This week’s Update contains a number of stories on the growing significance of metasearch, particularly as properties compete for the attention of even fewer travelers. However, we begin this week’s Update with a story on...more
6/26/2020
/ Advertising ,
Airlines ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Price Comparisons ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Subscription Services ,
Travelers
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update includes a greater number of stories than usual given the ever-changing COVID-19 situation. I hope you enjoy....more
5/28/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
E-Commerce ,
Expedia ,
Facebook ,
Hotels ,
Instagram ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Refunds ,
Retailers ,
Travelers ,
Trivago
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
5/12/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Hotels ,
Mergers ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Transportation Industry ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Trivago ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features a number of updates on previous stories, including our recent story on Expedia’s apparent abandonment of indirect and direct channel rate parity provisions in Australia. Enjoy....more
5/5/2020
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Contract Termination ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EU ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Investors ,
Layoffs ,
Merger Agreements ,
Online Advertisements ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Refunds ,
Startups ,
Tourism ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Vouchers
This past week, we saw a number of stories (including the one listed below) describing Booking.com’s potentially precarious financial position, which reveals just how broad of an impact this pandemic is having on the travel...more
4/20/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Health and Safety ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Travelers ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
In this week’s Update, we’ve included a greater number of stories than usual given the quantity and variety of available stories pertaining to COVID-19.
Stay safe and healthy. Together, we will get through this. ...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
3/30/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Cancellation Rights ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Startups ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
Luxury-Goods Makers Making the Case for Permissible Distribution Controls -
(“New EU online-sales rules should step up fight against free-riders, luxury-goods makers say,” MLex Insight on Jan 31, 2020)
Why, you might...more
2/11/2020
/ Airlines ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Hotels ,
Luxury Goods ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
South Korea ,
Travelers
This week’s Update features a number of stories on growing online travel platforms – including the launch of an entirely new travel application and the possible resurrection of an old familiar travel application....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
...As for the Update, it was a relatively quiet week on the distribution front as opinions and viewpoints regarding the recently announced Expedia/Marriott agreement continue to roll in. What this agreement might ultimately...more
10/15/2019
/ Airlines ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Digital Currency ,
E-Commerce ,
Expedia ,
Fees ,
Hotels ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Pricing ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Singapore ,
Startups ,
Travelers ,
Unfair Competition
A good mix of stories in this week’s Update, including another name change for one of the largest OTAs. Enjoy....more
9/23/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Appeals ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Failure To Disclose ,
Hotels ,
Misleading Impressions ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Ticket Pricing ,
Travelers ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Ettsa demands Europe-wide harmonisation of hotel booking rules -
Travel Weekly (UK) - News on Aug 30, 2019 -
The European technology and Travel Services Association (Ettsa) has demanded EU regulators enforce tighter...more
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 travel-shortened OTA & Travel Distribution Update features two stories detailing two recently announced unique partnerships, one between Accor and Air-France-KLM and the other between Expedia and Lufthansa. We...more
7/16/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Amazon ,
Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Lufthansa ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Sales Commissions ,
Travelers
Hopper Focuses on Hotel Bookings -
("Hopper ramps up hotel booking with global private rates and price tracking," Phocus Wire on Jun 20, 2019)
Over the past few years, we have featured a number of stories about Hopper...more
The latest OTA & Travel Distribution Update features a number of stories highlighting ongoing or recently resolved regulatory complaints or investigations. Enjoy....more
While Marriott’s entrance into the vacation rental business garnered most of the attention this week (we’ve included one of the many stories written this week about Marriott’s move), a few other stories warranted inclusion in...more
5/14/2019
/ Airlines ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Contract Negotiations ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Sharing Economy ,
Travelers ,
United Airlines
This week’s Update features a story on an issue – OTA cancellations – that we’ve been hearing a lot about recently. Enjoy....more
5/6/2019
/ Airlines ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Booking.com ,
Cancellation Rights ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Google Maps ,
Hotels ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Travelers
This week’s Update features a number of stories on important developments in the EU. Enjoy....more
4/29/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Contract Disputes ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
European Parliament ,
Expedia ,
Germany ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
New Rules ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Travelers ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Unenforceable Contract Terms ,
Unfair Competition ,
Venue
Expedia Unable to Stop Withholding of Critical Airline Data -
("U.S. judge rules against Expedia in United Airlines fare listings lawsuit," Reuter US News, April 5, 2019)
In the continuing saga of United Airline versus...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
3/11/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Hotels ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Reviews ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Price Transparency ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Travelers ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Yelp
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
This week’s Update features two interesting stories on distribution in the airline and cruise industries, which caused us to question what, if any, lessons can be drawn for those in the lodging industry. Enjoy....more
1/28/2019
/ Air Carriers ,
Airlines ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Cruise Ships ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Distribution ,
Partnerships ,
Price Transparency ,
Technology Sector ,
Transportation Industry ,
Travelers
Voice-assisted devices (a/k/a smart speakers) feature prominently in this week’s Update. Enjoy....more
1/21/2019
/ Airlines ,
American Airlines ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Blockchain ,
Breach of Contract ,
Business Travel ,
Competition Authorities ,
Connected Items ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Logos ,
Online Platforms ,
Partnerships ,
Settlement ,
Smart Devices ,
Technology Sector ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Travelers