This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending April 21, 2017 is below. This week’s update contains a variety of stories, including a copy of the now much-publicized New York Times article detailing AH&LA’s campaign against Airbnb and Airbnb’s subsequent response.
NYT Article looks at hotel industry efforts to reign in Airbnb...
Inside the Hotel Industry’s Plan to Combat Airbnb
New York Times, April 16, 2017
In the past, hotel executives played down Airbnb’s impact on their industry, but documents reveal a “multipronged, national campaign” to rein it in.
… and Airbnb responds with letter to AHLA
Airbnb Fires Back, Accuses Hotel Industry Of Punishing the Middle-Class
The Hill, April 20, 2017
Airbnb is hitting back after the hotel industry touted its lobbying efforts against the online room-sharing service. The company's head of policy, Christopher Lehane, accused hoteliers of price-gouging customers and called their fight against Airbnb a “campaign to punish the middle-class” in a letter Wednesday.
Evolving tools for online booking of small events space
Skift Travel News, April 19, 2017
The Future of Online Bookings for Small Event Space — Meetings Innovation Report
Companies can now expand their use of online platforms to book small meetings in creative venues, because they now have the ability to message venues directly in real-time and integrate compliance requirements.
Expedia white paper shows power of packages for hotels
The power of packages for hotels
Alltop - Hotel News, April 20, 2017
Expedia took a deep dive into 2016 data, comparing package bookings to standalone hotel bookings from global points of sale inbound to U.S. properties. The findings? A wealth of information and opportunity that should be music to hoteliers’ ears.
Developer releases Chrome extension to exclude United from OTA results
The Next Web, April 17, 2017
Hide United flights from search results with this handy extension
United Airlines has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately – having police rough up a passenger to make room for its staff on an ‘overbooked’ aircraft, threatening to place another in handcuffs, and removing a couple believed to be traveling to their wedding from a flight.
