Booking.com to open a customer support centre that will create 250 new jobs in Barcelona
Booking.com is a Dutch hotel and accommodation booking company. Leader in its sector, it has decided to open in Barcelona one of its 5 customer support centres worldwide. In the context of the current economic crisis, the arrival of the company in the Catalan capital is positive because Booking.com has announced that the opening will create 250 jobs. Catalan Business Minister Felip Puig emphasised that the decision of the Dutch company proves that “Barcelona and Catalonia are attracting poles”.
Barcelona (ACN) - The Dutch multinational company Booking.com has chosen Barcelona for the installation of one of its five Customer Support centres in Europe, offering a worldwide service. Leader in hotel and accommodation internet bookings, the company is buying a 3,000 square metres office in Barcelona, to be unveiled in April. The business will create 250 jobs in Barcelona. The announcement was made by Catalan Minister for Business and Employment, Felip Puig, who assured that his department “is working hard to end job destruction and achieve economic recovery for Catalonia”. The 250-strong team will be multilingual and will offer a 24-hour service worldwide.
Barcelona and Catalonia, “attracting poles”
Puig delared that the decision of the Dutch company proves that “Barcelona and Catalonia are attracting poles” and that “people trust this country to generate opportunities and wealth”. Puig explained “the Department is trying to attract investments and generate business, and this result, among others, is very positive”, the Minister emphasised. For this operation, Booking.com received the support of the Business and Employment Department through Invest in Catalonia, the attraction and investment promotion international network.
This centre will be the fifth Booking.com Customer Support centre in Europe – added to the ones in Amsterdam, Berlin, Lille and Cambridge – and the ninth worldwide. The company entered Barcelona in 2004 with a subsidiary that was in charge of contacting Spanish and Andorran hotels. Booking.com has currently some 100 workers and offices in Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga and the Canary Islands.