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
With all that has occurred in these past few weeks involving coronavirus (and its devastating effects on the travel industry and those within it), I had questioned whether I should suspend our weekly Updates until things have...more
We lead off this week’s Update again with a story regarding ongoing regulatory activity in the EU. Enjoy....more
Russian Investigators Looking into Booking.com’s Practices -
(“Russian competition watchdog opens investigation into Booking.com,” Reuters on Dec. 30, 2020)
On Monday, December 30, Russia’s Federal Anti-Monopoly...more
2/3/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Anti-Monopoly ,
Bodily Injury ,
Booking.com ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Russia ,
Third-Party Liability ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
Algorithms Under EU Scrutiny -
(“Algorithms might raise collusion concerns, Franco-German study says,” MLex Insight on Nov 8, 2019)
As many of you probably already know, algorithms are the heart and soul of most online...more
11/19/2019
/ Algorithms ,
Antitrust Division ,
Booking.com ,
Competition ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Joint Venture ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Trademarks ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update features a number of stories on recent changes at Google with regard to the way in which it displays vacation rentals and the market’s response to those changes. Enjoy....more
This week’s Update is by far one of the most substantive Updates we’ve had in some time. Enjoy....more
9/26/2019
/ Expedia ,
Fake Reviews ,
Hidden Fees ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Reviews ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Websites ,
Wholesale
Fall has definitely arrived here in the Pacific Northwest. This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update is below and features stories on TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Vacasa and the soon-to-be-effective, Strong Customer...more
9/16/2019
/ Booking.com ,
Fake Reviews ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
National Competent Authorities (NCA) ,
Online Reviews ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Rental Property ,
Tourism ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features a story on relative newcomer to third party distribution (Southwest Airlines) and includes, yet again, another update on the on-again/off-again saga of Booking.com commissions. Enjoy....more
8/19/2019
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Fees ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Retail Installment Sales Contracts ,
Sales Commissions ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s Update includes additional background information regarding the ongoing resort fee saga, which many of you requested. Enjoy....more
7/29/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Appeals ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Fake Reviews ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Scams ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s Update features an important story on possible changes to keyword contracting practices (or at least a new argument as to why existing practices are no longer appropriate). Enjoy....more
6/17/2019
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Fees ,
Hotels ,
Keyword Advertising ,
Keyword Search ,
Safety Precautions ,
Sales Commissions ,
Sexual Assault ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
Airbnb Begins Integration of Traditional Lodging Products -
("Airbnb Tests Hotel Integration by Adding Some HotelTonight Partners," Skift Travel News, May 29, 2019)
As a critical first step in its integration of the newly...more
6/6/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Fees ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Public Relations ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Transparency ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Unfair Competition
The week’s stories remind us how quickly things continue to change in the distribution landscape. Enjoy....more
5/28/2019
/ Amazon ,
American Express ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Keyword Search ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Safety Precautions ,
State Attorneys General ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s Update includes a heavy dose of TripAdvisor updates. Once the dust settles a bit on this past week’s big news – the announced acquisition of Hotel Tonight by Airbnb – we’ll update everyone on the acquisition and...more
Regulation of Large Online Platforms is Coming to Japan -
("Online platforms may face stricter rules, enforcement in Japan, panel says, MLex, November 5, 2018)
Following up on a story (and prediction) included in last...more
11/19/2018
/ Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Hyatt ,
Japan ,
Merchants ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals
And You Thought Today’s Health and Safety Requirements Were Tough -
("China Prepares Unprecedented Online Tourism Regulation," Stories, September 28, 2018)
Those of you who have negotiated online travel agency...more
10/8/2018
/ Booking.com ,
China ,
Expedia ,
Facebook ,
Health and Safety ,
Hilton ,
Hotels ,
Innovation ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marketing ,
New Regulations ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Tourism ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
Agoda Homes Seeks To Gain Ground -
("OTAs Booking Holdings’ Agoda Takes a Distinctive Approach on Short-Term Rentals," Skift Travel News on September 21, 2018)
For some time now, Agoda has featured short-term rentals on...more
10/1/2018
/ Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ,
Blockchain ,
Booking.com ,
E-Commerce ,
Hotels ,
Investigations ,
Online Reviews ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Popular ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
Job Postings Hint at TripAdvisor’s Growing Interest in Travel Packages -
("TripAdvisor Hints at Its Growing Interest in Vacation Package Search," Skift Travel New, September 6, 2018)
Since April of this year, TripAdvisor’s...more
9/14/2018
/ Airlines ,
Appeals ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Hotel Tax ,
Hotels ,
Job Offers ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Orbitz ,
Popular ,
Singapore ,
Tax Code ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending May 18, 2018, is below. This week’s Update features our fourth installment in our 6-part series on alleged anti-trust abuses by hoteliers arising from their...more
5/29/2018
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Class Action ,
Expedia ,
Facebook ,
Hotels ,
Japan ,
Keyword Search ,
Marriott ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Platforms ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Tourism ,
Tourists ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Trivago
Our weekly client OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending April 20, 2018 is below. This week’s Update features a number of stories on the emerging tours and activities space. I also included the first installment...more
4/30/2018
/ Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Distributors ,
Hotels ,
Keyword Search ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rebranding ,
Startups ,
Technology Sector ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update is below and features stories on both traditional OTAs and short-term rentals. Enjoy....more
11/27/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Big Data ,
Booking.com ,
Disabilities ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Hotels.com ,
Japan ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Raids ,
Refunds ,
Rental Tax ,
Residential Leases ,
Sexual Assault ,
Short-Term Lease ,
South Korea ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending November 10, 2017 is below. Senator Kobuchar’s recent request for an DOJ and FTC investigation into OTAs’ purportedly anti-competitive practices leads this...more
11/20/2017
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Expedia ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Homeaway ,
Hotels ,
Investigations ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Priceline ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Trivago ,
Twitter ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Websites
Navigating Disruptive Climates, hosted by Washington Hospitality Association, was held on October 22-24, 2017 at the Tulalip Resort Casino in Tulalip, Washington. My presentation at the conference, "The War Rages: Hotels vs....more
11/13/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Contract Terms ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Facebook ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Microsoft ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Orbitz ,
Priceline ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Trivago
This week’s short OTA Update for the week ending Friday, October 6 is below. Distribution, loyalty and short-term rentals are featured in this week’s Update...more
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending August 11, 2017 (where has summer gone) is below. Compared to recent weeks, this past week was relatively quiet on the distribution front...more
8/21/2017
/ AirBnB ,
China ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Distributors ,
E-Commerce ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
International Travel ,
Joint Venture ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Rental Property ,
Super Bowl ,
TripAdvisor