KAYAK
KAYAK is a travel metasearch engine, wholly owned by Booking Holdings, that aggregates flight, hotel, and rental car prices from hundreds of partner sites for hundreds of millions of consumers globally, while also serving corporate clients via KAYAK for Business.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersStamford, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What KAYAK does
KAYAK is a travel metasearch platform founded in 2004 by Steve Hafner and Paul English, and has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Booking Holdings since 2013. The platform aggregates real-time flight, hotel, and rental car inventory from hundreds of partner travel sites, presenting users with side-by-side price comparisons and forwarding them to partner sites to complete booking. KAYAK serves individual consumers directly via its website, iOS/Android apps, and 70+ country-specific localized domains, and serves enterprises through KAYAK for Business, its corporate travel booking and policy-management offering.
The underlying technology stack layers a high-scale search aggregation engine on top of an Aerospike-powered real-time ad bidding platform, with newer AI capabilities spanning natural language (Ask AI, AI Mode via ChatGPT integration), computer vision (screenshot-based price comparison), and predictive analytics (Airfare Trends Dashboards). Supporting features include price alerts, itinerary management (KAYAK Trips), Trip Calculator, and event-driven dashboards (e.g., World Cup Trends).
KAYAK earns revenue primarily through referral fees when users click through to partner travel sites to complete bookings, supplemented by advertising revenue from its real-time bidding platform; KAYAK for Business generates subscription-based revenue from corporate customers on undisclosed enterprise contracts. The company employs 1,001–5,000 people and is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, with Peer Bueller as CEO since February 2026 following Steve Hafner's transition to Executive Chairman.
KAYAK firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- KAYAK
- Legal name
- KAYAK
- Website
- https://kayak.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- KAYAK is a travel metasearch engine, wholly owned by Booking Holdings, that aggregates flight, hotel, and rental car prices from hundreds of partner sites for hundreds of millions of consumers globally, while also serving corporate clients via KAYAK for Business.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
KAYAK industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel Metasearch
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metasearch & Aggregator Platforms for Vacation Rentals (THAMALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Car Rental Metasearch (THALAEAF), Ferry Ticketing, Booking Platforms & Distribution (THAEAGAI)
Keywords
Where KAYAK is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stamford
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
KAYAK business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Referral Fees from Travel Partners: KAYAK earns commissions when users click through to book flights, hotels, or rental cars on partner travel sites. The platform aggregates search results from hundreds of travel sites and earns referral fees when users complete bookings on those external sites.
- Advertising Revenue: KAYAK generates advertising revenue through its platform, utilizing real-time ad bidding powered by Aerospike database technology for ad auctions. Travel partners and airlines can pay for visibility within search results.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free consumer service with no fees charged to users |
| Subscription | Annual | KAYAK for Business corporate travel platform |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
KAYAK product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KAYAK operates a travel metasearch platform that aggregates real-time flight, hotel, and rental car prices from hundreds of travel sites, allowing users to compare options and click through to book on partner sites. The platform is free to consumers and complements its core offering with AI-powered conversational tools (Ask AI and ChatGPT-integrated AI Mode), price alerts, airfare trend dashboards, and itinerary management. A separate corporate travel sub-product, KAYAK for Business, adds policy controls and reporting for businesses.
Product overview
KAYAK is a travel metasearch platform that aggregates flight, hotel, and rental car prices from hundreds of travel sites, enabling users to compare deals and book through partner sites. The core platform is complemented by mobile apps for iOS and Android with app-only deals and price alerts. KAYAK for Business serves corporate travel needs with policy controls and reporting. AI capabilities include Ask AI (conversational travel planning with live search results), AI Mode (ChatGPT-powered natural language search), and the Ask Kayak AI Suite with screenshot-based price comparison. Supporting tools include Airfare Trends Dashboards, World Cup Trends Dashboard, Trip Calculator, KAYAK Trips itinerary management, and Price Alerts. The platform also produces the annual 'What the Future' travel trends report and supports brand initiatives like the 'Got That Right' campaign.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- KAYAK for Business: Corporate travel booking and management service targeted at business travelers and companies.
- Ask AI
- AI Mode
Products and services
- KAYAK Travel Metasearch Platform Free consumer-facing travel metasearch engine that aggregates real-time flight, hotel, and rental car prices from hundreds of partner travel sites, enabling comparison and click-through booking on partner sites. Accessible via KAYAK.com country-specific domains in 70+ countries and via iOS and Android mobile apps, with no fee to users.
- KAYAK for Business Corporate travel management platform that provides booking tools, policy controls, and reporting for businesses managing employee travel, positioned as an alternative to traditional corporate travel management platforms.
- Ask AI Conversational AI-powered travel planning tool that combines natural language chat with live, updating search results for flights, hotels, and rental cars, allowing users to refine queries in real time and see up-to-date prices across hundreds of travel partners.
- AI Mode ChatGPT-integrated natural language travel search feature that lets users type travel questions directly into the search box and receive AI-generated responses combined with real-time flight, hotel, and car rental results.
- Ask Kayak AI Suite AI suite that combines conversational travel planning with screenshot-based price comparison, allowing users to upload screenshots of prices and have the AI identify better deals across travel sites via a dedicated kayak.ai platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Users can save up to 42% on international flights by booking between mid-August and early September instead of peak summer weeks
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use KAYAK
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
KAYAK technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability13 records
Feature9 records
KAYAK partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Booking Holdings (Passwordless Authentication Case Study)minorKAYAK is cited as one of five case studies of successful passwordless authentication implementations in a B2C decision framework. The framework recommends synced platform passkeys as primary credentials with context-aware fallback chains.
- Booking HoldingscoreKAYAK co-founders Steve Hafner and Paul English are collaborating on a new AI startup called Lola for Booking Holdings. Booking Holdings acquired Lola.com and Lola.ai URLs from English in early April 2026. The startup provides users with discounted rates and enhanced access through AI-powered interactions.
- HotelPlannercoreHotelPlanner partnered with KAYAK as part of a global AI-enabled hotel booking expansion across Canada, United States, China, Japan, India, Singapore, South Africa, and Egypt. The partnership integrates KAYAK's travel search data with HotelPlanner's hotel booking engine to provide AI-driven personalized recommendations.
- RyanaircoreRyanair reversed its 17-year crusade against online travel agents, announcing a landmark partnership with Booking Holdings (KAYAK's parent company) granting OTA access to sell Ryanair flights through Booking.com, Kayak, Agoda, and Priceline brands. All legal cases between Ryanair and Booking Holdings were concluded as part of the agreement.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
KAYAK competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Trivago: Trivago is a publicly-listed travel metasearch engine that aggregates hotel (and increasingly flight/car) prices from OTAs and supplier sites. It is the most direct global metasearch competitor to KAYAK, serving the same consumer use case with a referral-based revenue model.
- Skyscanner: Skyscanner is a leading global flight and travel metasearch platform owned by Trip.com Group. It competes head-to-head with KAYAK on flight comparison, price alerts, and multi-vertical travel search for global consumers.
- Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor operates a travel search and reviews platform with metasearch functionality for hotels, flights, and experiences. It overlaps directly with KAYAK's core offering while adding user-generated reviews as a distinct asset.
- Momondo: Momondo is a flight and travel metasearch brand operated under the Skyscanner/Ctrip umbrella. It targets similar price-comparison use cases as KAYAK, particularly for European and international leisure travelers.
Broad incumbents
- Google Travel: Google Travel integrates flight, hotel, and vacation search directly into Google Search, Maps, and AI Overviews. It is both a primary acquisition channel and the largest competitive threat to KAYAK's metasearch model.
- Booking.com: Booking.com is the flagship OTA of Booking Holdings and a sister brand to KAYAK within the same parent. While it primarily takes direct bookings, it is the destination for many KAYAK referrals and a competing surface for the same travel demand.
- Expedia: Expedia is a global online travel agency offering flights, hotels, cars, packages, and metasearch through its Hotels.com and Trivago brands. It competes with KAYAK both as a referral destination and as a direct-booking alternative.
Emerging players
- Hopper: Hopper is a mobile-first travel booking app that uses predictive analytics and AI for flights, hotels, and cars. It represents an emerging AI-driven competitor targeting younger consumers in KAYAK's addressable market.
- Kayak.ai (Lola AI): Lola is the new AI travel startup created by KAYAK co-founders Steve Hafner and Paul English for Booking Holdings, launching conversational AI booking with discounted rates. It is closely related as a sister initiative within Booking Holdings but represents an emerging AI-first booking model that may overlap with KAYAK's AI roadmap.
Others
- HotelsCombined: HotelsCombined is a hotel metasearch site acquired by KAYAK in 2018 and now operated within the Booking Holdings portfolio. It is directly comparable as a metasearch product but is now part of the same corporate family.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
KAYAK social profiles
Digital presenceKAYAK financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
KAYAK leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
KAYAK funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors12 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
KAYAK M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A6 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about KAYAK
What does KAYAK do?
KAYAK operates a travel metasearch platform that aggregates real-time flight, hotel, and rental car prices from hundreds of travel sites, allowing users to compare options and click through to book on partner sites. The platform is free to consumers and complements its core offering with AI-powered conversational tools (Ask AI and ChatGPT-integrated AI Mode), price alerts, airfare trend dashboards, and itinerary management. A separate corporate travel sub-product, KAYAK for Business, adds policy controls and reporting for businesses.
Is KAYAK a public or private company?
KAYAK is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was KAYAK founded?
KAYAK was founded in 2004. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is KAYAK based?
KAYAK is headquartered in Stamford, United States, in the North America region.
How does KAYAK make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Referral Fees from Travel Partners are the primary driver. The others are advertising Revenue.
Who are KAYAK's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Trivago, Skyscanner, Tripadvisor and Momondo. Broad incumbents are Google Travel, Booking.com and Expedia. Emerging players are Hopper and Kayak.ai (Lola AI). HotelsCombined is listed as an others.
Does KAYAK have an API?
No public API is recorded for KAYAK.
What industry is KAYAK in?
KAYAK's product category is Travel Metasearch. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAMALAC, Metasearch & Aggregator Platforms for Vacation Rentals, with a secondary code of THALAEAF, Car Rental Metasearch. Its NAICS code is 561520.