Good Sunday evening from Seattle . . . Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, June 20, 2023, is below. Given summer’s official arrival this past Friday, it should be no surprise that the past week was a relatively quiet week for online travel. Enjoy.
- Google Hotels Feeling the Pressure. One of the most interesting stories this past week came from Skift. Facing the effects of recent DMA mandated changes and its own AI initiatives, Google’s metasearch engine, Google Hotels, may be struggling – at least a little. And while Google may be struggling to find its footing, other industry players - Expedia, Trivago and TripAdvisor (and newcomer, Super.com) - are taking advantage. With so many changes afoot in the industry, I question how anyone is able to do a long-term distribution deal these days (let alone decide on a long-term distribution strategy). Definitely an interesting time to be part of the industry.
Have a great week everyone.
Online Travel Agency Flight Sales Jumped in May – Leisure and Corporate Bookings Fell
June 19, 2025 via Skift
Online travel agencies have a tremendous marketing edge over leisure agencies, and corporate travel agencies might be feeling the pinch of macro uncertainties. Share U.S. travel agency sales of airline tickets fell 5% overall in May, according to new data from the Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC). But while ...
Not First but Fast Followers: Michael Cawley on Ryanair’s Tech Playbook, OTA Rapprochement & Regulatory Realities
June 19, 2025 via WIT
Michael Cawley may be best known for his long tenure as Deputy CEO and COO of Ryanair, but his thinking continues to influence not just aviation, but also how we see technology, regulation, and the distribution battleground in Europe. In a wide-ranging interview at Phocuswright Europe, Cawley ...
The Evolving Role of AI in Business Travel
June 18, 2025 via PhocusWire
If AI has taught us anything, it is that the pace of change is accelerating. If we turn the clock back to the 2024 Business Travel Show Europe, executives in the sector told PhocusWire they felt positive about the ability of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the traveler experience and ...
Expedia Makes Gains as Google Hotels Is Increasingly 'Bruised'
June 17, 2025 via Skift
Google Hotels is still strong, but weakened by the Digital Markets Act — and Google's own AI Overviews. Agentic AI may one day make the changes we've seen to date under the DMA a mere footnote in the evolution of travel search.
Agoda Amends Site Features After Singapore Regulator's Concerns
June 16, 2025 via MLex
The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore has raised concerns over several potentially misleading design elements on Agoda’s Singapore website and mobile app, including ranking algorithms, labels and countdown timers. The CCCS found that features such as “Best Match” rankings, preferred badges and urgency cues could mislead consumers regarding pricing, placement and booking urgency. Agoda has since revised or removed the flagged elements and provided a voluntary undertaking to address the issues. The CCCS warned that businesses using interface designs that distort consumer choice risk breaching fair trading laws and signaled ongoing scrutiny of manipulative online practices.
