2024 is shaping up to be a year of significant change in Brussels. European Parliamentary elections in June will be followed by the appointment of a new Commission in the autumn....more
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
Regulators are continuing to pursue enforcement action against misrepresentations that are connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. The FTC has received 71,841 fraud reports from January 1 to July 21, where total fraud loss was...more
Our (travel-abbreviated) weekly OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending February 28, 2020 is below. I’ll be back next week with our regular format. ...more
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
South Korean Competition Authority Takes a Hard Look at Parity - (“Comment: Use by online-travel agencies of MFN clauses under study by South Korean antitrust watchdog,” MLex Insight on Dec 5, 2019) South Korea’s Fair...more
Vacasa is the First STR Platform to Directly Connect to Google Hotels - ("Google Signals Its Vacation Rental Ambitions With Vacasa Direct-Connect," Skift Travel News on Sep 5, 2019) Big news from our friends at Vacasa...more
Sales Principles Introduced for Online Booking Sites in the UK - ("Hotel Booking Sites Get Consumer-law Compliance Principles from CMA," MLex, March 1, 2019) (subscription required) By September 1, 2019, hotel booking...more
We begin this week’s Update with some good news on the direct booking front. Enjoy....more
Is it just my generally biased view of online travel platforms or are regulators finally taking a hard look at the sometimes questionable practices of these channels? Enjoy....more
This week’s Update features a variety of stories, including an additional story on last week’s announcement by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority regarding its recent commenced enforcement efforts against several...more
This week’s Update features a number of “legal” updates to stories we have been following for some time. Enjoy....more
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) announced on 28th June 2018 that it is taking enforcement action against several hotel booking sites over potential breaches of consumer protection law. The CMA has not named...more