In this week’s Update, I’ve again included a larger than normal number of stories given the interesting updates we are seeing. Not all the updates may be directly related to traditional distribution, but there is a...more
4/13/2020
/ Advertising ,
AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Business Travel ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Relief Measures ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
What a week it has been. For those of you working around the clock to retain some semblance of your business and the travel industry together, we stand alongside you. Each day that passes brings with it a wave of new...more
3/30/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Cancellation Rights ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Startups ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
Russian Investigators Looking into Booking.com’s Practices -
(“Russian competition watchdog opens investigation into Booking.com,” Reuters on Dec. 30, 2020)
On Monday, December 30, Russia’s Federal Anti-Monopoly...more
2/3/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Anti-Monopoly ,
Bodily Injury ,
Booking.com ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Russia ,
Third-Party Liability ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
With 2020 now upon us and 2019 in the rearview mirror, I thought this would be a good time to take a look back at the stories (and the themes that the stories represent) we covered in 2019 that I believe will have the largest...more
1/7/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Amazon ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals ,
Wholesale
Need a Recipe? Ask Airbnb -
(“Introducing ’Cooking‘ on Airbnb Experiences,” Hospitality Net - Latest Industry News on Nov 26, 2019) -
Last Monday, Airbnb introduced “Cooking” on Airbnb Experiences. The new category of...more
Startup Seeks to Turn Traditional Group Booking Upside Down -
(“Booking Startup Stayker Makes Room Blocks Less Risky for Planners,” Skift Travel News on Nov 20, 2019)
Launched last Thursday, Stayker seeks to disrupt...more
11/27/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Startups ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s OTA Update leads off with stories about two of the largest OTAs seeking to diversify their offerings through the addition of flights. As each of these travel platforms continues to evolve and seek to add more...more
10/28/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Public Comment ,
Rental Property ,
Tourism ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features a variety of topics – OTAs, short-term rentals and loyalty. Enjoy....more
7/22/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Keyword Search ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers
This week’s travel-shortened OTA & Travel Distribution Update features two stories detailing two recently announced unique partnerships, one between Accor and Air-France-KLM and the other between Expedia and Lufthansa. We...more
7/16/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Amazon ,
Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Lufthansa ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Sales Commissions ,
Travelers
The latest OTA & Travel Distribution Update features a number of stories highlighting ongoing or recently resolved regulatory complaints or investigations. Enjoy....more
Airbnb Begins Integration of Traditional Lodging Products -
("Airbnb Tests Hotel Integration by Adding Some HotelTonight Partners," Skift Travel News, May 29, 2019)
As a critical first step in its integration of the newly...more
6/6/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Fees ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Public Relations ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Transparency ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Unfair Competition
This week’s Update includes status reports on several ongoing distribution-related court cases involving both hoteliers and distributors....more
4/1/2019
/ Advertising ,
AirBnB ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Booking.com ,
Class Certification ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Investors ,
Keyword Search ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Travelers ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
U.S. Circuit Court Deals a Blow to Short-Term Platforms -
("Airbnb Loses Major Fight Over California City's Rental Law," Bloomberg Quint - Stories, March 13, 2019)
In somewhat of a surprise ruling issued last week, the...more
3/25/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
AirBnB ,
Appeals ,
Communications Decency Act ,
Free Speech ,
Google ,
Homeaway ,
Hotels ,
Local Ordinance ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Legislation ,
Technology Sector ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
Sales Principles Introduced for Online Booking Sites in the UK -
("Hotel Booking Sites Get Consumer-law Compliance Principles from CMA," MLex, March 1, 2019) (subscription required)
By September 1, 2019, hotel booking...more
3/11/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Hotels ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Reviews ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Price Transparency ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Travelers ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Yelp
This week’s Update features a heavy dose of Airbnb as it celebrates a milestone. Enjoy....more
2/4/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Business Travel ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Discount Pricing ,
Hotels ,
Military Service Members ,
Online Platforms ,
Partnerships ,
Predictive Analytics ,
Priceline ,
Travelers
This week’s Update features a variety of stories covering search, short-term rentals, wholesalers and traditional OTAs. This week's highlights include...more
11/12/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Booking.com ,
Contracts Clause ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Investigations ,
Japan ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
Keyword Advertising ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Popular ,
Rebranding ,
Rental Property ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Ridesharing ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Startups ,
Trademarks ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
Expedia Expands Its Voice-Activation Résumé -
("Expedia Brings Voice Bookings, Cancellations and Rewards to Google Assistant," Skift Travel News, October 9, 2018)
It was less than two years ago that we featured...more
10/22/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Algorithms ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Data Collection ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Internet Retailers ,
Joint Venture ,
Online Platforms ,
Personal Data ,
Pricing ,
Technology Sector ,
Travelers ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Vacation Rentals ,
Virtual Reality
This week’s Update features a variety of stories....more
9/10/2018
/ AirBnB ,
China ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Expedia ,
Financial Statements ,
Hotels ,
Local Ordinance ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers
Corporate Travel Sector Eyes a New Distribution Model Down Under -
Skift Travel News on Aug 2, 2018 -
Qantas, Serko, and Corporate Travel Management are leading the charge towards new distribution capability adoption...more
8/13/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Australia ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Hotels ,
Hyatt ,
Landlords ,
Millennials ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Distribution ,
Rental Property ,
Startups ,
Travelers
This week’s Update is heavily focused on the EU and its recent enforcement activities....more
7/30/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Android ,
Booking.com ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Fines ,
Google ,
Integration ,
Investment ,
Manufacturers ,
Mobile Apps ,
On-Demand Services ,
Online Platforms ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Rental Property ,
Search Engines ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Surcharges ,
Terms and Conditions ,
Travelers
This week’s Update features a variety of stories, including an additional story on last week’s announcement by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority regarding its recent commenced enforcement efforts against several...more
7/16/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Hotels ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Price-Fixing ,
Travelers ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Website Accessibility
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update features a variety of stories, including renewed federal efforts to legislate third-party booking engines’ disclosure requirements. Enjoy....more
6/8/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Business Travel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Expedia ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Hyatt ,
India ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Resale Pricing ,
Travel Expenses ,
Travelers ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
This week’s abbreviated OTA & Travel Distribution Update is below and features stories on the biggest distribution players – Ctrip, Booking.com, and yes, Airbnb. Enjoy....more
This week’s OTA & Distribution Update for the week ending February 23, 2018 is below. Other than Airbnb’s much publicized rollout of its 53 new product lines (an exaggeration, but not by much), last week was a relatively slow...more
3/5/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Hotels ,
Name Changes ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Websites
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update is below and features a variety of stories – EU regulation, AI-powered chatbots, direct booking, connectivity and taxes....more
2/19/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Appeals ,
Denial of Rehearing ,
EU ,
Expedia ,
Germany ,
Hotel Tax ,
Hotels ,
Municipalities ,
Online Platforms ,
Priceline ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Social Media ,
Stock Prices ,
Trivago