Booking.com Cooks Up 'Taste of Travel' Experience in New York With Celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson

NEW YORK, July 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Booking.com, the digital travel company that connects travelers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, is offering up an experience to feed a foodie's appetite - a stay at the "Taste of Travel" ultimate culinary dream home in New York City, complete with a food truck curated by celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson.

According to research by Booking.com, more than 51% of American travelers select a destination for its great food or drink and 25% of American travelers are planning to take a dedicated food tourism trip sometime in 2018. With the "Taste of Travel" home, Booking.com wants to inspire travelers to experience the local food and drink scene in the top cities endorsed for culinary adventures by Booking.com's users through more than 25 million destination reviews.

New York City ranked as the #1 destination in the United States for travelers intent on experiencing the local culinary flavors and flair of the destination as well as the top city for food trucks and street food. On July 31st, food fanatics across the city can experience the "Taste of Travel" food truck when its open to the public from 2:00PM-4:00PM at 118 W.76th Street in New York. Samuelsson will serve up his signature New York City street food dishes, along with a preview of local dishes featured on the debut of his PBS series "No Passport Required," which will air its episode on Queens the very same night.

On the evening of August 1st, one lucky Booking.com user has the chance to stay overnight and explore the "Taste of Travel" home, a luxury six floor townhouse-one of the marquee examples of Booking.com's impressive selection of properties-with the food truck by Chef Marcus Samuelsson as an amenity. What's more New York City than to have a fully stocked food truck by a celebrity chef at your disposal?

"Food and Travel are two of my biggest passions, which is why I am truly excited about partnering with Booking.com for the launch of their Taste of Travel experience in New York City," Samuelsson commented.  "Curating a food truck with delicious bites that represent New York City was a lot of fun and I'm excited to share these creations with everyone next week."  

The "Taste of Travel" experience showcases the Booking.com platform not only as a resource to connect travelers with amazing places to stay, but also for knowledge and advice about a destination to design a trip that fulfills and inspires. In addition to New York, the top U.S. cities for local food according to millions of Booking.com traveler endorsements are New Orleans, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Myrtle Beach. Cities that ranked top for street food include Austin, New Orleans, Portland and Las Vegas, while top cities for food trucks are Portland, Austin, Houston and Philadelphia.

"The local culinary offerings of a destination play a large role in a traveler's trip selection and planning process," said Todd Dunlap, Managing Director of the Americas for Booking.com. "One of the best ways to experience a new destination and get a feel for the culture is to explore the local food and drink scene to get a true flavor of the city."

As part of Taste of Travel, Chef Samuelsson will be curating a list of his favorite restaurants in the top four Booking.com cities: New York, New Orleans, Myrtle Beach, and San Francisco where travelers are looking to experience local culinary flavors.  For further information, contact the Booking.com US Press Office: [email protected] .

For more information on the Taste of Travel Townhouse and how to book, visit:

https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/taste-of-travel-townhouse.html

Complimentary Marcus Samuelsson Food Truck Details:
WHEN: Tuesday, July 31^st 2:00PM-4:00PM
WHERE: 118 W 76th St, New York, NY 10023
WHAT: Booking.com's Taste of Travel Food Truck
WHO: Celebrity Chef & Host "No Passport Required" On PBS: Marcus Samuelsson

About Booking.com 

Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com B.V. has grown from a small Dutch start-up to one of the largest travel e-commerce companies in the world. Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com now employs more than 17,000 employees in 198 offices in 70 countries worldwide.

With a mission to empower people to experience the world, Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. At Booking.com, we connect travelers with the world's largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts, tree houses and even igloos. The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in 43 languages, offer over 28 million total reported listings and cover more than 134,000 destinations in 227 countries and territories worldwide.

Each day, more than 1.5 million room nights are reserved on our platform. So whether traveling for business or leisure, customers can instantly book their ideal place to stay quickly and easily with Booking.com, without booking fees and backed up by our promise to price match. Via our customer experience team, customers can reach Booking.com 24/7 for assistance and support in 43 languages, any time of the day or night.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, and for the latest news, data and insights, please visit our global media room.

About Marcus Samuelsson , Award-Winning Chef, Restaurateur, Author and TV Personality 

Marcus Samuelsson is the acclaimed chef behind many restaurants worldwide including Red Rooster Harlem, Red Rooster London, and Marcus B&P. Samuelsson was the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times and has won multiple James Beard Foundation Awards including Best Chef: New York City. He was tasked with planning and executing the Obama Administration's first State dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Samuelsson was also crowned champion of television shows Top Chef Masters and Chopped All Stars, and served as a mentor on ABC's The Taste. A committed philanthropist, Samuelsson co-produces the annual week-long festival Harlem EatUp!, which celebrates the food, art, and culture of Harlem. Samuelsson is co-chair of the board of directors for Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP). In May 2016, he was inducted into the James Beard Foundation Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America. He is the author of multiple books including The New York Times bestselling memoir Yes, Chef, the young adult version-- Make It Messy, Marcus Off Duty cookbook, and his latest book-- The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem. In addition, he is one of the founders of the website Food Republic. Recent restaurant openings include: Red Rooster Shoreditch in East London; Marcus B&P in Newark, New Jersey; and Streetbird Express at the world-famous Madison Square Garden. Samuelsson recently completed filming his new TV series titled No Passport Required with VOX/Eater and PBS which is currently airing Tuesdays on PBS. Follow along with Marcus on his social channels @marcuscooks.

NOTES TO EDITORS 

Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of adults who have taken a trip in the last 12 months/plan to take a trip in the next 12 months. In total 56,727 respondents were surveyed (2000+ from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Germany, Spain, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Malaysia, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the US, and 1000+ each from Denmark, Croatia, Sweden, and New Zealand). Respondents completed an online survey in October 2017.

SOURCE Booking.com