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 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 on the growing short-term rental industry, including Sonder’s recently announced plan to go public. Enjoy....more
5/7/2021
/ AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Business Valuations ,
Capital Raising ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Property Management Companies ,
Rental Property ,
Search Engines ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Travelers ,
Trivago
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
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
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 a variety of stories, including the first of many upcoming profiles of PhocusWire's 2021 Hot Travel Startups focused on distribution and online travel. Enjoy....more
11/23/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
European Commission ,
FinTech ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Startups ,
Travelers
This week’s Update features a variety of stories, including the big three industry players, Trip.com, Expedia and Booking.com; the always insightful update on the current status of airline distribution; and details on...more
10/5/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Algorithms ,
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Subscription Services ,
Travelers
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
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update includes Google prominently featured in the news and a new agreement for Choice Hotels. Enjoy....more
8/31/2020
/ Advertising ,
AirBnB ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Debt Collection ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Popular ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers
Below is an abbreviated version of this week’s OTA &Travel Distribution Update. Enjoy....more
8/14/2020
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Direct to Consumer Sales ,
Financial Distress ,
Foreign Relations ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Revenue Growth ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s Update takes a deep dive into all things Expedia, and includes several stories regarding Expedia’s recent disastrous quarterly earnings release, an actual copy of the release as well as a copy of a complaint...more
8/11/2020
/ Advertising ,
AirBnB ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Protection Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Earnings Reports ,
Economic Downturn ,
Expedia ,
Financial Distress ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Refunds ,
Rental Property ,
Revenue ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Trivago
It was a relatively quiet week on the distribution front. This past week, Airbnb garnered a lot of attention from the usual suspects and the not so usual…Enjoy. ...more
7/24/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Marketing ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Unions
In this week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update, we cover TripAdvisor’s busy week, including the announcement about its new travel advisor referral service, Reco. Enjoy....more
7/6/2020
/ Antitrust Litigation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s Update again features more stories than usual. With so many in the lodging industry using the current downturn as an opportunity to question “business as usual,” we want to be as inclusive as possible. Enjoy....more
6/2/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Censorship ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Donald Trump ,
Executive Orders ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Health and Safety ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Social Media ,
Travelers ,
Yelp
In this week’s Update, we’ve highlighted another story on a lodging industry leader who is taking the necessary precautions to prepare itself, other industry members and, ultimately, travelers for the post COVID-19 world....more
4/27/2020
/ Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cruise Ships ,
Expedia ,
Health and Safety ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers
What a week it has been. For those of you working around the clock to retain some semblance of your business and the travel industry together, we stand alongside you. Each day that passes brings with it a wave of new...more
3/30/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Cancellation Rights ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Startups ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
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
With 2020 now upon us and 2019 in the rearview mirror, I thought this would be a good time to take a look back at the stories (and the themes that the stories represent) we covered in 2019 that I believe will have the largest...more
1/7/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Amazon ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals ,
Wholesale
Need a Recipe? Ask Airbnb -
(“Introducing ’Cooking‘ on Airbnb Experiences,” Hospitality Net - Latest Industry News on Nov 26, 2019) -
Last Monday, Airbnb introduced “Cooking” on Airbnb Experiences. The new category of...more
Japanese distributor Rakuten leads off this week’s Update with a story detailing the circumstances leading to the distributor’s recent commitment to abandon all contractual parity requirements. Enjoy....more
11/4/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Financial Analysts ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals ,
Wyndham
This week’s Update features a variety of topics – OTAs, short-term rentals and loyalty. Enjoy....more
7/22/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Keyword Search ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers
U.S. Circuit Court Deals a Blow to Short-Term Platforms -
("Airbnb Loses Major Fight Over California City's Rental Law," Bloomberg Quint - Stories, March 13, 2019)
In somewhat of a surprise ruling issued last week, the...more
3/25/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
AirBnB ,
Appeals ,
Communications Decency Act ,
Free Speech ,
Google ,
Homeaway ,
Hotels ,
Local Ordinance ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Legislation ,
Technology Sector ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals