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Am I the only one thinking that they are masking a cash flow problem? Unless H/W is failing it seems to me that an existing system could just keep rolling alon

Am I the only one thinking that they are masking a cash flow problem? Unless H/W is failing it seems to me that an existing system could just keep rolling along. If there is a capacity problem throw more H/W at it. I suppose if the S/W is poorly designed some intervention would be required. I once worked at a shop that had years of transactions clogging up a database when daily information was critical and perhaps monthly would be useful for reports. As others have mentioned, incoming payments are processed but not outbound.

jacquesm 3y ago
No, definitely not. The first and only time 24x7 missed a check payment and blamed their IT department was enough for me to start a 'plan B' and that ultimately saved the day. Of course their outward messaging was the everything was absolutely fine right up until the moment they were declared bankrupt. Likewise 'IBill' and a couple of other cases besides. Regardless of origin: if they really have IT issues that can cause this then you should find an alternative. Unfortunately the 3rd party booking sites are so few in number when it comes to volume that your options are very limited.
dangus 3y ago
Why speculate when we can inspect their financial filings? https://ir.bookingholdings.com/financials/annual-reports/default.aspx https://ir.bookingholdings.com/financials/annual-reports/def... https://seekingalpha.com/article/4611920-booking-holdings-cautiously-optimistic https://seekingalpha.com/article/4611920-booking-holdings-ca... I see positive net income and a positive net change in cash and cash equivalents. “Net income for the quarter amounted to USD266 million, compared with a net loss of USD700 million the prior year quarter. Net income per diluted share was USD7 compared with a net loss of USD17.10 the same quarter a year earlier.” “For Q1 2023 (quarter ended March 2023), Booking Holdings reported revenues up 40% YoY on a reported basis (47% on a constant currency basis) to USD3.8 billion, on the back of a 44% YoY increase in gross travel bookings which amounted to USD39.4 billion for the quarter, and a 38% YoY increase in room nights booked. Booking's performance outpaced rival Expedia (EXPE) whose gross bookings rose 20% YoY to USD29.4 billion the same quarter.”
oldtownroad 3y ago
I very much doubt it. They’re a huge company doing very good business: they have easy access to capital so even in a liquidity crisis they would have no problem addressing it before anyone noticed. If they’re insolvent, that would be one hell of an achievement and seems completely implausible. The far more likely explanation is that their payout system is a heap of junk (as are so many systems). https://ir.bookingholdings.com/overview/financials/quarterly-results/default.aspx https://ir.bookingholdings.com/overview/financials/quarterly... You could get very rich shorting them if you believe they’ve run out of money.
- lumost 3y ago
  Their most recent quarter shows a steep year on year decline in earnings. If there is hanky lanky in the books, it’ll show up in a down year.
- sshine 3y ago
  > If they’re insolvent, that would be one hell of an achievement and seems completely implausible. The problem is that their signal is completely ambiguous. They're enacting maintenance during the busiest season. So we're already at odds with what a serious company can be expected to do. Unless there's a serious reason.

jacquesm 3y ago

No, definitely not. The first and only time 24x7 missed a check payment and blamed their IT department was enough for me to start a 'plan B' and that ultimately saved the day. Of course their outward messaging was the everything was absolutely fine right up until the moment they were declared bankrupt. Likewise 'IBill' and a couple of other cases besides. Regardless of origin: if they really have IT issues that can cause this then you should find an alternative. Unfortunately the 3rd party booking sites are so few in number when it comes to volume that your options are very limited.

dangus 3y ago

Why speculate when we can inspect their financial filings? https://ir.bookingholdings.com/financials/annual-reports/default.aspx https://ir.bookingholdings.com/financials/annual-reports/def... https://seekingalpha.com/article/4611920-booking-holdings-cautiously-optimistic https://seekingalpha.com/article/4611920-booking-holdings-ca... I see positive net income and a positive net change in cash and cash equivalents. “Net income for the quarter amounted to USD266 million, compared with a net loss of USD700 million the prior year quarter. Net income per diluted share was USD7 compared with a net loss of USD17.10 the same quarter a year earlier.” “For Q1 2023 (quarter ended March 2023), Booking Holdings reported revenues up 40% YoY on a reported basis (47% on a constant currency basis) to USD3.8 billion, on the back of a 44% YoY increase in gross travel bookings which amounted to USD39.4 billion for the quarter, and a 38% YoY increase in room nights booked. Booking's performance outpaced rival Expedia (EXPE) whose gross bookings rose 20% YoY to USD29.4 billion the same quarter.”

oldtownroad 3y ago

I very much doubt it. They’re a huge company doing very good business: they have easy access to capital so even in a liquidity crisis they would have no problem addressing it before anyone noticed. If they’re insolvent, that would be one hell of an achievement and seems completely implausible. The far more likely explanation is that their payout system is a heap of junk (as are so many systems). https://ir.bookingholdings.com/overview/financials/quarterly-results/default.aspx https://ir.bookingholdings.com/overview/financials/quarterly... You could get very rich shorting them if you believe they’ve run out of money.

lumost 3y ago
Their most recent quarter shows a steep year on year decline in earnings. If there is hanky lanky in the books, it’ll show up in a down year.
sshine 3y ago
> If they’re insolvent, that would be one hell of an achievement and seems completely implausible. The problem is that their signal is completely ambiguous. They're enacting maintenance during the busiest season. So we're already at odds with what a serious company can be expected to do. Unless there's a serious reason.