Booking.com tips

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, June 28. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Booking.com is rolling out an AI Trip Planner to U.S. members of its Genius travel rewards program on its mobile app starting Wednesday, the company announced.

A recent study by travel fintech start-up SanKash has revealed that there has been a whopping 250% surge in solo travel at the start of this year. Travelers are inclined to explore not only themselves but the world at their own pace and preference, without feeling swayed by the whims of fellow travelers, the report said. 

There is no doubt that Booking.com is the dominant hotel room seller among online travel agencies in Europe. It is also apparent that the European Commission is acutely focused on limiting Booking’s grip.

Indian tourists to France will be able to pay for tickets to the Eiffel Tower and other attractions in rupees after both the countries agreed to use the Indian government’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

Indian online travel agency Ixigo is establishing its own independent hotel booking platform, co-founder and group CEO, Aloke Bajpai told Skift – currently, it works with Booking.com for those transactions.

Much ink has already been spilled (including our own) over questionable data that showed plunging Airbnb host revenue in several big cities. A tweet about it took on a life of its own, leading to a slew of news articles, social media posts, and investor concerns.

Booking Holdings said it completed a record number of bookings last quarter, the start to what’s expected to be its best summer ever. 

Investors looking for short-term gains may be disappointed in Expedia Group’s second quarter — it missed analysts’ revenue expectations by $10 million. But if things actually work out according to Expedia’s playbook, a carefully laid foundation may start to trigger more lucrative results in 2024.

Expedia Group pessimists point to Booking.com’s market share gains in the U.S. since late 2021, but now two financial analysts said: “We see clear evidence that the tide has turned.”

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, August 8. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, August 17. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Nearly 34% of Booking.com’s global total room nights came from the alternative accommodation segment during the April-June quarter. 

The Indian hotel sector is poised to contribute $1.5 trillion to the country’s economy by 2047, up from $65 billion in 2022, forecasts the Hotel Association of India in its “Vision 2047: Indian Hotel Industry” report.

Tripadvisor reached an historic milestone: For the first time since acquiring Viator nearly a decade ago, revenue from this tours and activities brand in the second quarter surpassed that of what has traditionally been Tripadvisor’s foundational business, hotel metasearch.

Major online travel agencies feel a ton of competitive pressures, but one thing is clear: They throw off a ton of cash.

Booking Holdings has proposed a remedy to a hotel issue that is threatening European Commission approval of its roughly $1.8 billion deal to acquire flight tech company eTraveli Group — show hotels from competitors when someone books a flight.