For the first time, our weekly Update delves into the world of artificial intelligence (AI). We’ve tried for several months now to avoid joining the chorus of voices proselytizing about the likely effects of AI, but as the...more
6/6/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Expedia ,
Fees ,
FinTech ,
Hilton ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Hyatt ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Travelers
Welcome to our weekly Online Travel Update. Expedia’s many announcements at its Explore 23: Connect conference this past week garnered most of the industry headlines, while Uber moved closer to becoming a full online travel...more
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 an important update from my partner Eryn Hoerster on recently proposed federal legislation designed to reign in alleged drip pricing abuses. Readers of our Update know that we’ve featured several...more
It was another relatively quiet week in the online travel world as evidenced by our stories below. Expedia Group’s introduction of its Fast Track program designed to recruit unhappy Airbnb hosts and its rollout of AI-enabled...more
4/13/2021
/ Airlines ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Commodities ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
Startup Seeks to Turn Traditional Group Booking Upside Down -
(“Booking Startup Stayker Makes Room Blocks Less Risky for Planners,” Skift Travel News on Nov 20, 2019)
Launched last Thursday, Stayker seeks to disrupt...more
11/27/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Startups ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features a heavy dose of Airbnb as it celebrates a milestone. Enjoy....more
2/4/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Business Travel ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Discount Pricing ,
Hotels ,
Military Service Members ,
Online Platforms ,
Partnerships ,
Predictive Analytics ,
Priceline ,
Travelers
Stories detailing investors’ renewed interest in travel technology feature prominently in this week’s stories....more
11/26/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Investors ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Orbitz ,
Partnerships ,
Startups ,
Technology Sector ,
Travelers ,
Venture Capital ,
Venture Funding
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 for the week ending April 6, 2018 is below. A variety of stories are featured in this week’s Update, including an interesting follow up story on Red Lion’s somewhat unique (and...more
4/16/2018
/ Airlines ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ,
Austria ,
Brand ,
Competition ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Fines ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Microsoft ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Price-Fixing ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Travelers
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending April 14, 2017 is below. Additional details regarding last week’s long-awaited report on online travel by the European Commission are featured in this week’s...more
4/24/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Booking.com ,
Competition Authorities ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
India ,
Microsoft ,
Occupancy Tax ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Research and Development