Priceline.com

Priceline.com
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Online travel agency
Founded	1997; 29 years ago
Founder	Jay S. Walker
Headquarters	Norwalk, Connecticut, United States
Area served	Worldwide (more than 200 countries)
Key people	Brett Keller (CEO of Priceline.com brand, since 2016)
Products	Airline tickets, hotel accommodations, car rentals, cruises, tours, attractions
Owner	Booking Holdings
Website	www.priceline.com

Priceline.com functions as an online travel agency that focuses on providing discounted travel options, including airline tickets and hotel accommodations. Based in Norwalk, Connecticut, the company serves customers worldwide across more than 200 countries, partnering with over 400 airlines and 300,000 hotels. It operates under the ownership of Booking Holdings, which also manages brands like Kayak.com and Booking.com. Established in 1997 by Jay S. Walker, Priceline was a pioneer with its innovative "Name Your Own Price" bidding system for opaque travel inventory.

History

Entrepreneur Jay S. Walker founded Priceline, departing from the company in 2000. Early leadership featured CEO Richard S. Braddock, formerly of Citicorp, who played a key role in the company's 1999 initial public offering before leaving in 2004. Michael Loeb was instrumental in securing initial capital and supporting early development.

Priceline earned market prominence through its Name Your Own Price approach, enabling customers to bid on airline tickets, hotel rooms, and car rentals while keeping specific details hidden until after purchase. This opaque inventory strategy allowed suppliers to move surplus capacity without impacting standard sales channels, providing a distinct competitive edge within the travel sector.

Subsequently, Priceline launched Express Deals, which presented fixed prices and approximate locations without disclosing hotel names upfront, along with Pricebreakers, which offered three potential hotel options with discounts up to 50%. The company broadened its offerings to include reduced-price cruises, tours, and attractions.

In 2002, Priceline extended its bidding technology to eBay through a licensing agreement, widening its market presence. By November 2007, it removed all booking fees on published airfare to enhance its competitive positioning.

In April 2014, the organization rebranded as "The Priceline Group Inc." to better represent its international operations; Priceline.com became one of six primary brands within Booking Holdings.

Focusing on expanding in Asia, Priceline invested an additional $250 million in Chinese online travel leader Ctrip in May 2015.

Over time, the company gradually discontinued the Name Your Own Price feature: flights ended in 2016, rental cars in 2018, and hotels by 2020. This shift reflected a strategic move toward more transparent pricing models aligned with changing consumer behaviors and industry trends.

Other services

In 2000, through a partially owned affiliate named WebHouse Club, Priceline experimented with applying the Name Your Own Price concept to gasoline and grocery sales. It also ventured into online auctions with Priceline Yard Sales, where users could negotiate prices for used goods and arrange face-to-face exchanges. Additionally, the model was applied to long-distance telephone services and automobile sales. These initiatives concluded by 2002.

The Name Your Own Rate system for home loans remains active through a licensing partnership with EverBank.

Brett Keller assumed the role of CEO for the Priceline.com brand in 2016.

William Shatner

Since 1997, William Shatner has served as the spokesperson for Priceline.com, initially receiving stock options as payment. While some reports suggested Shatner earned approximately $600 million by selling shares prior to the dot-com crash, CEO Jeffery Boyd contested these claims. Early advertisements showcased Shatner delivering spoken-word performances of well-known songs. In 2004, Leonard Nimoy briefly took over the role, but Shatner eventually returned as the exclusive face of the brand.

In 2007, Shatner appeared as the Priceline Negotiator in commercials produced by Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners. A 2012 campaign portrayed his character’s demise but continued to feature his "spirit" promoting Priceline services. Later that year, an ad spoofed the film Point Break, highlighting Shatner adopting a new lifestyle while endorsing hotel reservations.

Both Priceline and Shatner have been subjects of parody on shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Saturday Night Live. Notably, a 2008 SNL sketch featured Shatner offering endorsement advice to Olympian Michael Phelps.

Theresa Caputo

In June 2012, Theresa Caputo, known for Long Island Medium, appeared in a Priceline commercial as herself, depicting a "connection" with the late Priceline Negotiator character played by William Shatner. This advertisement drew criticism for seemingly making light of the Native American smudging ritual.

JREF President DJ Grothe publicly condemned Priceline.com for promoting Caputo, labeling her a "charlatan" and urging the company to have her participate in the James Randi One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge to validate her claims.

Kaley Cuoco

In January 2013, Kaley Cuoco from The Big Bang Theory joined William Shatner in Priceline commercials, portraying his fictional daughter.

Criticisms

Priceline’s bidding system excludes mandatory resort fee charges, which often results in customers facing unexpected expenses—typically around $25 per night at resorts such as those in Las Vegas. Despite a 2012 warning from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) directed at the industry, Priceline has maintained this approach. The FTC stresses that simply placing resort fees alongside quoted prices or hiding them in fine print does not meet disclosure standards.

In 2013, Priceline was implicated among companies utilizing Wiki-PR, a public relations agency notorious for editing Wikipedia content to serve corporate interests. This raised ethical questions regarding how the company manages its online reputation.

External links