Expedia Group brand and hotel room booking website Hotels.com has announced a new multi-year global partnership with storied Spanish La Liga soccer club Real Madrid C.F.
The partnership will connect the global hotel booking platform with Real Madrid’s international fanbase of more than 677 million supporters through content, digital activations, matchday visibility and exclusive experiences.
As an Official Partner of Real Madrid, Hotels.com will have exclusive access to matchday branding, digital content opportunities, and hospitality experiences at the club’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium. It will also enable Hotels.com and Real Madrid to collaborate on campaigns that help supporters travel and bring them closer to the club throughout the season.
The partnership will leverage Real Madrid’s international reach by allowing Hotels.com to connect with travelers across the world. Recent search data released by Hotels.com shows that hotel stays in Madrid during the current season are up 30 percent year-over-year, based on lodging searches from January 1 to October 9 for travel between August 1, 2026, and May 31, 2027 (compared to the same dates the previous year).
Founded in 1991 as the Hotel Reservations Network before rebranding in 2002, Hotels.com enables users to search for, compare and book accommodations such as hotel rooms, resorts, apartments and vacation rentals around the world. The brand later came under the ownership of USA Interactive alongside another online travel agency in Expedia, before the parent company spun off its travel businesses into an independent public company now known as Expedia Group.
‘Compelling Content and Meaningful Experiences’
“Real Madrid is one of the most iconic brands in global sport, with an unmatched ability to connect with fans around the world,” said Hotels.com General Manager Hari Nair. “This partnership gives Hotels.com a powerful platform to engage a passionate, highly relevant audience through compelling content and meaningful experiences.
“The loyalty that defines Real Madrid’s fanbase makes this a natural fit for Hotels.com. We know Real Madrid fans over index on travel frequency, so we want to reward them with instant savings today and the flexibility to bank rewards for future trips.”
“This partnership represents a great opportunity for us to continue growing as a club alongside a leading company in its sector, with whom we share fundamental values such as the pursuit of excellence, a commitment to service, innovation, and the ability to connect with our respective audiences,” said Emilio Butragueño, institutional relations director at Real Madrid.
Over the coming seasons, the two parties say that they will collaborate on a range of fan-focused initiatives. Through the partnership, Hotels.com will engage fans across Real Madrid’s global ecosystem, leveraging the club’s digital channels, in-stadium presence and hospitality opportunities to showcase how travelers can get rewarded every time they book.
Last year, Real Madrid also partnered with global entertainment studio Moment Factory to create Realmadrid Games, a multi-level interactive journey around the newly renovated Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
Described as a “world-first permanent multimedia activation,” the experience was designed to extend the fan journey beyond match days and develop immersive interactivity, while transforming underutilized spaces into year-round attractions.
Soccer Partnerships
In August, Hotels.com also renewed its global partnership with reigning English Premier League champions Arsenal, extending a collaboration that began in 2023.
The multi-year agreement ensured that Hotels.com would retain a strong presence across Arsenal’s men’s and women’s teams and platforms, including prominent matchday visibility at Emirates Stadium, access to players, and rights to create content and campaigns to engage supporters around the world. The club also provides the booking platform with wider international reach across key strategic travel markets.
Furthermore, data from Hotels.com revealed that during the 2026 Champions League final weekend (May 30—31), when Arsenal were defeated by French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest, Hungary, searches for stays in the capital increased by 1,300 percent, compared with the same period the previous year. The final two months of the Premier League season also saw travel searches for north London spike 30 percent on matchdays, based on searches from April 1 to May 18 for matchday stays, compared to the same dates in 2025.
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