As you can see from our short list of stories below, it was a relatively quiet week in the online travel world. I hope you enjoy...more
This week’s Update features a wide variety of topics – Hopper, Capital One vacation rentals, Expedia layoffs and Hilton campgrounds....more
3/6/2024
/ Airlines ,
Capital One ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
Hilton ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
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
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
Our “vacation edition” of our weekly Online Travel Update is below. Our regular Updates will resume next week. Have a great week everyone....more
8/22/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Rewards Programs ,
Startups ,
Subscription Services ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
The “vacation edition” of our weekly Online Travel Update is below. Our regular Online Travel Update will be back next week....more
This week’s Update features a variety of stories, including updates on Sabre’s attribution sales efforts and the growing importance of Booking.com’s mobile application in the U.S. Enjoy....more
Last week’s Update features stories on two less frequently used social media platforms – Instagram and Snapchat – and details the brewing battle among banking companies for travel industry legitimacy. I hope you enjoy....more
6/13/2022
/ Advertising ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Booking.com ,
Capital One ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Instagram ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Snapchat ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features a number of stories on short-term rentals, as one established vacation rental platform continues to gain relevance in traditional hotel room distribution while an established travel application...more
This week’s Update again features a number of stories on fintech and its emerging influence on the travel and lodging industries. Enjoy....more
10/25/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
B2B Organizations ,
B2C ,
Capital One ,
Capital Raising ,
FinTech ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Investors ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Popular ,
Startups ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
Skift’s annual Skift Global Forum, which was held this past week, produced a number of newsworthy items for this week’s Update. Enjoy....more
10/4/2021
/ Airlines ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Loans ,
Subscription Services ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals
Last week was earnings release week for three of the major online travel platforms – Expedia Group, Booking Holdings and Tripavisor. This week’s Update includes transcripts from the three platforms’ earnings calls as well as...more
9/15/2021
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Capital Raising ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Revenue Growth ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features details on two recently filed lawsuits — one by American Airlines against Sabre and the other against Southwest Airlines by airfare discounter, Skiplagged. Enjoy....more
7/20/2021
/ Airlines ,
American Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
FinTech ,
Hotels ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Payment Systems ,
Rental Property ,
Search Results ,
Southwest Airlines ,
Subscription Services ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals ,
VRBO.com
This week’s Update features a number of important stories, including details of Tripadvisor’s official launch of Tripadvisor Plus in the United States and an important update on the 1-800 Contacts FTC enforcement action....more
7/2/2021
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Appeals ,
Cruise Ships ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Expedia ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hilton ,
Hotels ,
Keyword Search ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Pricing ,
Trademarks ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals ,
VRBO.com
This week’s Update features two stories detailing the role that online buy now pay later companies hope to have in the travel industry’s recovery. Enjoy...more
6/14/2021
/ Airlines ,
Apple ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Payment Plans ,
Payment Systems ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals ,
Verizon
This week’s Update features a couple of stories (including one by Seattle’s own Geekwire.com) detailing the recent executive shake up at Expedia. Enjoy....more
6/7/2021
/ Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Hotels.com ,
Market-Sharing ,
Municipalities ,
Occupancy Tax ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Popular ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update contains a variety of stories, including details of a recent court win for German hoteliers and the recent musings of the always entertaining, Barry Diller. Enjoy....more
6/2/2021
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Booking.com ,
Competition Authorities ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Germany ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features a number of stories highlighting last week’s Skift Online Travel and Distribution Summit, as well as Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson’s incredible impact on Marriott and its view on online travel. Enjoy....more
3/1/2021
/ Airlines ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Refunds ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Subscription Services ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
United Airlines ,
Vacation Rentals
For readers who have been following our Online Travel Updates since its inception, we thank you for your continued support. In this year of 2021, June will mark our six-year anniversary of publishing these weekly updates...more
2/19/2021
/ Airlines ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Passports ,
Refunds ,
Rental Property ,
Startups ,
Travelers ,
Trivago ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Vacation Rentals ,
VRBO.com
Unlike our short Update last week, this week’s edition is filled with several important stories....more
2/15/2021
/ Amazon ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Discount Pricing ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals
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
Beginning with this edition, we’ve rebranded the name of our weekly Update from “OTA & Travel Distribution Update” to “Online Travel Update.” Why, you ask, did we change the name that has served us so well these past five...more
11/25/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
B2B Transactions ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Hotels ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Startups ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features two stories on the growing (temporary?) phenomenon of using hotel guest rooms and other public spaces for those seeking an alternative arrangement to working from home and how those new remote work...more
10/19/2020
/ Airlines ,
Cookies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Privacy ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Office Space ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Popular ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Remote Working ,
Rental Property ,
Search Engines ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features a number of stories on short-term rentals, which is a trend that we will likely see continue as interest continues to grow over Airbnb’s long-awaited IPO. Enjoy....more
9/28/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE) ,
Vacation Rentals