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: bookingUS@hs-pr.com .
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