Agoda

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title: "Agoda" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2007-mergers-and-acquisitions", "booking-holdings", "hospitality-companies-of-singapore", "internet-properties-established-in-2003", "online-travel-agencies", "singaporean-brands", "singaporean-travel-websites", "thai-brands", "thai-travel-websites", "transport-companies-established-in-2003"] description: "Singaporean online travel agency" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agoda" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Singaporean online travel agency ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox website"]

Field	Value
name	Agoda Company Pte.
logo	Agoda logo 2019.svg
logo_size	200px
company_type	Subsidiary
founded
type	Travel and accommodation
location	Singapore and Thailand
area_served	Global
founder	Robert Rosenstein (co-founder)
Michael Kenny (co-founder)
key_people	Omri Morgenshtern (CEO)
John Wroughton Brown (chairman)
Idan Zalzberg (CTO)
Damien Pfirsch (CCO)
Thi-Mai-Linh Bui (CFO)
products	Travel agency
Metasearch engine
parent	Booking Holdings
homepage
::

| name = Agoda Company Pte. | logo = Agoda logo 2019.svg | logo_size = 200px | logo_caption = | company_type = Subsidiary | founded = | type = Travel and accommodation | location = Singapore and Thailand | area_served = Global | founder = Robert Rosenstein (co-founder) Michael Kenny (co-founder) | key_people = Omri Morgenshtern (CEO) John Wroughton Brown (chairman) Idan Zalzberg (CTO) Damien Pfirsch (CCO) Thi-Mai-Linh Bui (CFO) | products = Travel agency Metasearch engine | parent = Booking Holdings | homepage =

Agoda.com is an online travel agency catering to customers around the world with operations in Singapore and Bangkok, Thailand. Founded by Robert Rosenstein and Michael Kenny, Agoda facilitates reservations for accommodation, flights, ground transportation, and activities. It is a subsidiary of Booking Holdings.

In Japan, since around 2024, reservation troubles have frequently occurred, drawing significant coverage in the Japanese media and leading to calls for improvement from regulatory authorities. Agoda has faced criticism and legal actions in several countries, including Thailand, Taiwan, and Turkey, over unregistered hotel listings, misleading discounts and unfair competition practices.

History

Agoda was co-founded in 2005 by American school friends Michael Kenny and Robert Rosenstein. Kenny had previously launched Phuket-based PlanetHoliday.com and PrecisionReservations.com, which were incorporated into Agoda.

In 2007, Agoda was acquired by Booking Holdings, formerly The Priceline Group. Agoda launched iOS and Android mobile apps in July 2011. After Booking Holdings acquired Israel-based startup Qlika in 2014, the Qlika team joined Agoda to automate and scale its marketing systems. In November 2014, the company opened a research center in Tel Aviv.

In May 2016, Booking Holdings acquired Taipei-based startup WooMoo, the creator of POP, a mobile app that focused on prototyping. Its team relocated to Bangkok. In May 2018, CEO and co-founder Rob Rosenstein became the chairman of Agoda and a strategic advisor to Booking Holdings. John Wroughton Brown, the COO, was promoted as the new CEO of Agoda, with Chief Product Officer Omri Morgenshtern, who joined the company as part of the Qlika acquisition, named as the new COO.

In November 2018, Agoda launched airport transfers via a partnership with Mozio. In September 2019, Agoda launched a brand refresh including a new logo, custom font, and cartoon mascots called Agojis based on the circles in the logo. In October 2019, flight bookings were introduced.

In November 2019, Agoda launched B2B products including a white-label platform. In May 2020, Agoda announced the layoffs of 1,500 people due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2022, John Brown left the position of CEO, with then-Chief Product Officer Omri Morgenshtern becoming the new CEO.

Illegal and unregistered hotels scam

In April 2017, the Tourism Minister of Thailand called for Agoda among others to drop illegal and unregistered hotels. Agoda was the primary company criticized, and its success is part of what led the Ministry of Tourism & Sports to create a competitive hotel booking website.

In 2018, Agoda cooperated with the Taipei City Government's request to remove illegal and unregistered Taipei hotels from its listings. In same year, Agoda faced legal action from the Turkish Travel Agencies Association due to alleged unfair competition. It faced a potential ban as part of this lawsuit.

Misleading discount claims

In October 2017, Agoda, among other hotel sites, was subject to a probe by the Competition and Markets Authority in the United Kingdom. The probe was related to "concerns about hidden charges, pressure selling tactics, misleading discount claims and the order in which results appear on the site pages." Agoda agreed to change how it operates in response to this probe.

Non existent hotel booking fraud

In December 2017, Agoda initially refused to give a refund to a customer that booked a non-existent hotel. Agoda eventually paid a refund following a fraud complaint filed with the Thai government.

In 2019, Agoda was criticized for difficulties with customers removing their homes from the website. The customers cited customer service issues.

In September 2025, Agoda laid off approximately 50 Singapore employees and included severance clauses prohibiting contact with government agencies or trade unions, threatening to revoke benefits if breached. Following strong condemnation from the Ministry of Manpower and NTUC, Agoda apologized on September 19, acknowledging the clauses were "inappropriate".

Surge in Booking Failures in Japan

Source:

On November 18, 2024, , a major hotel chain in Japan, issued a warning regarding room reservations sold through overseas booking sites such as Agoda. They noted issues such as being unable to confirm reservations, discrepancies in reservation details, and rooms being sold at significantly higher prices than those set by the hotel.

On June 16, 2025, Toyoko Inn, another major hotal chain in Japan, also issued a warning on its official website, stating that some of the hotel room allocations provided to partner sites had been resold on overseas booking platforms such as Agoda, leading to problems. On June 19, Fuji Dream Airlines, Japanese regional airline, also issued a warning, reporting troubles with airline tickets purchased through Agoda, which is not a contracted travel agency.

Furthermore, several issues have been reported regarding Agoda, including changing a room plan from "one night with dinner" to "one night with two meals" without the accommodation provider's consent, accepting reservations for smoking rooms at entirely non-smoking properties, and inflating accommodation fees. Other issues reported in Japanese news media include reservation information not being communicated to the accommodation provider or being transmitted incorrectly, resulting in the proper rooms not being secured; rooms being sold at significantly higher prices than the hotel's listed rates; bookings being sold as non-refundable; and reservations being canceled by Agoda just days before the scheduled stay.

In response to these problems, Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) determined these actions to be breaches of obligation and issued a business improvement request to Agoda in March 2025.

On June 24, 2025, Yoshiharu Hoshino, CEO of Hoshino Resorts, posted on Twitter (X), quoting a Kyodo News report on the JTA's improvement request to Agoda. He commented, "Hoshino Resorts has no contract with the online travel agent AGODA, but there have been frequent cases where guests who booked through AGODA arrive and are unable to secure a room. Just recently, a guest who had booked through AGODA showed up at a hotel that was closed for maintenance. There is clearly a problem with AGODA's system".

According to an independent survey conducted by Nikkei, about 20% of Agoda users have experienced some sort of trouble, such as "the hotel they thought they had booked was not actually reserved", "their reservation was canceled without consent", or "the airline ticket did not match the conditions at the time of purchase". Furthermore, about half of those who consulted Agoda about such issues were simply told to handle the matter themselves.

On July 17, 2025, Agoda CEO Omri Morgenshtern issued a statement addressing the "phantom inventory" issue, announcing that Agoda had ceased handling inventory from specific third-party suppliers identified as the cause of the troubles. He also outlined measures such as the introduction of AI-based pre-monitoring systems and the strengthening of management systems for third-party suppliers. On the previous day, July 16, Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Shigeki Murata stated at a press conference that the agency would continue to monitor the situation and the progress of the improvement measures.

References

References

1. (February 23, 2023). "Booking Holdings 2022 Annual Report Form (10-K)". [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]].
2. (7 June 2021). "Book a date". [[Bangkok Post]].
3. MENZE, JILL. (December 9, 2021). "Agoda launches Beds Network to help hotels distribute wholesale rates". PhocusWire.
4. O'Neill, Sean. (May 9, 2018). "Agoda Names New CEO as It Aims to Go Global". [[Skift]].
5. Peltier, Dan. (September 21, 2018). "Booking Holdings' Agoda Takes a Distinctive Approach on Short-Term Rentals". [[Skift]].
6. (2025-07-18). "星野リゾートも怒り心頭な「アゴダ」、旅行予約サイトでトラブルを回避する自己防衛策とは".
7. (2025-07-23). "「行ったらホテルがなかった」大手旅行予約サイト「アゴダ」でトラブル続出！国交省は改善求める【news23】".
8. (2025-08-18). "アゴダでトラブル経験2割 「返信なし」2割、「自己解決を」5割".
9. (April 2017). "Tourism Ministry tells Agoda to drop illegal hotels". Bangkok Post.
10. (2018). "TÜRSAB sues Agoda for unfair competition". Hürriyet Daily News.
11. (27 October 2017). "UK launches probe into hotel booking sites". The Guardian.
12. (19 September 2025). "Agoda apologizes for 'inappropriate' severance terms after MOM and NTUC criticism". Channel NewsAsia.
13. Kaveevivitchai, Nithi. (August 5, 2013). "Boom at the inn". [[Bangkok Post]].
14. (November 9, 2007). "Priceline.com acquires asian online hotel reservation service co Agoda". [[Reuters]].
15. Schaal, Dennis. (July 15, 2011). "Agoda debuts iPhone app with lots of Asia hotels". Phocuswire.
16. (July 14, 2011). "Agoda.com introduces new iPhone app". Breaking Travel News.
17. (September 10, 2011). "agoda.com launches Android app for easy mobile hotel booking". Breaking Travel News.
18. Empson, Rip. (March 11, 2014). "Priceline Buys Israel's Qlika For $15-20M To Boost Global Expansion With Rocket Science-Powered Ad Tech". [[TechCrunch]].
19. Shamah, David. (21 November 2014). "Priceline hotel site seeks big data expertise in israel". [[Times of Israel]].
20. Shu, Catherine. (May 24, 2016). "Taipei-based startup Woomoo acqui-hired by Priceline". [[TechCrunch]].
21. O'Neill, Sean. (May 9, 2018). "Agoda Names New CEO as It Aims to Go Global". [[Skift]].
22. Litwak, David. (November 24, 2018). "Mozio Group Launches in Asia with Agoda, Ctrip Partnerships". [[Mozio]].
23. (September 19, 2019). "Agoda unveils fresh look". Travel Weekly.
24. Hamdi, Raini. (October 18, 2018). "Agoda Is Starting to Offer Flights to Take On Rivals in Asia". [[Skift]].
25. (November 11, 2019). "Agoda Enhances Traveler Experience With New Capabilities and Offering For B2B2C Partners". [[Business Wire]].
26. Hamdi, Raini. (May 18, 2020). "Booking's Agoda Cuts 1,500 Workers in Asia". [[Skift]].
27. (April 19, 2022). "Omri Morgenshtern appointed Agoda CEO". [[Globes (newspaper).
28. (April 1, 2017). "Tourism Minister calls on Agoda, OTAs told to drop illegal hotels". [[The Phuket News]].
29. (September 18, 2013). "Phuket News: Ministry to take on big hotel booking sites". [[The Phuket News]].
30. Strong, Matthew. (June 12, 2018). "Online reservation site Agoda to remove illegal Taipei hotels". [[Taiwan News]].
31. (September 8, 2018). "Tourism body to start legal action against 20 booking portals". [[Daily Sabah]].
32. (August 14, 2018). "Turkey Looking to Ban 20 Travel Booking Sites". GTP Headlines.
33. (June 2, 2019). "Six hotel sites agree to stop 'misleading' tactics and hidden charges". [[Sky News]].
34. Calder, Simon. (October 27, 2017). "HOTEL Booking Websites Face Investigation into Selling Practices". [[The Independent]].
35. Itthipongmaetee, Chayanit. (December 7, 2017). "WOMAN BLAMES BAD CLICK FOR 150,000B BANGKOK HOTEL BILL. THEN HER STORY GOT WEIRDER.". [[Khaosod]].
36. Hamdi, Raini. (July 11, 2019). "Agoda Dubbed 'Hotel California' in Asia as Hotel Suppliers Say They Can Never Leave". [[Skift]].
37. (19 September 2025). "Agoda apologises for 'inappropriate' severance clauses, will work with labour movement to support retrenched employees".
38. (2025-08-08). "旅行予約サイト「アゴダ（agoda）」、なお続くトラブル お盆旅行にも冷や水".
39. "【注意喚起】一部の海外予約サイト（agoda等）ご利用時の注意事項に関するご案内". Route Inn Grantia Shiretoko.
40. "【東横イン公式】【注意喚起】一部の海外予約サイト（Agoda等）ご利用時のご注意事項｜ホテル・ビジネスホテル予約". [[Toyoko Inn]].
41. "重要なお知らせ 詳細". [[Fuji Dream Airlines]].
42. (2025-06-30). "旅館から怒りの声「勝手に内容を変えて販売し、責任とらないってどうなの？」 宿泊予約サイトAgoda問題 取材に対する回答は…". [[RKK Kumamoto Broadcasting]].
43. (2025-06-26). "アゴダでホテル予約も「予約自体とれてない」「勝手にキャンセル」トラブル続出 背景には空室枠の転売か". [[Fuji News Network]].
44. "【独自】宿泊予約アゴダに改善要請 観光庁、部屋確保されずトラブル". [[Kyodo News]].
45. "星野リゾートは、オンラインの旅行エージェントであるAGODAとは契約していないが...".
46. (2025-06-30). "【独自】星野リゾートが語った「アゴダ悪質転売」の生々しい実態…星野代表、異例投稿の裏で起こっていた「被害」". [[Business Insider]] Japan.
47. (2025-08-18). "アゴダでトラブル経験2割 「返信なし」2割、「自己解決を」5割".
48. (2025-07-17). "アゴダ、"空売り問題"でCEOが声明を発表 - 観光経済新聞". [[:ja:観光経済新聞.
49. "「アゴダ」不正業者との取引停止 宿泊予約トラブルに関与". [[Kyodo News]].

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