This week’s Update features a variety of topics – OTAs, short-term rentals and loyalty. Enjoy....more
7/22/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Keyword Search ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers
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
This week’s Update highlights two additional countries’ efforts to investigate alleged abuses by powerful global online platforms, including widely used online travel platforms. Enjoy....more
7/5/2019
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Booking.com ,
CEOs ,
Competition ,
E-Commerce ,
Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Sales Commissions ,
Startups ,
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
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
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
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
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
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)
U.S. Circuit Court Deals a Blow to Short-Term Platforms -
("Airbnb Loses Major Fight Over California City's Rental Law," Bloomberg Quint - Stories, March 13, 2019)
In somewhat of a surprise ruling issued last week, the...more
3/25/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
AirBnB ,
Appeals ,
Communications Decency Act ,
Free Speech ,
Google ,
Homeaway ,
Hotels ,
Local Ordinance ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Legislation ,
Technology Sector ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
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
This week’s Update includes a report on the EU Commission’s widespread examination of online platforms’ pricing practices and an update on the much-publicized standoff between United and Expedia. Enjoy....more
3/4/2019
/ Amazon ,
E-Commerce ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Joint Venture ,
Online Platforms ,
Partnerships ,
Price Transparency ,
Rental Property ,
Technology Sector ,
Travelers ,
United Airlines
We begin this week’s Update with some good news on the direct booking front. Enjoy....more
2/22/2019
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Belgian Competition Authority ,
Belgium ,
Contract Terms ,
Dismissals ,
E-Commerce ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Hilton ,
Horizontal Agreements ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Price Manipulation ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Technology Sector ,
Travelers ,
Unfair Competition
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
The week’s Update features an update on one of the many pending EU and EU member states’ ongoing investigations into the practices of OTAs. Enjoy....more
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
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
Despite a Change in Name and Business Model, Priceline is Back -
("Remember Priceline? After a Comeback and a Name Change, It’s Betting Big on China," Wall Street Journal - Business, December 28, 2018)
Booking Holdings...more