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
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 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
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
This week's Update includes a story detailing yet another state’s efforts to close existing tax loopholes so that it may collect proper sales/occupancy taxes from OTAs. I hope you enjoy....more
11/2/2018
/ Expedia ,
Hotels ,
Occupancy Tax ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Sales Tax ,
Short-Term Lease ,
State and Local Government ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Legislation ,
Technology Sector ,
Tourists ,
Travelers
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
This week’s Update is one of the largest in some time....more
9/24/2018
/ Brand ,
Business Travel ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cruise Ships ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Hotels ,
Industry Consolidation ,
Investment ,
Online Reviews ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Websites
This week’s Update features a variety of stories....more
9/10/2018
/ AirBnB ,
China ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Expedia ,
Financial Statements ,
Hotels ,
Local Ordinance ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers
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
Travel Agency Hit With TCPA Class Action Over Cuba Texts -
Law 360 - Cybersecurity & Privacy on Aug 10, 2018 (subscription required)
An online travel agency that arranges trips to Cuba got slapped with a proposed class...more
8/20/2018
/ Amazon ,
ATDS ,
Class Action ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Smart Devices ,
TCPA ,
Telemarketing ,
Text Messages ,
Travelers
Corporate Travel Sector Eyes a New Distribution Model Down Under -
Skift Travel News on Aug 2, 2018 -
Qantas, Serko, and Corporate Travel Management are leading the charge towards new distribution capability adoption...more
8/13/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Airlines ,
Australia ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Hotels ,
Hyatt ,
Landlords ,
Millennials ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Distribution ,
Rental Property ,
Startups ,
Travelers
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
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending June 8, 2018 is below. This week’s Update is a lengthy one and includes our sixth and final installment of our series in anti-trust challenges to hoteliers’...more
6/18/2018
/ Airlines ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Competition ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Expedia ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Google ,
Homeaway ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Keyword Search ,
Marriott ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Technology Sector ,
Travelers
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update is below and features a variety of stories – EU regulation, AI-powered chatbots, direct booking, connectivity and taxes....more
2/19/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Appeals ,
Denial of Rehearing ,
EU ,
Expedia ,
Germany ,
Hotel Tax ,
Hotels ,
Municipalities ,
Online Platforms ,
Priceline ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Social Media ,
Stock Prices ,
Trivago
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending January 19 is below. This week’s Update includes a heavy dose of short-term rental stories as well as details on Italian regulators’ recent efforts against...more
1/29/2018
/ AirBnB ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Appeals ,
European Commission ,
Expedia ,
Fines ,
Homeowners ,
Italy ,
Local Ordinance ,
Mobile Payments ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Registration Requirement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Trivago ,
Websites
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending November 10, 2017 is below. Senator Kobuchar’s recent request for an DOJ and FTC investigation into OTAs’ purportedly anti-competitive practices leads this...more
11/20/2017
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Expedia ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Homeaway ,
Hotels ,
Investigations ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Priceline ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
TripAdvisor ,
Trivago ,
Twitter ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Websites
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending October 20, 2017 is below. Short-term rentals feature prominently is this week’s Update...more
10/30/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Apartments ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Governor Walker ,
Hong Kong ,
Hotels ,
Online Distribution ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Resident's Rights ,
Residential Real Estate Market ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travelers ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending September 29, 2017 is below. This week’s Update is a lengthy one and contains a number of stories that, although not directly associated with distribution, I...more
10/9/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Hilton ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Tourists ,
Travelers
This week’s update features a number of traditional “distributor” stories and updates on short-term rentals. We elected not to include a story involving the much-publicized leadership changes at Expedia (and Uber) as I’m sure...more
9/18/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Blockchain ,
China ,
Distributors ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Injunctions ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Operating System Developers ,
Priceline ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Vacation Homes ,
Vacation Rentals
This week’s Update for the week ending August, 18, 2017 is below. Short-term rental regulation is featured prominently in this week’s Update...more
8/28/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Expedia ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Hotlines ,
Hyatt ,
Landlords ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Income ,
Rental Property ,
Search Engines ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Travel
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending August 11, 2017 (where has summer gone) is below. Compared to recent weeks, this past week was relatively quiet on the distribution front...more
8/21/2017
/ AirBnB ,
China ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Distributors ,
E-Commerce ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
International Travel ,
Joint Venture ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Rental Property ,
Super Bowl ,
TripAdvisor
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending August 4, 2017 is below. An important update on the status of rate parity in the EU leads things off in this week’s Update...more
8/14/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Australia ,
Booking.com ,
City of Chicago ,
EU ,
Expedia ,
Fines ,
France ,
Hotels ,
Hyatt ,
Italy ,
New Legislation ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
Rental Property ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Startups ,
Travel
Our weekly client OTA & Travel Distribution Update for the week ending July 28, 2017 is below. Two Expedia companies top this week’s Update...more
8/7/2017
/ AirBnB ,
Asia ,
Expedia ,
Governor Christie ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
International Travel ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Priceline ,
Rental Property ,
Rental Rates ,
Research Tools ,
Short-Term Lease ,
Tourists ,
Travelers ,
Trivago ,
Unicorns
CMA Seeks to Educate UK Hoteliers [PARITY] -
("Competition watchdog urges hotels to take advantage of demise of price parity," The Caterer - Latest Hospitality News, July 5, 2017) -
If you recall, one of the key...more
7/17/2017
/ Advertising ,
AirBnB ,
Booking.com ,
Competition Authorities ,
Expedia ,
France ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Noise Complaints ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Rental Property ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)