Good Sunday morning from somewhere over Colorado . . . Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, June 21, 2024, is below. It was another relatively quiet week in the online travel space, except, that is, if...more
This week’s “vacation edition” Update features only two stories, the subjects of which have been featured in prior Updates. We will be back with our regular Updates next week!...more
For those of you in the U.S. and Canada, happy Independence Day. This week’s Update features a number of important legal updates – both in the U.S. and in the EU. The next 6-9 months should prove to be interesting as the EU...more
Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, May 5, 2023, is below. We hope you enjoy...more
5/9/2023
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
American Airlines ,
EU ,
Fees ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Travelers
This week’s Update features the obligatory Expedia / ChatGBT story as Expedia garnered most of this past week’s industry headlines with its announced integration of ChatGBT into its iOS application. For those of you following...more
This week’s Update features two anti-trust / competition law updates from the EU (the Netherlands) and South America (Chile). Enjoy....more
3/28/2023
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Competition Authorities ,
EU ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Social Media ,
South America ,
TikTok ,
Travelers
This week’s Update delves back into resort fees and includes a story detailing planned future regulation of the fees by the FTC. While resort fees may not technically be an “online issue,” potential federal regulation will...more
11/10/2022
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Biden Administration ,
Big Tech ,
Booking.com ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Cruise Ships ,
Digital Platforms ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Public Comment ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Travelers
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
This week’s Update features a story detailing recent progress with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). As the EU prepares for the full implementation of the DMA (and its sister legislation, the Digital Services Act), expect...more
We end 2020 with a heavy dose of antitrust/competition stories (which is a theme likely to continue into 2021), including updates from Russia, Croatia and the European Union. Those of you with properties in those markets may...more
12/31/2020
/ Anti-Monopoly ,
Booking.com ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Payment Systems ,
Russia ,
Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service ,
Transparency ,
Travelers
This week’s Update features a variety of stories – short-term rental, airlines, resort fees and antitrust developments in both the United States and the EU. Enjoy....more
12/28/2020
/ Airlines ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Digital Service Providers ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Online Marketplace ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rental Property ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Sales & Distribution Agreements ,
Search Engines ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features a heavy dose of short-term rentals as the long-awaited Airbnb IPO finally arrives and many hoteliers seek to capitalize on growing (COVID-induced) traveler demand in this segment. Enjoy....more
12/15/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Hotels ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
International Tax Issues ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Startups ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Litigation ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features important updates on the status of rate parity in the EU and introduces yet again, new tools by Google for safety conscious travelers. Suppliers Come and Go on Google’s Short-Term Rental Platform ...more
This week’s Update features a number of updates on previous stories, including our recent story on Expedia’s apparent abandonment of indirect and direct channel rate parity provisions in Australia. Enjoy....more
5/5/2020
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Contract Termination ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EU ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Investors ,
Layoffs ,
Merger Agreements ,
Online Advertisements ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Refunds ,
Startups ,
Tourism ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Vouchers
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
Both Google and Expedia are featured prominently in this week’s Update, particularly Barry Diller and his many colorful statements made during last week’s Expedia earnings call. Enjoy....more
2/24/2020
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Appeals ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Search Results ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
Luxury-Goods Makers Making the Case for Permissible Distribution Controls -
(“New EU online-sales rules should step up fight against free-riders, luxury-goods makers say,” MLex Insight on Jan 31, 2020)
Why, you might...more
2/11/2020
/ Airlines ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Hotels ,
Luxury Goods ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
South Korea ,
Travelers
Our holiday-abbreviated OTA & Travel Distribution Update is below. Happy Holidays....more
12/31/2019
/ Booking.com ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Data Privacy ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Governor Brown ,
Hotels ,
New Legislation ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Travelers
Ettsa demands Europe-wide harmonisation of hotel booking rules -
Travel Weekly (UK) - News on Aug 30, 2019 -
The European technology and Travel Services Association (Ettsa) has demanded EU regulators enforce tighter...more
The latest OTA & Travel Distribution Update features a number of stories highlighting ongoing or recently resolved regulatory complaints or investigations. Enjoy....more
While Marriott’s entrance into the vacation rental business garnered most of the attention this week (we’ve included one of the many stories written this week about Marriott’s move), a few other stories warranted inclusion in...more
5/14/2019
/ Airlines ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Contract Negotiations ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Sharing Economy ,
Travelers ,
United Airlines
This week’s Update features a number of stories on important developments in the EU. Enjoy....more
4/29/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Contract Disputes ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
European Parliament ,
Expedia ,
Germany ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
New Rules ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Travelers ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Unenforceable Contract Terms ,
Unfair Competition ,
Venue
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