This past week (the unofficial end to summer for many of you) was a relatively busy one in the world of online travel. Highlights include:
- EU (Unofficially) Kills Booking Holdings’ Planned Purchase of eTraveli. For...more
This week’s Update features a wide variety of stories, including two on the growing influence of fintech products and their suppliers...more
6/21/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
FinTech ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Popular ,
TikTok ,
Travelers
For those of you in the United States, I hope you enjoyed your long holiday weekend – the unofficial kickoff to summer. Our weekly Online Travel Update is below. It’s been a few weeks since we featured a story on banks’...more
This week’s Update features a heavy dose of online group booking platforms and an interesting report on the growing importance of social media and in particular, travel influencers. Enjoy....more
Three of the four stories we feature in this week’s Update detail recent or ongoing examinations by competition regulators of the trade practices of several online travel platforms. Relatedly, we also include again a link to...more
11/10/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Big Tech ,
Booking.com ,
Capital One ,
Competition Authorities ,
Digital Platforms ,
EU ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
India ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rewards Programs ,
Spain ,
Travelers ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
It was another relatively quiet week in the online travel world, as evidenced by the stories below. The one obvious exception was the European Commission’s final publishing of the much-discussed Digital Markets Act (DMA),...more
The last unofficial week of summer was relatively slow in the online travel world, though last week did see the release of the European Commission’s report on its recent study into the current status of hotel room...more
Our “vacation edition” of our weekly Online Travel Update is below. Our regular Updates will resume next week. Have a great week everyone....more
8/22/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Rewards Programs ,
Startups ,
Subscription Services ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
The “vacation edition” of our weekly Online Travel Update is below. Our regular Online Travel Update will be back next week....more
What a week it has been watching the horrible events unfold in Ukraine. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those in Ukraine or with family in Ukraine....more
3/14/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Russia ,
Ryanair ,
Travelers ,
Uber
This week’s Update includes two stories detailed Booking Holdings’ recent earnings release and a surprise story regarding Google’s hotel booking platform. Enjoy....more
For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving this week, happy holidays. This week’s Update features a wide variety of stories, including PhocusWire’s annual list of the 25 hot travel startups. Enjoy....more
11/29/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Advertising ,
Amazon ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Popular ,
Sales & Distribution Agreements ,
Startups ,
Sustainability ,
Travelers ,
Wyndham
We begin this week’s Update with the announced acquisition of Getaroom by Booking Holdings. Enjoy....more
11/22/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Apple ,
Booking.com ,
CEOs ,
Data Privacy ,
Delta Airlines ,
Hotels ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Sales & Distribution Agreements ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s Update features yet another story about Hopper as well as an important update on the future of keyword restrictions. Enjoy....more
11/1/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Hotels ,
Keyword Advertising ,
Keyword Search ,
Marriott ,
Mergers ,
Online Reviews ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Travelers ,
Virus Testing
This week’s Update again features a number of stories on fintech and its emerging influence on the travel and lodging industries. Enjoy....more
10/25/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
B2B Organizations ,
B2C ,
Capital One ,
Capital Raising ,
FinTech ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Investors ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Popular ,
Startups ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
It was a relatively quiet week in the online travel world. Booking’s announcement last week about its launch of a new fintech business spurred several additional stories last week, two of which are included in this week’s...more
This week’s Update contains something for everyone – currencies and payments, infringement claims and acquisitions. Enjoy....more
1/25/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Breach of Contract ,
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Hotels ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Southwest Airlines ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Trivago ,
Unjust Enrichment
Travelers Seeking Increased Transparency -
(“Skyscanner, Expedia, Hopper on need for transparency in travel retailing,” Oct 14, 2020 via Phocus Wire)
In a recent roundtable held at the Open Industry Summit: The New...more
10/26/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Health and Safety ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Transparency ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
After weeks of Updates detailing the disastrous effects of COVID-19 on the lodging industry, this week’s Update includes stories on (potential) signs of an industry recovery. I hope you enjoy....more
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update includes a greater number of stories than usual given the ever-changing COVID-19 situation. I hope you enjoy....more
5/28/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
E-Commerce ,
Expedia ,
Facebook ,
Hotels ,
Instagram ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Refunds ,
Retailers ,
Travelers ,
Trivago
This week’s Update features a number of stories detailing the disastrous effects of COVID-19 on some well-known distributors. No one is immune from this current downturn....more
5/12/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Hotels ,
Mergers ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Transportation Industry ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Trivago ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Vacation Rentals
While this week’s Update does not include stories about Coronavirus and its potentially disastrous effects on the lodging and travel industries, I’m sure it will only be a matter of time. We are already hearing stories of...more
3/16/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data-Sharing ,
EU ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Marketing ,
National Security ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Trump Administration
This week’s Update features a number of stories on growing online travel platforms – including the launch of an entirely new travel application and the possible resurrection of an old familiar travel application....more
Japanese distributor Rakuten leads off this week’s Update with a story detailing the circumstances leading to the distributor’s recent commitment to abandon all contractual parity requirements. Enjoy....more
11/4/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Financial Analysts ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals ,
Wyndham
A good mix of stories in this week’s Update, including another name change for one of the largest OTAs. Enjoy....more
9/23/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Appeals ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Failure To Disclose ,
Hotels ,
Misleading Impressions ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Ticket Pricing ,
Travelers ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)