Booking Holdings Bucharest

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Booking Holdings’ Bucharest Center of Excellence transforms the spirit of travel into a workplace inspired by connection and discovery.

Location

Bucharest, Romania

Client

Booking Holdings

Expertise

Technology [FPO] Interiors [FPO] Interior Design [FPO] expertise 03

Opportunity

Booking Holdings needed a Bucharest workplace that could unite its brands, attract skilled talent, and support a growing Center of Excellence.

Booking Holdings, a global leader in online travel and related services, tapped Gensler to design its first Center of Excellence in Bucharest. The workplace needed to provide access to specialized talent while creating stronger collaboration across brands including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK, and OpenTable. The second design phase continued that ambition, expanding the workplace journey with a more locally rooted concept that celebrates Romania’s cultural identity and natural diversity.

Why This Matters

01
Uniting Travel Brands
The workplace brings Booking Holdings’ brands together under one roof, fostering learning and sharing of best practices.
02
Supporting Skilled Talent
The Bucharest Center of Excellence gives Booking Holdings a workplace platform designed to attract and support specialized, highly skilled employees.
03
Creating Local Meaning
The second phase expands the travel concept by grounding the workplace experience in Romania’s architecture and culture.

N/A

Solution

Gensler translated travel, memory, and regional identity into a flexible workplace that connects people across brands and work modes.

The design turns the idea of travel into a physical workplace journey. The first phase includes zones inspired by North America, South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia, with reception influenced by Romanian design. Frames, layered glass, eclectic picture walls, planting, artwork, patterns, and textures help evoke the creation of travel memories. Phase two builds on this idea through Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia, translating Romanian landscapes, architectural language, and culture into materials, furniture, and biophilic details.

The design process transformed Booking Holdings’ travel mission into spatial journeys shaped by global regions and Romanian cultural identity.

Gensler’s process began with Booking Holdings’ role in helping people experience the world. For phase one, the team translated global travel into workplace neighborhoods inspired by continents and regions, with corridors acting as the thread that connects each destination. For phase two, the team brought the concept closer to home, drawing on research into Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia to shape the workplace’s spaces and experiences.

Regional Design Framework

Global Regions and Romanian cultural identities informed workplace neighborhoods, creating a spatial narrative inspired by travel and local heritage.

Impact

Across two phases, the Bucharest workplace supports talent, well-being, and a memorable sense of place.

Throughout two phases, Booking Holdings Bucharest creates a workplace that connects multiple brands while turning travel and community into an everyday workplace experience.

What Changed Because of This

01
Brand Connection
The workplace connects Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK, and OpenTable through shared spaces for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
02
Workplace Choice
Employees can move between a range of workstations, from focus zones and phone booths, to touchdown areas to breakout rooms.
03
Cultural Storytelling
The workplace combines global travel references with Romanian cultural identity, creating a richer and more personal sense of place.

We are proud to have partnered with Booking Holdings Bucharest to imagine an innovative office which meets business needs and provides a space for connection.

Recognition

01

German Design Award Winner 2024

Booking Holdings Bucharest won the Excellent Architecture – Interior Architecture category in recognition of exemplary design achievements.

02

Office Insight

Gensler earned top honors at the 2024 German Design Awards, a testament to the firm’s mission to “create forward-thinking” spaces.

03

Office Snapshots

Gensler’s travel-inspired design for Booking Holdings’ takes visitors on a global journey, using colors, textures, artwork, and planting to reflect distinct regional identities.

Team

Project Leadership

Lukasz Platkowski

As Managing Director of Gensler Germany, Lukasz provides leadership and strategic direction for the growth of the firm's business across Germany and Central Europe. He has led multidisciplinary projects for a range of clients, with a focus on resilience, enhancing human experiences, and creating long-term value.

[FPO] Sonja Jungnitsch

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[FPO] Kelsey Meden

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FAQ

01

What was the vision behind Booking Holdings Bucharest?

The workplace transforms Booking Holdings’ role in global travel into a physical journey, connecting people, brands, cultures, and work settings.

02

How do phases one and two differ?

The first phase uses global regions as the design concept, while the second phase brings the story closer to home through Romanian cultural and natural references.

03

What brands does the workplace support?

The workplace supports collaboration across Booking Holdings brands, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK, and OpenTable.

04

How large is the project?

Each phase is 40,000 square feet / 4,000 square meters. Together, the project totals approximately 80,000 square feet / 8,000 square meters, pending confirmation.

05

What work settings are included?

The workplace includes workstations, meeting rooms, focus zones, touchdown areas, collaboration spaces, private phone booths, and breakout spaces.

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Related Expertise

Technology Interiors Interior Design Expertise 03

Booking Holdings’ Bucharest Center of Excellence transforms the spirit of travel into a workplace inspired by connection and discovery.

Booking Holdings needed a Bucharest workplace that could unite its brands, attract skilled talent, and support a growing Center of Excellence.

Why This Matters

Gensler translated travel, memory, and regional identity into a flexible workplace that connects people across brands and work modes.

The design process transformed Booking Holdings’ travel mission into spatial journeys shaped by global regions and Romanian cultural identity.

Across two phases, the Bucharest workplace supports talent, well-being, and a memorable sense of place.

What Changed Because of This