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
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
Booking.com Amends Its Commission Policies -
("Booking to Charge Commission on Resort Fees in Major Shakeup for Hotel Revenue," Skift Travel News, May 20, 2019)
Although it was a relatively quiet week in the...more
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 features another travel-shortened OTA & Travel Distribution Update. We will return with our regular format next week....more
5/21/2019
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Conspiracies ,
Appeals ,
Booking.com ,
Collusion ,
Contract Terms ,
Expedia ,
False Advertising ,
Hotels ,
Market Manipulation ,
Marriott ,
Online Advertisements ,
Online Travel Vendors
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
Other than the news that Marriott and Expedia completed negotiations over their new contract (congratulations to Marriott for getting this behind you), this past week was relatively quiet on the distribution front. Enjoy....more
This week’s Update includes status reports on several ongoing distribution-related court cases involving both hoteliers and distributors....more
4/1/2019
/ Advertising ,
AirBnB ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Booking.com ,
Class Certification ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Investors ,
Keyword Search ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Travelers ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
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
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
Expedia Gets Tough -
('Expedia sues United in fight over ticket-distribution costs," Seattle Times - Business, February 6, 2019)
Although several sources reported late Friday that Expedia and United have agreed to...more
2/19/2019
/ Advertising ,
Booking.com ,
Client Retention ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Investigations ,
Mergers ,
Millennials ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Ticket Pricing ,
Travelers ,
Trivago ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
United Airlines ,
Websites
Both regulatory investigations and consumer complaints feature prominently in this week’s distribution news....more
12/31/2018
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Booking.com ,
Class Action ,
Competition Authorities ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
International Travel ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Racketeering
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
12/17/2018
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Australia ,
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ,
Booking.com ,
Contracting Procedures ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Excessive Pricing ,
False Advertising ,
Fines ,
France ,
French Competition Authority ,
Hilton ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Misleading Impressions ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Search Engines ,
Tourism ,
Travelers ,
Trivago
Following last week’s holiday break, we are once again sharing each week what we feel are the most noteworthy stories in the distribution, loyalty program and (occasionally) short-term rental fields/industries. We hope you...more
12/10/2018
/ Airlines ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Booking.com ,
Contract Terms ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Funding ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Startups ,
Travelers
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
This week’s Update features a variety of stories covering search, short-term rentals, wholesalers and traditional OTAs. This week's highlights include...more
11/12/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Booking.com ,
Contracts Clause ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Investigations ,
Japan ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
Keyword Advertising ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Popular ,
Rebranding ,
Rental Property ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Ridesharing ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Startups ,
Trademarks ,
Travelers ,
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
As the days of summer come to an end, activity in the distribution world has begun to pick back up again. I hope you enjoy....more
9/4/2018
/ Airlines ,
Asia ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Retailers ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers
This week’s Update features a variety of stories, including a story on an unique approach to loyalty. Enjoy....more
This week’s Update is heavily focused on the EU and its recent enforcement activities....more
7/30/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Android ,
Booking.com ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Fines ,
Google ,
Integration ,
Investment ,
Manufacturers ,
Mobile Apps ,
On-Demand Services ,
Online Platforms ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Rental Property ,
Search Engines ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Surcharges ,
Terms and Conditions ,
Travelers
As our Update reveals, Booking Holdings monopolized the distribution headlines this past week....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
7/16/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Booking.com ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Hotels ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Price-Fixing ,
Travelers ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Website Accessibility