The week’s stories remind us how quickly things continue to change in the distribution landscape. Enjoy....more
5/28/2019
/ Amazon ,
American Express ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Keyword Search ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Safety Precautions ,
State Attorneys General ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
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
This week’s Update includes a report on the EU Commission’s widespread examination of online platforms’ pricing practices and an update on the much-publicized standoff between United and Expedia. Enjoy....more
3/4/2019
/ Amazon ,
E-Commerce ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Joint Venture ,
Online Platforms ,
Partnerships ,
Price Transparency ,
Rental Property ,
Technology Sector ,
Travelers ,
United Airlines
Voice-assisted devices (a/k/a smart speakers) feature prominently in this week’s Update. Enjoy....more
1/21/2019
/ Airlines ,
American Airlines ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Blockchain ,
Breach of Contract ,
Business Travel ,
Competition Authorities ,
Connected Items ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Logos ,
Online Platforms ,
Partnerships ,
Settlement ,
Smart Devices ,
Technology Sector ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Travelers
Regulation of Large Online Platforms is Coming to Japan -
("Online platforms may face stricter rules, enforcement in Japan, panel says, MLex, November 5, 2018)
Following up on a story (and prediction) included in last...more
11/19/2018
/ Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Hyatt ,
Japan ,
Merchants ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals
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 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 OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending June 8, 2018 is below. This week’s Update is a lengthy one and includes our sixth and final installment of our series in anti-trust challenges to hoteliers’...more
6/18/2018
/ Airlines ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Competition ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Google ,
Homeaway ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Keyword Search ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Technology Sector ,
Travelers
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 OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending April 27, 2018 is below. This week’s Update features a wide variety of stories. I hope you enjoy....more
5/7/2018
/ Administrative Proceedings ,
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ,
China ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Distributors ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Internet Retailers ,
Keyword Search ,
Online Distribution ,
Partnerships ,
Pricing ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Trivago ,
Vacation Rentals ,
Websites
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update is below and is full of interesting stories. Enjoy....more
3/16/2018
/ Amazon ,
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ,
Competition Authorities ,
Costco ,
Denmark ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Investigations ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Pricing ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Travelers ,
Trivago
Our weekly OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending February 16, 2018 is below. Loyalty and direct booking make an appearance again in this week’s Update after an extended absence....more
2/26/2018
/ Blockchain ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Event Tickets ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Layoffs ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Smartphones ,
Travelers ,
Wyndham
This week’s rather short OTA & Travel Distribution Update is below....more
2/12/2018
/ Airlines ,
Dividends ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Payment Systems ,
Priceline ,
Travel Delays ,
Travelers ,
Wells Fargo
Happy New Year from Seattle... I hope all of you enjoyed the holidays. Our final, year-end OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending December 29, 2017 is below. ...more
1/8/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Argentina ,
Asia ,
Booking.com ,
China ,
Collusion ,
Competition Authorities ,
Expedia ,
Finland ,
Food Supply ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Hotels.com ,
Investigations ,
Keyword Advertising ,
Mergers ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Technology Sector ,
Trademarks ,
Travelers
This week’s Update for the week ending December 15, 2017 is below. Nothing too earth shattering this week....more
12/22/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Collusion ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Hotlines ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rewards Programs ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Virtual Reality
Our weekly OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending December 1, 2017 is below. This week’s Update features a variety of distribution stories as well as a report on the latest rankings of the large hotel loyalty...more
12/11/2017
/ Amazon ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Hyatt ,
Microsoft ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Ryanair ,
Smart Devices ,
Travelers ,
Web Scraping
Navigating Disruptive Climates, hosted by Washington Hospitality Association, was held on October 22-24, 2017 at the Tulalip Resort Casino in Tulalip, Washington. My presentation at the conference, "The War Rages: Hotels vs....more
11/13/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Contract Terms ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Facebook ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Microsoft ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Orbitz ,
Priceline ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Trivago
Our weekly OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending, Friday, November 3, is below. The week’s update features a variety of stories, including a potentially landmark purchase by Airbnb....more
11/13/2017
/ Affordable Housing ,
AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Land Use Restrictions ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Orbitz ,
Pending Legislation ,
Property Tax ,
Search Engines ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals ,
Wall Street Journal ,
Wyndham
Integration of Short-Term Rentals Continues [METASEARCH / SHORT-TERM RENTALS] -
("Google Is Testing Vacation Rental Search in Its Hotel Price-Comparison Tool," Skift Travel News, July 20, 2017) -
In what was an...more
7/31/2017
/ Acquisitions ,
AirBnB ,
EU ,
Google ,
Investment Property ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Transparency ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
Our weekly OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending June 30, 2017 is below. A mix of stories in this week’s update.
Airbnb Continues Its March Toward Mainstream Lodging (SHORT-TERM RENTALS)
("Airbnb signs...more
7/10/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Australia ,
Booking.com ,
Business Travel ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
EU ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Hyatt ,
New Zealand ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Travel ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending May 26, 2017 is below. A short, but significant update this week.
Bi-Partisan Legislation Introduced to Stop Online Booking Scams [OTA]. In an effort to curb...more
6/6/2017
/ Cuba ,
Expedia ,
FTC Act ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Online Reviews ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Scams ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
This week’s client OTA & Distribution Update for the week ending February 10, 2017 is below. A few more stories in this week’s update in comparison to the last few weeks of update. Plus, given the increasing importance of...more
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending January 27, 2017 is below. Not a lot of news to report this week; surprisingly little came out of this past week’s Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in...more