Dennis Schaal travel tips

Anyone remember that blockbuster year in online travel, namely 2015, when Expedia acquired HomeAway (Vrbo), Travelocity and Orbitz Worldwide for nearly $5.7 billion?

Booking.com modified its sustainability program and will now help hotel partners obtain third-party sustainability certifications.

A federal jury in Texas decided American Airlines can recover $9.4 million in damages from “hidden city” ticket platform Skiplagged, which continues to offer the airline’s tickets at steep discounts.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, October 17, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. 

Airbnb isn’t getting into the property management game, but it officially launched an expanded a co-host network designed to make it easier for hosts to manage their properties.

Japan is a key expansion market for Airbnb, which launched a marketing campaign there Friday.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, October 10, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. 

It’s rare for one founder to publicly disparage another company’s effort to raise funding. But Vacasa founder Eric Breon took to LinkedIn this week to say Pacaso’s current effort to raise money “disgusts” him and “seems designed to deceive.”

Hotels still dominate over short-term rentals when U.S. travelers are deciding where to stay. But several trends show the challenges hotels face — and the growth opportunities for short-term rentals.

Ami Goldman, a property owner and tech entrepreneur in Brazil, leased his $300,000 apartment to Tabas, a mid- to long-term rental operator in 2021.

Short-term rental company Sonder disclosed that it lost nearly $80 million more in 2022 than it previously reported.

Under an existing partnership established in 2015, Despegar was restricted to using Expedia Group hotel supply for the vast majority of inventory outside of home base Latin America, a stipulation that hindered Despegar’s expansion ambitions.

Ariane Gorin has had a lot on her plate since taking over as Expedia Group CEO in May. Gorin, who recently appeared in the Skift Power Rankings as one of travel’s most powerful leaders, has had to deal with a tech migration that has resulted in a slowdown in business at some of its brands. In addition, Expedia is facing the challenge of how to rebuild its One Key loyalty program.

If you search Google Flights for a San Juan to Newark flight on September 27, you can readily see that the Frontier flights have lower-than-average estimated emissions, while the JetBlue and United flights have average emissions.

This isn’t the old Tripadvisor, the one where the company was dependent on metasearch and chasing advertising clicks. At the new Tripadvisor, users can use generative AI for trip-planning and to book experiences, dining reservations and hotels.

Sabre’s hotel tech unit is up for sale two years after a similar effort failed to yield a deal, according to an industry source. Evercore is running the sales process, the source said.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, September 18, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Tripadvisor informed its vacation rental guests and hosts around the world that reservations with check-in dates on or after November 1 will be cancelled, and guests will receive full refunds.

Former Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern gave up his vice chairman role and exited the board, the company announced. It said Kern “agreed” to do so “given the speed and success of the Company’s recent management transition.”

Where is the growth and momentum going to come from in online travel over the next few years as the law of large numbers and increased competition take hold? Is the thrill gone?

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, September 12, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.