This week’s Update offers two differing industry perspectives on Google’s DMA compliance efforts. We also update the status (demise) of TripAdvisor’s much criticized subscription program, TripAdvisor Plus. Enjoy....more
This week’s Update features a wide variety of topics – Hopper, Capital One vacation rentals, Expedia layoffs and Hilton campgrounds....more
3/6/2024
/ Airlines ,
Capital One ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
Hilton ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
The big news last week of course was Peter Kern’s announcement that he is stepping down as Expedia Group CEO in May. Peter’s announcement came as part of an otherwise robust quarterly earnings release for Expedia. What...more
With many in the industry getting their first look at Google’s proposed “DMA” changes to European Union search results, many of this past week’s industry headlines were focused on the proposed changes and the industry’s...more
It is earnings season, which makes for a longer Update than usual:
- Expedia Enjoys Strong Third Quarter Results. While I am still working my way through the recent Expedia Group earnings call transcript, news of the...more
This week’s Update features updates on several recently featured stories, including Booking.com’s ongoing payment and fraud challenges and new legislative efforts to limit junk fees....more
11/2/2023
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Citibank ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Partnerships ,
Ryanair ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
From the number of announcements this past week by travel industry members detailing their new online small and medium business initiatives, someone must have deemed last week “small and medium business week.” We’ve included...more
We’ve found fall to be the busiest of all seasons in the online travel world as everyone returns to work from summer breaks and the dates of the major online travel conferences are fast approaching. As you can see from the...more
9/27/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Booking.com ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Hilton ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
After several slow weeks in the industry, this past week featured a number of important updates, including earnings releases and calls from Booking Holdings and Expedia Group. Transcripts from the two companies’ earnings...more
8/8/2023
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Ryanair ,
Travelers ,
Trivago ,
VRBO.com ,
Wal-Mart
This week’s “vacation edition” Update features only two stories, the subjects of which have been featured in prior Updates. We will be back with our regular Updates next week!...more
This week’s Update features a wide variety of stories, including two on the growing influence of fintech products and their suppliers...more
6/21/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
FinTech ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Popular ,
TikTok ,
Travelers
This week’s Update features a variety of stories, including an update on the major online booking platforms’ latest quarterly marketing efforts. Highlights include...more
6/13/2023
/ AirBnB ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Booking.com ,
Capital One ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Travelers
As evidenced by the stories in this week’s Update, this past week was a relatively quiet week in online travel. Not surprisingly, many of this past week’s headlines featured the recent report by Phocuswright suggesting that...more
This week’s Update features two anti-trust / competition law updates from the EU (the Netherlands) and South America (Chile). Enjoy....more
3/28/2023
/ Airlines ,
Booking.com ,
Competition Authorities ,
EU ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Social Media ,
South America ,
TikTok ,
Travelers
Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending February 3, 2023, is below. This week’s Update features of number of stories detailing the Biden Administration’s growing efforts to address “unfair” fees, including hotel...more
2/7/2023
/ Advertising ,
Airlines ,
Biden Administration ,
Credit Cards ,
Fees ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Travelers
Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Sunday, January 27, is below. This week’s Update provides updates on both DOT’s and FTC’s recent rulemaking efforts around “hidden” industry fees. Enjoy....more
1/31/2023
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Airlines ,
Antitrust Conspiracies ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
Hidden Fees ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Travelers ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
It was another relatively quiet week in the online travel world, as evidenced by the stories below. The one obvious exception was the European Commission’s final publishing of the much-discussed Digital Markets Act (DMA),...more
This week’s Update covers a variety of topics, including persistent rumors regarding a possible Sabre sale and proposed new federal regulations governing airline fee disclosures that may one day serve as a foundation for...more
This week’s Update features several stories detailing a recent report by the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regarding mounting consumer credit concerns with buy now, pay later credit products...more
10/4/2022
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Expedia ,
FinTech ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Startups ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
Happy Labor Day to those of you in the U.S. celebrating our last gasp of summer. Last week’s Online Travel Update features several stories regarding Google’s recently announced plan to wind down entirely its “Book on Google”...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 a variety of topics, including Fareportal’s deceptive sales tactics and Expedia’s self-proclaimed collaborative approach. Enjoy....more
This week’s Update includes two stories detailed Booking Holdings’ recent earnings release and a surprise story regarding Google’s hotel booking platform. Enjoy....more
This week’s Update features stories on Kayak, Hopper (again) and Shiji, and includes an important privacy update from California on loyalty programs....more
Our first Update of 2022 includes a number of stories on the evolving marketing tactics of both hotels and their distribution partners. Enjoy....more
1/24/2022
/ Advertising ,
Booking.com ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Marketing ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Southwest Airlines ,
Travelers ,
VRBO.com