Hotels.com vs Kayak:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Hotels.com had more branded searches than Kayak among travel booking sites in the United Kingdom. Hotels.com had about 49,500 branded searches, while Kayak had 40,500. Hotels.com made up 0.5% of all travel booking site searches we track, and Kayak accounted for 0.41%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about travel booking sites, Hotels.com and Kayak each appeared in one of the four answers. Hotels.com and Kayak were each mentioned first in one of the two answers that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Hotels.com, about 22% more searches than Kayak
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 1 of 4 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
Each is named first in 1 of 2 answers.
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Top travel booking sites in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Hotels.com and Kayak were each mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Hotels.com and Kayak were each listed first in one of the two answers that named either.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Skyscanner3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Google Flights3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Booking.com1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
trivago1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers- Hotels.com1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Kayak1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Expedia0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
lastminute.com0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Trip.com0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Opodo0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
See every answer about travel booking sites
4 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best site to book cheap flights from the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which website has the best hotel deals?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Is it cheaper to book flights through a comparison site or directly with the airline?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cheap flights”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026.
Is Hotels.com or Kayak more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Hotels.com and Kayak by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten travel booking sites we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.
Share of searches by month for Hotels.com, Kayak. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Skyscanner | Google Flights | Booking.com | trivago | Expedia | lastminute.com | Hotels.com | Trip.com | Kayak | Opodo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 61.4% | 15% | 10.1% | 5.5% | 4.5% | 1.4% | 0.61% | 0.5% | 0.41% | 0.61% |
| Nov 2025 | 63.8% | 15.6% | 8.6% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 1.4% | 0.52% | 0.52% | 0.52% | 0.52% |
| Dec 2025 | 63.9% | 15.6% | 8.6% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 1.4% | 0.52% | 0.42% | 0.52% | 0.52% |
| Jan 2026 | 63.2% | 15.5% | 8.5% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 1.4% | 0.51% | 0.34% | 0.63% | 0.51% |
| Feb 2026 | 61.1% | 15% | 10% | 6.7% | 3.7% | 1.6% | 0.49% | 0.33% | 0.6% | 0.49% |
| Mar 2026 | 59.3% | 17.7% | 9.7% | 5.3% | 4.4% | 1.6% | 0.48% | 0.59% | 0.48% | 0.48% |
| Apr 2026 | 62.1% | 15.2% | 10.1% | 5.6% | 3.7% | 1.4% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.34% | 0.5% |
| May 2026 | 59.8% | 14.7% | 11.9% | 6.6% | 3.6% | 1.6% | 0.59% | 0.48% | 0.32% | 0.48% |
| Jun 2026 | 59% | 14.5% | 11.8% | 7.9% | 3.5% | 1.6% | 0.48% | 0.48% | 0.32% | 0.39% |
| Jul 2026 | 58.7% | 14.4% | 11.7% | 7.9% | 3.5% | 1.9% | 0.58% | 0.47% | 0.32% | 0.47% |
| Aug 2026 | 58.2% | 14.3% | 11.6% | 7.8% | 4.3% | 1.9% | 0.58% | 0.58% | 0.31% | 0.39% |
| Sep 2026 | 61.3% | 15% | 10% | 6.7% | 3.7% | 1.4% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.41% | 0.41% |
How has the Hotels.com and Kayak comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Kayak took it in January 2026, Hotels.com took it in April 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hotels.com’s share of searches among travel booking sites in the United Kingdom moved from 0.61% to 0.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 49.5K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kayak’s share of searches among travel booking sites in the United Kingdom held steady at 0.41%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 33.1K to 40.5K.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom travel booking sites in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Kayak rose from 10th to 9th among travel booking sites in the United Kingdom.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hotels.com’s and Kayak’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Hotels.com
1 branded search term
- hotels.com
Kayak
1 branded search term
- kayak flights
Other head-to-heads among travel booking sites
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