Greater Manchester Mayor celebrates tech talent at official Booking.com campus opening

Booking.com, one of the world’s leading digital travel companies, has today (Tuesday 7th February) welcomed Andy Burnham as guest of honour at the official opening of its new Manchester campus.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester joined Booking.com’s CEO and president, Glenn Fogel, for a tour of the new Brooklyn-inspired workspace at Manchester Goods Yard.

The opening of the new site represents an £80m investment in Manchester’s burgeoning tech scene by Booking.com, which has created 450 jobs in the city in the past 12 months. The Manchester office plays a leading role in bringing Booking.com’s ‘connected trip’ vision to life, with employees researching and developing software that supports multiple services, including in-trip experiences and transport (car rental and taxis), as well as insurance.

The Mayor learnt more about the vision for the new campus which is Booking.com’s second largest international office behind its global headquarters in Amsterdam and their plans to recruit for a further 200 roles this year.

The team in Manchester, which comprises more than 70 different nationalities, plays a pivotal role in developing Booking.com’s global technology platforms. The Booking.com app was the most downloaded online travel app globally in 2021, with the work undertaken in Manchester directly contributing towards its development

The campus sits in Manchester’s new media, tech and creative district, Enterprise City – on the site of the former Granada Studios. The campus fitout includes a series of winter gardens, games rooms and conference auditorium facilities with a seminar event space for 250 people.

Speaking during his visit, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Greater Manchester is home to a thriving and rapidly growing digital and tech sector. Booking.com’s investment reflects the strength of the sector and confidence in our tech talent, and visiting the new Manchester campus was a great opportunity to see this in practice.

“Global companies like Booking.com have an important role to play in our £5bn digital ecosystem. As its presence in Manchester continues to grow, we look forward to working together to provide good quality jobs for people and opportunities for businesses in the local tech cluster.”

Glenn Fogel, CEO and president at Booking.com, said: “Booking.com has had a presence in Manchester for almost two decades and this investment underlines our commitment to the city. We’re looking forward to the new campus becoming not only another home of innovation for Booking.com, but also a place that inspires and supports everyone across the tech supply chain locally.
“It was a pleasure to welcome such esteemed company as the first external visitors to the campus and to have their support as we look to play our part in enhancing what is already a vibrant, innovative tech cluster in Greater Manchester and the wider UK.”