This week’s Update provides additional information (and perspectives) on Tripadvisor’s new subscription program (Tripadvisor Plus), parity updates from South Korea and the latest on Fareportal’s antitrust claims against...more
3/29/2021
/ Airlines ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Violations ,
B2C ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Hotels.com ,
Irreparable Harm ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Popular ,
Price Comparisons ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Search Results ,
South Korea ,
Subscription Services ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s Update features several stories on the big online travel newsmakers of last week – Google and Kayak. Enjoy....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
3/15/2021
/ AirBnB ,
Amazon ,
Booking.com ,
Cookies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Private Equity ,
Rental Property ,
Subscription Services ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s Update takes a close look at Booking Holdings’ recent fourth quarter and year-end earnings release. Enjoy....more
Unlike our short Update last week, this week’s edition is filled with several important stories....more
2/15/2021
/ Amazon ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Discount Pricing ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update contains something for everyone – currencies and payments, infringement claims and acquisitions. Enjoy....more
1/25/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Breach of Contract ,
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Hotels ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Southwest Airlines ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Trivago ,
Unjust Enrichment
We end 2020 with a heavy dose of antitrust/competition stories (which is a theme likely to continue into 2021), including updates from Russia, Croatia and the European Union. Those of you with properties in those markets may...more
12/31/2020
/ Anti-Monopoly ,
Booking.com ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Payment Systems ,
Russia ,
Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service ,
Transparency ,
Travelers
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
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
11/16/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Cancellation Rights ,
Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Earnings Reports ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Refunds ,
Subscription Services ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Trivago
Last week was relatively quiet on the distribution front. Enjoy.
Tensions Between Google and Booking.com Become Public -
(“Booking.com and Google Clash in Europe as Regulators Target Both,” October 29, 2020 via Skift...more
What started out as a relatively quiet week in the distribution world ended with a flurry of activity and announcements (some were expected and some were not). I hope you enjoy....more
11/2/2020
/ Airlines ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
Travelers Seeking Increased Transparency -
(“Skyscanner, Expedia, Hopper on need for transparency in travel retailing,” Oct 14, 2020 via Phocus Wire)
In a recent roundtable held at the Open Industry Summit: The New...more
10/26/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Health and Safety ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Transparency ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
With this week’s Update, we welcome Amazon back to the distribution discussion with its recent introduction of Amazon Explore. Enjoy....more
10/12/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Amazon ,
Booking.com ,
Business Development ,
Business Opportunities ,
Capital Raising ,
Certifications ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Popular ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
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
Pandemic, protests and riots and now wildfires. To say 2020 has been a challenging year is an understatement.
As I anticipated, with summer now officially behind us, things have again picked up in the distribution world....more
9/18/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Delta Airlines ,
Expedia ,
False Advertising ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update features important updates on the status of rate parity in the EU and introduces yet again, new tools by Google for safety conscious travelers. Suppliers Come and Go on Google’s Short-Term Rental Platform ...more
Parity Commitments Extended by Expedia and Booking.com -
(“Expedia, Booking.com voluntarily extend 'price parity' antitrust commitments, Aug 14, 2020 via MLEX Insight)
While the European Commission continues its...more
8/24/2020
/ Airlines ,
Asia ,
Booking.com ,
Collaboration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
E-Commerce ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Refunds ,
Rental Property ,
Search Engines ,
Travelers ,
Traveling Employee
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
It was a relatively quiet week for the distribution industry. Enjoy.
Family Travel Club Launched in the Midst of a Pandemic -
(“Online Family Travel Club Launched by Wall Street Journal Alums Unbowed by Pandemic,” Jul 20,...more
8/3/2020
/ Booking.com ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Fair Trade Commissions ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
South Korea ,
Travelers
Several themes emerged in this week’s stories, including the bullish return of short-term rentals and the continued direct booking efforts by airlines and the metasearch sites seeking to serve them. Enjoy....more
7/17/2020
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Expedia ,
Health and Safety ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Mobile Devices ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Popular ,
Rental Property ,
Singapore ,
Surcharges ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
Perhaps it was Canada Day or the Fourth of July holiday weekend, but last week was relatively quiet in the distribution world. Enjoy....more
7/10/2020
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Appeals ,
Booking.com ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Expedia ,
Generic Marks ,
Hotels ,
Lanham Act ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Popular ,
Rental Property ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
United States Patent and Trademark Office v Booking.com BV ,
USPTO
After weeks of Updates detailing the disastrous effects of COVID-19 on the lodging industry, this week’s Update includes stories on (potential) signs of an industry recovery. I hope you enjoy....more
We cover the gamut of distribution topics in this week’s Update – OTAs, GDS, search, short-term rentals and wholesalers. Enjoy....more
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