 million lower salary expenses.

Certain governments passed legislation to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic through loans, wage subsidies, tax relief, or other financial aid. We participated in several of these programs, including the Netherlands' wage subsidy program and the United Kingdom's job retention scheme. In 2021, we voluntarily returned assistance received through various government aid programs and we recorded the $136 million in expense mentioned above to reflect the return of such assistance.

In response to the reduction in our business volumes as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, during 2020 we took actions at all of our brands to reduce the size of our workforce to optimize efficiency and reduce costs, which resulted in annualized personnel cost savings relative to our personnel expense run rate at the end of the first quarter of 2020 of approximately $370 million. Headcount was flat year-over-year at 20,300 as of December 31, 2021, but given the timing of our restructuring actions in the second half of 2020, the average headcount for 2021 decreased about 20% compared to 2020.

Stock-based compensation expense was $370 million in 2021 compared to $233 million in 2020. The increase in stock-based compensation expense in 2021 was impacted by a reduction in stock-based compensation expense of $73 million recorded in the first quarter of 2020 as a result of reduced financial performance driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the modification of certain awards during the first quarter of 2021.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of:

•occupancy and office expenses;

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•fees for outside professionals;

•indirect taxes such as travel transaction taxes and digital services taxes; and

•personnel-related expenses such as travel, relocation, recruiting, and training expenses.

General and administrative expenses increased in 2021 compared to 2020 due to higher fees for professional services, as well as higher indirect taxes driven by the improvement in revenue. These year-over-year increases were partially offset by the comparison to a higher level of personnel-related expenses, such as travel and entertainment costs, and occupancy and office expenses in the first quarter of 2020, prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information Technology

Information technology expenses consist primarily of:

•software license and system maintenance fees;

•outsourced data center and cloud computing costs;

•payments to contractors; and

•data communications and other expenses associated with operating our services.

Information technology expenses increased in 2021 compared to 2020 due to increased payments to contractors and software license fees, some of which relate to cybersecurity and data privacy.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expenses consist of:

•amortization of intangible assets with determinable lives;

•amortization of internally-developed and purchased software;

•depreciation of computer equipment; and

•depreciation of leasehold improvements, furniture and fixtures, and office equipment.

Depreciation and amortization expenses decreased in 2021 compared to 2020 due to decreased depreciation of computer equipment, partially offset by increased internally-developed software amortization expense.

Restructuring and Other Exit Costs

Restructuring and other exit costs principally relate to the restructuring charges as a result of restructuring actions taken in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business. Restructuring and other exit costs decreased in 2021 compared to 2020 as these restructuring activities substantially concluded as of December 31, 2020. These restructuring

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charges are primarily related to employee severance and other termination benefits at Booking.com (see Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).

Impairment of Goodwill

During 2020, we recorded goodwill impairment charges related to OpenTable and KAYAK, which are not tax-deductible, of $1.1 billion (see Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Critical Accounting Estimates included in this Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations).

Interest expense

Interest expense decreased for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to the issuance of senior notes with lower interest rates in March 2021 and the redemption of senior notes with higher interest rates in April 2021, the maturity in June 2020 and September 2021 of our convertible senior notes, partially offset by higher interest expenses associated with our outstanding senior notes and convertible senior note issued in April 2020.

Other income (expense), net

The following table sets forth the breakdown of "Other income (expense), net" for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020:

Interest and dividend income decreased for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to lower yields as well as the change in the mix of investments with increased usage of investments classified as cash equivalents.

Net losses on equity securities for the year ended December 31, 2021 are primarily related to the losses on our equity investments in Meituan and DiDi, partially offset by gains on our equity investments in Grab and Yanolja. Net gains on equity

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securities for the year ended December 31, 2020 are principally related to the gains on our equity investment in Meituan (see Note 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

Impairment of investment for the year ended December 31, 2020 related to our investment in DiDi (see Notes 5 and 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Critical Accounting Estimates included in this Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for additional information).

Foreign currency transaction gains (losses) include gains of $135 million and losses of $200 million related to our Euro-denominated debt and accrued interest that were not designated as net investment hedges and foreign currency losses on derivative contracts of $30 million and $31 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Loss on early extinguishment of debt is related to the redemption of our Senior Notes due April 2025 (the "April 2025 Notes") and our Senior Notes due April 2027 (the "April 2027 Notes") in April 2021 (see Note 12 to our

Consolidated Financial Statements).

Other expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 include losses on reverse treasury lock agreements

which were designated as cash flow hedges (see Note 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements).

Income Taxes

Our 2021 effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21%, primarily due to the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax (discussed below), partially offset by higher international tax rates and an increase in unrecognized tax benefits. Our 2020 effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21%, primarily due to the non-deductible goodwill impairment charges related to OpenTable and KAYAK, U.S. federal tax associated with our international earnings, and an increase in unrecognized tax benefits, partially offset by the benefit of the Netherlands Innovation Box Tax.

Our effective tax rate was lower for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to the non-deductible goodwill impairment charges related to OpenTable and KAYAK that were recorded in December 31, 2020, lower U.S. federal and state tax associated with our international earnings and lower unrecognized tax benefits.

Under Dutch corporate income tax law, income generated from qualifying innovative activities is taxed at a rate of 9% ("Innovation Box Tax") for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2021, rather than the Dutch statutory rate of 25%. Previously, the Innovation Box Tax rate was 7%. Effective January 1, 2022, the Netherlands corporate income tax rate increased from 25% to 25.8%. A portion of Booking.com's earnings during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 qualified for Innovation Box Tax treatment, which had a significant beneficial impact on our effective tax rates for these periods. While we expect Booking.com to continue to qualify for Innovation Box Tax treatment with respect to a portion of its earnings for the foreseeable future, the loss of the Innovation Box Tax benefit could substantially increase our effective tax rate and adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows in future periods. See Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may not be able to maintain our 'Innovation Box Tax' benefit."

Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2020 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019

For a comparison of our results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, see Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on February 24, 2021.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic conditions and government restrictions resulted in a material decrease in consumer spending and a significant decline in travel and restaurant activities and consumer demand for related services as compared to 2019 levels. Our financial results and prospects are almost entirely dependent on the sale of travel-related services.

The extent of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations, cash flows, and growth prospects is highly uncertain and will ultimately depend on future developments. These include, but are not limited to, the severity, extent and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, including as a result of any new variants of COVID-19 and any resurgences of the pandemic, and the availability and efficacy of vaccines and other medical interventions to prevent or alleviate COVID-19 and their impacts on the travel and restaurant industries and consumer spending more broadly. Even though we have seen some improvements in the economic and operating conditions for our business since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot predict the long-term effects of the pandemic on our business or the travel and restaurant industries as a whole.

Our continued access to sources of liquidity depends on multiple factors, including global economic conditions, the condition of global financial markets, the availability of sufficient amounts of financing, our ability to meet debt covenant requirements, our operating performance, and our credit ratings. If our credit ratings were to be downgraded, or financing sources were to ascribe higher risk to our rating levels or our industry, our access to capital and the cost of any financing would be negatively impacted. There is no guarantee that additional debt financing will be available in the future to fund our obligations, or that it will be available on commercially reasonable terms, in which case we may need to seek other sources of funding. In addition, the terms of future debt agreements could include more restrictive covenants than those we are currently subject to, which could restrict our business operations. For more information, see Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "Our liquidity, credit ratings, and ongoing access to capital could be materially and negatively affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic."

At December 31, 2021, we had $14.3 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term and long-term investments, of which approximately $7.4 billion is held by our international subsidiaries. Cash, cash equivalents, and long-term investments held by our international subsidiaries are denominated primarily in U.S. Dollars, Hong Kong Dollars, and Euros. Cash equivalents and short-term and long-term investments are principally comprised of money market funds, time deposits and certificates of deposit, convertible debt securities of Trip.com Group, equity securities of Meituan, Grab, and DiDi, and our investments in private companies (see Notes 5 and 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements). In December 2021, we redeemed our December 2015 investment of $500 million in Trip.com Group's convertible senior notes (see Note 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements).

At December 31, 2021, we had a remaining transition tax liability of $912 million as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act"), which included $825 million reported as "Long-term U.S. transition tax liability" and $87 million included in "Accrued expenses and other current liabilities" in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. This liability will be paid over the next five years. In accordance with the Tax Act, generally, future repatriation of our international cash will not be subject to a U.S. federal income tax liability as a dividend, but will be subject to U.S. state income taxes and international withholding taxes, which have been accrued by us.

In August 2019, we entered into a $2.0 billion five-year unsecured revolving credit facility with a group of lenders. The revolving credit facility provides for the issuance of up to $80 million of letters of credit as well as borrowings of up to $100 million on same-day notice, referred to as swingline loans. The proceeds of loans made under the facility can be used for working capital and general corporate purposes, including acquisitions, share repurchases, and debt repayments. At December 31, 2021, there were no borrowings outstanding and $4 million of letters of credit issued under the facility. The revolving credit facility contains a maximum leverage ratio covenant, compliance with which is a condition to our ability to borrow thereunder. In 2020, we amended the revolving credit facility to (i) suspend the maximum leverage ratio covenant through and including the three months ending March 31, 2022, which was replaced with a $4.5 billion minimum liquidity covenant based on unrestricted cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, and unused capacity under this revolving credit facility and (ii) increase the permitted maximum leverage ratio from and including the three months ending June 30, 2022 through and including the three months ending March 31, 2023. We agreed not to declare or make any cash distribution and not to repurchase any of our shares (with certain exceptions including in connection with tax withholding related to shares issued to employees) unless (i) prior to the delivery of financial statements for the three months ending June 30, 2022, we have at least $6.0 billion of liquidity on a pro forma basis, based on unrestricted cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, and unused capacity under this revolving credit facility and (ii) after the delivery of financial statements for the three months ending June 30, 2022, we are in compliance on a pro forma basis with the maximum leverage ratio covenant then in effect. Such restriction

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ends upon delivery of financial statements required for the three months ending June 30, 2023, or we have the ability to terminate this restriction earlier if we demonstrate compliance with the original maximum leverage ratio covenant in the revolving credit facility. Beginning with the three months ending June 30, 2022, the minimum liquidity covenant will cease to apply and the maximum leverage ratio covenant, as increased, will again be in effect. At December 31, 2021, we were in compliance with the minimum liquidity covenant. There can be no assurance that we will be able to meet either the minimum liquidity covenant or the maximum leverage ratio covenant, as applicable, at any particular time, and our ability to borrow under the revolving credit facility depends on compliance with the applicable covenant. Further, the lenders have the right to require repayment of any amounts borrowed under the facility if we are not in compliance with the applicable covenant (see Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).

In September 2021, in connection with the maturity of our Convertible Senior Notes due September 2021, we paid $1.0 billion to satisfy the aggregate principal amount due and an additional $86 million conversion premium in excess of the principal amount.

In March 2021, we issued Senior Notes due March 2025 with an interest rate of 0.1% for an aggregate principal amount of 950 million Euros and Senior Notes due March 2028 with an interest rate of 0.5% for an aggregate principal amount of 750 million Euros. The proceeds from the issuance of these Senior Notes issued in March 2021 were used to redeem the April 2025 Notes and the April 2027 Notes. In April 2021, we paid $2.0 billion to redeem the April 2025 Notes and the April 2027 Notes.

At December 31, 2021, we had outstanding senior notes with varying maturities for an aggregate principal amount of $11.1 billion, with $2.0 billion payable within the next twelve months. The senior notes had a cumulative interest to maturity of $1.2 billion, with $233 million payable within the next twelve months. See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our debt arrangements, including principal amounts, interest rates, and maturity dates.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, we repurchased 71,494 shares of our common stock for an aggregate cost of $162 million to satisfy employee withholding tax obligations related to stock-based compensation. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, we had a remaining aggregate amount of $10.4 billion authorized by our Board of Directors to repurchase our common stock. We resumed repurchases in early 2022 under this authorization and, as of February 22, 2022, have repurchased approximately $500 million of our common stock in the first quarter of 2022. We expect to complete repurchases under the remaining authorization within the next three years assuming the travel recovery continues and we are able to meet our minimum liquidity covenant under the revolving credit facility. See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of the impact of the 2020 credit facility amendment on our ability to repurchase shares.

In November 2021, we entered into an agreement to acquire global flight booking provider, Etraveli Group, for approximately 1.6 billion Euros ($1.9 billion). Completion of this acquisition is subject to certain closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

In December 2021, we paid $1.2 billion, net of cash acquired, to acquire Getaroom, a business-to-business distributor of hotel rooms.

In September 2016, we signed a turnkey agreement to construct an office building for Booking.com’s future headquarters in the Netherlands for 270 million Euros ($307 million). Upon signing this agreement, we paid 43 million Euros ($48 million) for the acquired land-use rights. In addition, since signing the turnkey agreement we have made several progress payments principally related to the construction of the building. As of December 31, 2021, we had a remaining obligation of 15 million Euros ($17 million) related to the turnkey agreement, which will be paid through 2022, when we anticipate construction will be complete. In addition to the turnkey agreement, we have a remaining obligation at December 31, 2021 to pay 68 million Euros ($77 million) over the remaining initial term of the acquired land lease, which expires in 2065. We have made and will continue to make additional capital expenditures to fit out and furnish the office space. At December 31, 2021, we had 20 million Euros ($23 million) of outstanding commitments to vendors to fit out and furnish the office space. See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our commitments and contingencies.

At December 31, 2021, we had lease obligations of $561 million, with $155 million payable within the next twelve months. See Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on our obligation related to operating leases.

At December 31, 2021, we had, in the aggregate, $154 million of non-cancellable purchase obligations individually greater than $10 million payable over the next five years, of which $41 million are payable within the next twelve months. The purchase obligations are primarily related to sponsorship and cloud hosting arrangements. The purchase obligations disclosed

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here are those related to agreements to purchase goods and services that are enforceable and legally binding, that specify all significant terms, including the quantities to be purchased, price provisions, and the approximate timing of the transaction.

At December 31, 2021, there were standby letters of credit and bank guarantees of $511 million issued on our behalf. These are obtained primarily for regulatory purposes and payment guarantees to third-party payment processors.

Marketing expenses and personnel expenses are the most significant operating expenses for our business. We rely on marketing channels to generate a significant amount of traffic to our websites. We have established widely used and recognized e-commerce brands through marketing and promotional campaigns. See our Consolidated Statements of Operations and "Trends" and "Results of Operations" within Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for additional information on marketing expenses and personnel expenses including stock-based compensation expenses.

We believe that our existing cash balances and liquid resources will be sufficient to fund our operating activities, capital expenditures, and other obligations through at least the next twelve months. However, if we are not successful in generating sufficient cash flow from operations or in raising additional capital when required in sufficient amounts and on terms acceptable to us, we may be required to reduce our planned capital expenditures and scale back the scope of our business plans, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, our ability to compete or our future growth prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. If additional funds were raised through the issuance of equity securities, the percentage ownership of our then current stockholders would be diluted. We may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations in the future, revenue growth or sustained profitability may not be realized, and future borrowings or equity sales may not be available in amounts sufficient to make anticipated capital expenditures, finance our strategies, or repay our indebtedness.

Cash Flow Analysis

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $2.8 billion, resulting from net income of $1.2 billion and a favorable impact from adjustments for non-cash items of $1.4 billion, and a favorable net change in working capital and other long-term assets and liabilities of $269 million. Non-cash items were principally associated with net losses on equity securities, deferred income tax benefit, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense and other stock-based payments, loss on early extinguishment of debt, and operating lease amortization. For the year ended December 31, 2021, accounts receivable increased by $1.0 billion and deferred merchant bookings and other current liabilities increased by $1.5 billion, primarily due to increases in business volumes.

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $85 million, resulting from net income of $59 million and a favorable impact from adjustments for non-cash items of $1.0 billion, partially offset by an unfavorable net change in working capital and long-term assets and liabilities of $1.0 billion. Non-cash items were principally associated with net gains on marketable equity securities, impairment of goodwill, depreciation and amortization, provision for expected credit losses and chargebacks, stock-based compensation expense and other stock-based payments, deferred income tax expense, and unrealized foreign currency transaction losses related to Euro-denominated debt. For the year ended December 31, 2020, prepaid expenses and other current assets decreased by $161 million, primarily due to a refund for overpayment from a vendor and lower prepayment to third-party payment processors due to decreases in business volumes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the year ended December 31, 2020, accounts receivable decreased by $891 million and deferred merchant bookings and other current liabilities decreased by $2.3 billion primarily due to decreases in business volumes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $1.0 billion, resulting from the acquisition of Getaroom of $1.2 billion, proceeds from sales and maturities of investments of $508 million, net of purchases of $17 million, and purchase of property and equipment of $304 million. Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $2.6 billion, resulting from the proceeds from sales and maturities of investments of $3.0 billion, net of purchases of $74 million, and the purchase of property and equipment of $286 million. Cash invested in the purchase of property and equipment for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 includes payments of $52 million related to the turnkey agreement for constructing Booking.com's future headquarters.

Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $1.2 billion, almost entirely resulting from payments for redemption and conversion of debt of $3.1 billion and payments for the repurchase of common stock of $163 million, partially offset by the proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt of $2.0 billion. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $1.5 billion, almost entirely resulting from the proceeds from the

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issuance of long-term debt of $4.1 billion, partially offset by payments for the repurchase of common stock of $1.3 billion and payments for the conversion of convertible notes of $1.2 billion.

For a discussion of our liquidity and capital resources as of and our cash flow activities for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, see Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on February 24, 2021.

Contingencies

French tax authorities conducted audits of Booking.com for the years 2003 through 2012, 2013 through 2015, and 2016 through 2018. In December 2015, the French tax authorities issued Booking.com assessments for unpaid income and value added taxes ("VAT") related to tax years 2006 through 2012 for approximately 356 million Euros ($403 million), the majority of which represents penalties and interest. The assessments assert that Booking.com had a permanent establishment in France. In December 2019, the French tax authorities issued an additional assessment of 70 million Euros ($80 million), including interest and penalties, for the 2013 year asserting that Booking.com had taxable income attributable to a permanent establishment in France. The French tax authorities also have issued assessments totaling 39 million Euros ($45 million), including interest and penalties, for certain tax years between 2011 and 2015 on Booking.com's French subsidiary asserting that the subsidiary did not receive sufficient compensation for the services it rendered to Booking.com in the Netherlands. In December 2021, the French tax authorities issued assessments on Booking.com’s French subsidiary totaling 78 million Euros ($88 million), including interest and penalties, for the tax years 2016 through 2018 again asserting that the subsidiary did not receive sufficient compensation for the services it rendered to Booking.com. As a result of a formal demand from the French tax authorities for payment of the amounts assessed against Booking.com for the years 2006 through 2012, in January 2019, we paid the assessments of approximately 356 million Euros ($403 million) in order to preserve our right to contest those assessments in court. The payment, which is included in "Other assets, net" in the Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2021 and 2020, does not constitute an admission that we owe the taxes and will be refunded (with interest) to us to the extent we prevail. In December 2019 and October 2020, we initiated court proceedings with respect to certain of the assessments. Although we believe that Booking.com has been, and continues to be, in compliance with French tax law, and we are contesting the assessments, during the three months ended September 30, 2020, we contacted the French tax authorities regarding the potential to achieve resolution of the matter through a settlement. After assessing several potential outcomes and potential settlement amounts and terms, an unrecognized tax benefit in the amount of 50 million Euros ($59 million) was recorded during the year ended December 31, 2020, of which the majority was included as a partial reduction to the tax payment recorded in "Other assets, net" in the Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2021 and 2020. In December 2020, the French Administrative Court (Conseil d’Etat) delivered a decision in the "ValueClick" case that could have an impact on the outcome in our case. After considering the potential adverse impact of the new decision on the potential outcomes for the Booking.com assessments, we currently estimate that the reasonably possible loss related to VAT is approximately 20 million Euros ($22 million). For additional information related to the French and other tax assessments, see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors - "We may have exposure to additional tax liabilities."

Beginning in 2014, Booking.com received several letters from the Netherlands Pension Fund for the Travel Industry (Reiswerk) ("BPF") claiming that Booking.com is required to participate in the mandatory pension scheme of the BPF with retroactive effect to 1999, which has a higher contribution rate than the pension scheme in which Booking.com is currently participating. BPF instituted legal proceedings against Booking.com and in 2016 the District Court of Amsterdam rejected all of BPF’s claims. BPF appealed the decision to the Court of Appeal, and, in May 2019, the Court of Appeal also rejected all of BPF’s claims, in each case by ruling that Booking.com does not meet the definition of a travel intermediary for purposes of the mandatory pension scheme. BPF then appealed to the Netherlands Supreme Court. In April 2021, the Supreme Court overturned the previous decision of the Court of Appeal and held that Booking.com meets the definition of a travel intermediary for the purposes of the mandatory pension scheme. The Supreme Court ruled only on the qualification of Booking.com as a travel intermediary for the purposes of the mandatory pension scheme, and did not rule on the various other defenses we brought forward against BPF's claims. The Supreme Court referred the matter to another Court of Appeal that will have to assess the other defenses we brought forward if BPF were to proceed with the litigation. We intend to pursue a number of defenses in any subsequent proceedings and may ultimately prevail in whole or in part. While we continue to believe that Booking.com is in compliance with its pension obligations and that the Court of Appeal could ultimately rule in favor of Booking.com, given the Supreme Court’s decision, we believe it is probable that we have incurred a loss related to this matter. We are not able to reasonably estimate a loss or a range of loss because there are significant factual and legal questions yet to be determined in any subsequent proceedings. As a result, as of December 31, 2021, we have not recorded a liability in connection with a potential adverse ultimate outcome to this litigation. However, if Booking.com were to ultimately lose and all of BPF’s claims were to be accepted (including with retroactive effect to 1999), we estimate that as of December 31, 2021, the maximum loss, not including any potential interest or penalties, would be approximately 289 million Euros ($328 million). Such estimated potential loss increases as Booking.com continues not to contribute to the BPF and depends on Booking.com’s applicable

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employee compensation after December 31, 2021. For additional information related to the pension matter and our other contingent liabilities, see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.