Recent College Graduate and Aspiring Travel Filmmaker Wins Booking.com's First Chief Booking Officer Contest
The title comes with a challenge to travel to as many unique and interesting places to stay across the U.S. on a $50,000 budget
NEW YORK, July 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Cameron Phillips, a 23-year-old recent graduate of UCLA and a young filmmaker on a quest to explore the world, has just won the opportunity to do what every college graduate wishes they could do - drop everything and travel. After winning a Booking.com competition, Phillips was named Booking.com's first Chief Booking Officer (CBO) and was awarded $50,000 to live this quest.
The contest was launched in celebration of Booking.com's 'Book the U.S.' List, to search for Booking.com's first ever CBO. What better way to show Americans you don't need to travel far from home to experience all different types of accommodations and travel? Competition for the title included several rounds, with thousands of contest entries whittled down to the top 50 and then the final top 10 submitting a 2-minute video about why they deserved the title of Chief Booking Officer and what travel meant to them.
From the top 10, Phillips was chosen - a young, recent college graduate wanting to follow his heart and travel the world, but also knowing he needed to start his career. With his new title as Booking.com's CBO, Phillips can do both. Starting Monday, July 16th, Phillips will begin his three-part journey across the country at The Villa Casa Casuarina in Miami, Florida. From there, he will work his way up through the Midwest, down the West coast and along the East coast, sharing his traveling tips and tricks, video blogging, eating all the local cuisine and exploring the hidden gems in each city and town.
"At Booking.com our mission is to empower people to experience the world and find accommodations that fit every lifestyle, from massive chateaus to vintage trailers," said Pepijn Rijvers, Chief Marketing Officer of Booking.com. "What better way to experience Booking.com's unique properties than through our 'Book the U.S.' List and our Chief Booking Officer, who can give real time reviews that echo the over 157 million verified guest reviews already posted on Booking.com. We are excited to follow Cameron along on his journey and to watch him experience the most unique properties across the U.S."
"I took my mom to the Grand Canyon for the first time and seeing that sense of wonder in her eyes, seeing this incredible thing she had never even experienced or could fathom before, that's when I really realized that I love being able to share these experiences with people and to open people's eyes to the beauty of this world," said Cameron Phillips, Booking.com's first CBO. "Experiencing a new adventure, a new challenge, a new reward and a new life lesson each day is what makes me, me. I firmly believe travel is one of the most important things you can do in your life and I can never thank Booking.com enough for giving me this opportunity."
The popularity of alternative accommodations has risen over the past few years, with more and more travelers looking for unique places to stay, like homes, apartments, houseboats and even igloos. Just last year, Booking.com research found that 30% of travelers said they want to stay in an apartment, aparthotel or condo in 2018, further evidence that consumer demand for alternative accommodation beyond the hotel remains strong. Of Booking.com's 28 million total reported listings, more than five million include instantly bookable reported listings in homes, apartments and other unique places to stay, making the brand the global leader in providing consumers access to more accommodations than any other digital travel platform.
Launched on March 7, 2018, Booking.com's 'Book the U.S.' List was curated by experts at Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travelers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay. From a luxury tent in Utah to a castle in Kentucky, the 'Book the U.S.' List features the most unique properties across the United States, that go far beyond your traditional hotel.
Follow Phillips along on his journey through America by following him on Instagram at @cameronphillipsx or via YouTube. He will also be available for interviews along the way.
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 The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), Booking.com now employs more than 15,000 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 accommodation 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.
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SOURCE Booking.com
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