Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, April 11, 2025, is below. This week’s Update features a heavy dose of AI related stories – including Microsoft’s recently announced...more
Good Sunday morning from Seatle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, April 4, is below. This week’s Update features a number of follow up stories on topics covered in recent Updates, including...more
Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, March 28, 2025, is below. This week’s Update features stories on a variety of topics including Perplexity’s big booking...more
Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, March 21, is below. This week’s Update features a number of stories on the EU’s renewed interest in pursuing competition compliance,...more
Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, January 17, 2025, is below. Other than Perplexity’s newly announced partnership with TripAdvisor (readers, please read the story...more
This week’s Update features a wide variety of stories, including two on the growing influence of fintech products and their suppliers...more
Like prior weeks’ Updates, this week’s Update features stories on the growing phenomenon of fintech and its effect on the travel industry. Enjoy....more
This week’s Update features two stories detailing fintech’s growing influence on online travel. Regular readers of our Update know that we’ve featured a number of fintech and payment related stories this past year, with...more
We begin this week’s Update with the promised overview of the DOJ’s recent guidance on the ADA and website accessibility. Enjoy....more
For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving this week, happy holidays. This week’s Update features a wide variety of stories, including PhocusWire’s annual list of the 25 hot travel startups. Enjoy....more
This week’s Update again features a number of stories on fintech and its emerging influence on the travel and lodging industries. Enjoy....more
Where did summer go? It was another quiet week in the online travel world, though I expect things may pick up in the weeks ahead as everyone returns from their summer breaks. Enjoy....more
This week’s Update features a couple of stories (including one by Seattle’s own Geekwire.com) detailing the recent executive shake up at Expedia. Enjoy....more
This week’s Update provides additional information (and perspectives) on Tripadvisor’s new subscription program (Tripadvisor Plus), parity updates from South Korea and the latest on Fareportal’s antitrust claims against...more
This week’s Update features two stories on the growing (temporary?) phenomenon of using hotel guest rooms and other public spaces for those seeking an alternative arrangement to working from home and how those new remote work...more
With this week’s Update, we welcome Amazon back to the distribution discussion with its recent introduction of Amazon Explore. Enjoy....more
As summer was coming to a close last week (and people everywhere were doing best to hang onto the last few glimmers), there was little noteworthy news coming out of the distribution world. Enjoy....more
This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update includes Google prominently featured in the news and a new agreement for Choice Hotels. Enjoy....more
Several themes emerged in this week’s stories, including the bullish return of short-term rentals and the continued direct booking efforts by airlines and the metasearch sites seeking to serve them. Enjoy....more
Perhaps it was Canada Day or the Fourth of July holiday weekend, but last week was relatively quiet in the distribution world. Enjoy....more
This week’s Update features a number of stories on growing online travel platforms – including the launch of an entirely new travel application and the possible resurrection of an old familiar travel application....more
It should come as no surprise that stories detailing the unexpected resignations of Expedia’s top two senior executives are featured prominently in this week’s Update. Rather than just recirculating the usual industry...more
We have some great updates in the STR space this week, including: Vacasa Reaches Unicorn Status - (“Real estate’s newest unicorn: Vacasa raises $319 million, now valued at more than $1 billion,” HousingWire on Nov 1, 2019)...more
Airbnb Goes Luxe - ("Airbnb dives into ultra-high-end rentals. Here’s what brokers think," Real Deal - LA Real Estate News on Jun 2, 2019) - Last week, Airbnb announced it was rolling out Airbnb Luxe, a vertical featuring...more
Airbnb poised for a reprieve in the EU - ("Why Airbnb Could Escape the Uber Trap in Europe," Fortune Magazine on Apr 30, 2019) The Court of Justice of the European Union is considering whether Airbnb was breaking the...more