This week’s Update features a variety of stories, including updates on airlines’ continuing efforts to move away from traditional distribution systems (GDS) and a review of 2023’s booking trends. For those of you interested,...more
With many in the industry getting their first look at Google’s proposed “DMA” changes to European Union search results, many of this past week’s industry headlines were focused on the proposed changes and the industry’s...more
It was another slow week in the online travel industry as much of the industry’s attention was focused on this past week’s annual HEDNA Conference (in New Orleans) and preparation for the lodging industry’s first major...more
Happy New Year! We are once again providing a roundup of some of the major developments and trends in the online travel industry that caught our attention this past year. Wishing everyone a successful 2024....more
This week’s Update features one of several stories published this past week regarding the escalating fight between renegade airline Ryanair and several of the large online travel platforms. We’ve also included a few stories...more
This past week was dominated by stories regarding AI’s application and use in the travel industry (we’ve included only one of those stories) and recent activity on resort fees (two stories this week). Some highlights...more
Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending December 1, 2023, is below. This week’s Update features of variety of stories – resort fees, potential new EU traveler regulations and Ryanair’s continued pursuit of OTAs....more
With the U.S. holiday, this past week was definitely a quiet one. Enjoy....more
After a few incredibly busy weeks in online travel, this past week was relatively quiet. Enjoy....more
It is earnings season, which makes for a longer Update than usual:
- Expedia Enjoys Strong Third Quarter Results. While I am still working my way through the recent Expedia Group earnings call transcript, news of the...more
This week’s Update features updates on several recently featured stories, including Booking.com’s ongoing payment and fraud challenges and new legislative efforts to limit junk fees....more
11/2/2023
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Citibank ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Ryanair ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
From the number of announcements this past week by travel industry members detailing their new online small and medium business initiatives, someone must have deemed last week “small and medium business week.” We’ve included...more
Resort fees garnered most of the industry’s headlines this past week as California’s governor signed legislation prohibiting hidden fees and the Federal Trade Commission finally released its proposed federal trade regulation...more
This week’s Update features a variety of stories, including the latest on Hopper and its apparent ongoing transition. Enjoy....more
10/12/2023
/ Airlines ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Asia Pacific ,
B2B Organizations ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Travelers
The EU Commission’s official decision to block Booking Holdings’ planned purchase of eTraveli (a decision that Booking has publicly criticized and committed to challenging) garnered much of the news this past week, as well as...more
We’ve found fall to be the busiest of all seasons in the online travel world as everyone returns to work from summer breaks and the dates of the major online travel conferences are fast approaching. As you can see from the...more
9/27/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Booking.com ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Hilton ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s update includes a variety of stories, including an explanation by the UK’s CMA as to why it viewed the proposed Booking Holdings and eTraveli merger differently than its European competition counterparts....more
This week features a heavy dose of Booking Holdings’ updates, including updates on the story we featured last week regarding Hungary’s recent decision to launch a formal investigation into the country’s online travel...more
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 variety of stories, including the latest news on the new cottage industry of resort fee litigation and Amazon’s growing (yet understated) significance in the travel industry. Enjoy....more
8/30/2023
/ Airlines ,
Amazon ,
American Airlines ,
Class Action ,
Fees ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Hyatt ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Travelers
This week’s Update features two stories on Booking Holdings’ pending acquisition of eTraveli, which remains under EU review. Enjoy....more
It was another relatively quiet week in the industry other than news late this past week that the Texas AG had filed suit against Booking Holdings over its platforms’ deceptive display of resort fees. Some highlights from the...more
After several slow weeks in the industry, this past week featured a number of important updates, including earnings releases and calls from Booking Holdings and Expedia Group. Transcripts from the two companies’ earnings...more
8/8/2023
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Ryanair ,
Travelers ,
Trivago ,
VRBO.com ,
Wal-Mart
This week’s Online Travel Update is below. With summer now in full swing, it is no surprise that last week was another relatively quiet week in the online travel world. Speculation continues around the Expedia / Hopper...more
This week's Online Travel Update is below. As evidenced by the number of stories in this issue, it was a busy week in the online travel world, ending with what appeared to be a distributor dogpile on competitor Hopper. Enjoy....more