In this week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update, we cover TripAdvisor’s busy week, including the announcement about its new travel advisor referral service, Reco. Enjoy....more
7/6/2020
/ Antitrust Litigation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor
Not a moment too soon, Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards on Tuesday provided mandatory employee notice posters for hotel worker protections that take effect Wednesday, July 1. Seattle hotels must post these notices...more
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
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
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
Even as Seattle hotels face devastating impacts from the COVID-19 shutdown and start planning how they might reopen, the City of Seattle is proceeding with sweeping ordinances protecting employees in hotels with 60 or more...more
5/22/2020
/ Comment Period ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health and Safety ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Local Ordinance ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Workplace Safety
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending Friday, May 15, 2020 contains a wide variety of stories – from the tried and true to the truly bizarre. I hope you enjoy....more
5/20/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Financial Stimulus ,
France ,
Hong Kong Competition Commission (HKCC) ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Tourism ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Vacation Rentals
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 week’s Update contains updates on several fronts, but begins with a story that I found thoroughly depressing, but summarizes, perhaps better than any other story I’ve seen in recent weeks, the current state of the travel...more
In this week’s Update, we’ve highlighted another story on a lodging industry leader who is taking the necessary precautions to prepare itself, other industry members and, ultimately, travelers for the post COVID-19 world....more
4/27/2020
/ Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cruise Ships ,
Expedia ,
Health and Safety ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers
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, I’ve again included a larger than normal number of stories given the interesting updates we are seeing. Not all the updates may be directly related to traditional distribution, but there is a...more
4/13/2020
/ Advertising ,
AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Business Travel ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expedia ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Relief Measures ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
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
With all that has occurred in these past few weeks involving coronavirus (and its devastating effects on the travel industry and those within it), I had questioned whether I should suspend our weekly Updates until things have...more
While this week’s Update does not include stories about Coronavirus and its potentially disastrous effects on the lodging and travel industries, I’m sure it will only be a matter of time. We are already hearing stories of...more
3/16/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Booking.com ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data-Sharing ,
EU ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Marketing ,
National Security ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Trump Administration
Our (travel-abbreviated) weekly OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending February 28, 2020 is below. I’ll be back next week with our regular format. ...more
This week’s Update again features number of stories on Google, including an update on last week’s story detailing Google’s recent addition of direct links to competitors’ travel sites.
Last but not least, as most of you...more
Both Google and Expedia are featured prominently in this week’s Update, particularly Barry Diller and his many colorful statements made during last week’s Expedia earnings call. Enjoy....more
2/24/2020
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Appeals ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Google ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Search Results ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
We lead off this week’s Update again with a story regarding ongoing regulatory activity in the EU. Enjoy....more
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 recent Skift story that tries to answer a question that I know many of you have asked...What’s Barry Diller’s next move with Expedia? Enjoy....more