Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, March 28, 2025, is below. This week’s Update features stories on a variety of topics including Perplexity’s big booking...more
Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week is below. And for those mothers out there, we hope you had a great Mother’s Day! This week's highlights...more
Good Sunday afternoon from Seattle . . . Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending November 11, 2022, is below. Booking Holdings features prominently in this week’s Update as its planned acquisition of Etraveli...more
With earnings season upon us, it was difficult to limit this week’s Update to just 12 stories. For those of you seeking a deeper dive into the latest on online booking platforms, Expedia Group and Booking Holdings I encourage...more
This week’s Update features stories detailing recent fourth quarter earnings releases by TripAdvisor, Airbnb, Marriott and Sabre. Enjoy....more
Russian Authorities Impose Anti-Trust Penalty on Booking.com - (“Booking.com Faces $17.5 Million Competition Fine in Russia,” August 26, 2021 via Skift) (subscription may be required) Russia’s federal antimonopoly...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
This week’s Update features stories on Google’s recently announced online third-party tracking changes, the (permanent) nature of virtual experiences, growth of “digital” kitchens and important updates on what group events...more
As evidenced by our list of stories below, it was a relatively quiet week for online travel....more
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
It’s earning season, and this week’s Update features a number of stories detailing the quarterly earnings releases from several of the largest online travel agencies (OTA) and global distributions system (GDS) companies....more
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
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending Friday, May 15, 2020 contains a wide variety of stories – from the tried and true to the truly bizarre. I hope you enjoy....more
This week’s Update features a number of stories detailing the disastrous effects of COVID-19 on some well-known distributors. No one is immune from this current downturn....more
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
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
Disney Works its Magic for STRs - ("Anaheim leaders are reversing their ban on short-term rentals that offer an alternative to hotels to tourists to Disneyland and the area," OC Register - Business News on Jun 5, 2019) ...more
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
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update is below and features stories on both traditional OTAs and short-term rentals. Enjoy....more
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
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
This week’s GSB OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending June 23, 2017 is below. A variety of stories this week. Time to Take French Legislative Prohibitions Seriously [OTA/PARITY] ("Expedia fined in France...more
This week’s OTA & Distribution Update for the week ending April 28, 2017 is below. Loyalty program updates feature prominently in this week’s Update as well as story on some important changes at Airbnb to lure corporate...more
The Battle of Reports Continues [Short-Term Rentals]. By now, most everyone is likely aware of the AHLA funded study recently conducted by CBRE’s hotel division of Airbnb and its whole-unit / multi-unit hosts. The resulting...more