Google captured most of the online travel industry’s headlines this past week as it seeks to “balance” the competing interests of regulators, on the one hand, and intermediaries and direct sellers, on the other hand. As long as traditional search maintains its outsized influence on online travel, the outcome of these discussions will have a
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Booking.com’s Ongoing Legal Battles, Alibaba’s Travel Restructuring & the Rise of AI in Hotel Visibility
Good Saturday evening from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, June 27, 2025, is below. This week’s Update features news of yet another claim being brought against Booking.com over its commercial practices and updates on Alibaba’s planned restructuring of its travel platform, Fliggy. Going forward, expect to see…
Google Hotels Faces New Challenges as Competitors Gain Ground
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.
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- Google Hotels Feeling the Pressure. One of
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AI at the Crossroads, Booking.com in the Crosshairs: This Week’s Travel Industry Headlines
Good Sunday evening from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, June 6, 2025, is below. Like last week’s Update, which featured a number of stories on Booking.com, this week’s Update also includes several Booking.com stories and updates to stories we featured last week. I hope you enjoy.
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- UPDATE:
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Class Actions, Competition Scrutiny and Lloyds’ Travel Play: A Full Plate for Online Travel
Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, May 30, 2025, is below. Booking.com features prominently (again) in our Update this week as investigations into, and claims against, the major online travel agent increase (these things seem to come in waves). I hope you enjoy.
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- European
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Rewriting the Travel Rulebook: AI, Accor and a Swiss Surprise
Good Monday morning from Seattle . . . For those of you who have served in the armed forces, thank you for your service. Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, May 23, 2025, is below. This week’s Update features stories for everyone – leisure, corporate / managed and group. I hope you…
AI, Junk Fees, and Expedia’s Earnings: Key Highlights from the Week in Online Travel
Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending May 9, 2025, is below. What started initially as a relatively slow week in online travel picked up as the week progressed. Earnings releases captured much of the attention this past week, though Google’s announcement on its delivery of…
Online Travel Update: Airbnb Eyes Hotels (Again), Booking Beats Expectations, and Kayak Embraces AI
Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending May 2, 2025, is below. This week’s Update features stories on many of the large online players, including first quarter earnings reports (and transcripts) for both Booking Holdings and Airbnb. I hope you enjoy.
- Airbnb Looks to Hotels
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AI Developments, UK Consumer Law Reforms, and 2025 Revenue Forecasts for OTAs
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 partnership with Expedia and other OTAs – as well as a helpful overview of the UK’s Digital…
This Week in Travel: NDC Progress, Booking.com Scrutiny, and AI Momentum in the Industry
By Greg Duff
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 Booking.com’s challenges with fraudulent property listings and the major OTAs embrace of agentic AI. I’ve also included…