On May 19, 2025, Agoda turns 20! From a small start-up to a global travel tech leader, Agoda’s story is deeply rooted in innovation and a passion for making travel easy and rewarding.
“As we celebrate Agoda’s 20th birthday, we can proudly say that Agoda has truly become one of Asia Pacific’s preferred travel marketplaces,” shares our CEO, Omri Morgenshtern. “Agoda’s success comes from building a true tech company at scale. A piece of Silicon Valley in APAC. It’s a story of relentless focus on pricing and a deep understanding of Asian cultures.”
Let’s look back on Agoda’s story, and all the moments, people, and breakthroughs that led us to this milestone.
Where We Are Today: A Global Force for Travel
For 20 years, Agoda has been committed to creating a seamless travel experience, helping travelers see the world for less. Here’s how we do it:
- 2 billion user interactions daily: From clicks and scrolls to filter selections, every interaction helps travelers find the perfect stay.
- 1 trillion price checks per day: Ensuring the best deals on accommodation, flights, and activities.
- 1,000+ experiments daily: We’re constantly improving the user experience.
- 12 petabytes of data processed monthly: That’s 12,000,000,000,000,000 bytes of storage per year!
- 87 million app downloads: Agoda’s mobile app is the most downloaded OTA app in APAC outside of China, according to Data.AI.
Headquartered in Singapore, with a Global Operations Center in Bangkok and offices in more than 50 locations worldwide, Agoda thrives on the diversity of our 7,000+ employees, who represent over 90 nationalities. This global perspective fuels our mission to bridge cultures and create seamless travel experiences for the world.
How It All Began: A Friendship, a Vision, and a Pivot
Agoda was created by Michael Kenny and Rob Rosenstein, two lifelong friends and entrepreneurs with a shared love of travel. In the 1990s, Michael, based in Phuket, Thailand, was focused on travel and tourism, while Rob was carving a path in e-commerce and the digital space.
When the friends reconnected in the early 2000s, their complementary expertise sparked a collaboration. Rob invested in an early travel start-up Michael had founded in Phuket: a hotel booking platform focused on inbound travelers from North America and Europe. This venture laid the groundwork for what would later become Agoda.
In this early phase, the business model relied heavily on search engine optimization (SEO) to attract customers and offer competitive room prices. But in 2005, a major Google ranking algorithm change nearly wiped out their PlanetHoliday business. Instead of retreating, Rob and Michael pivoted to launch the Agoda brand.
Drawing from their entrepreneurial experiences and passion for travel, Michael and Rob envisioned Agoda as an online travel company based in Asia, designed for Asian markets, that could rival the online giants in the West.
Agoda officially launched in 2005, and what began as an e-commerce start-up quickly grew into a global travel platform. They strategically opted to contract directly with hotels for inventory, securing better rates and availability to compete with other OTAs.
Key Moments That Shaped Agoda’s Story
From our earliest days to our most recent achievements, Agoda’s milestones reflect our commitment to innovation and adaptability:
- 2007: Joined Booking Holdings (formerly Priceline Group), unlocking the resources to scale globally while retaining our entrepreneurial DNA.
- 2012: Surpassed 200,000 hotels in inventory, solidifying our position as a leading online travel platform in Asia.
- 2014: Acquired Qlika, a tech start-up specializing in micro-marketing — a partnership that strengthened Agoda’s data-driven marketing capabilities. (The Qlika team is still with Agoda today, including our CEO Omri!)
- 2017: Launched Homes, expanding beyond hotels to offer private accommodations like apartments, villas, and unique stays.
- 2019: Introduced Flights, evolving Agoda into a full-service travel marketplace. Joined forces with Rocket Travel to form Rocket Travel by Agoda, enhancing B2B strategic partnerships and white-label solutions.
- 2021: Launched Activities, allowing travelers to seamlessly book tours, attractions, and experiences worldwide.
- 2022: Omri Morgenshtern became CEO, bringing fresh energy and vision to Agoda’s next chapter.
- 2025: Agoda offers over 5 million holiday properties, over 130,000 flight routes, and over 300,000 activities, providing endless possibilities for creating unforgettable travel experiences.
Agoda’s Story Continues: Here’s to the Next 20 Years
Agoda’s 20th anniversary is both a celebration of our history and a launchpad for our future. As travel evolves, so will we. Our CEO, Omri, puts it best: “There is growing demand among customers for more personalized experiences when booking travel. Understanding which properties and flights are perfect for which travelers is what we do well at Agoda, and innovative technologies like GenAI allow us to evolve our travel booking experience even further. We’re in great shape to continue bridging the world through travel for the next 20 years.”
To all the Agodans, partners, and travelers who have been part of this journey: Thank you. And to those ready to join us: If you’re passionate about tech, travel, and making the world a little smaller, we’re just getting started.
Here’s to bridging the world, one journey at a time.
Explore opportunities at Agoda and help us write the next chapter in Agoda’s story.
