Booking Holdings

Government relief or not, if a substantial coronavirus recovery doesn't take shape by June, it's hard to believe that Booking Holdings won't execute substantial layoffs like everyone else. Perhaps the crisis, too, will spur new discussions about enormous pay gaps between CEOs and their workers.

The hotel room bedbank Hotelbeds confirmed on Thursday that it had received a loan of about $435 million (€400 million), boosting its cash cushion. But will cautious travelers be as interested in the company's typically non-refundable rates and otherwise typically restricted offers during months of uncertainty about possible travel restrictions?

The battle between Booking Holdings, Airbnb, and Expedia is not just about which one will emerge with the thickest wad of cash. It is also about business models, revenue stream diversity, and product offerings meshing the best with traveler behavior that may never be the same.

In our coronavirus in travel coverage this week, marketers will have to throw out the playbook post-crisis, Booking Holdings mulled dire financial scenarios, a devalued Airbnb secured new financing at unattractive terms, Flight Centre closed 800 travel agencies, and Carnival Corp. took a controversial investment from the Saudi government.

The online travel industry is marginally better positioned to deal with this current outbreak than many of their suppliers in the hotel and airline industry. Still, the damage will get worse — and be severe and long-lasting.

Love it or hate it, you can hardly blame Airbnb for a deflated valuation, although not all of the plunge is coronavirus-related. The pain that is infecting travel and other companies at this moment is boundless.

If the impact of coronavirus gets worse, and if the company doesn't tap any additional borrowings, Booking Holdings probably has enough money to pays its obligations until the second half of 2021 — but it can't guarantee that will be the case. This has potential chilling implications for weaker competitors, let alone tens of thousands of smaller businesses that will likely be long gone by then.

Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel said he "feels fine" after testing positive for coronavirus. As a public company, Booking Holdings prudently disclosed the diagnosis in a financial filing.

Airbnb will likely have no trouble raising money, assuming the valuation and terms are palatable to investors, but it's dubious that they will chip in a few hundred million dollars each based on the supposedly inherent advantages of Airbnb's product.

It's a decisive moment for short-term rental companies. When it comes to coronavirus-addled short-term rental cancellation and refund policies, Airbnb sided with guests while Vrbo shrugged its shoulders to soothe property managers and owners. Who has the longer memory?