Bookings tips

Indian online travel agency EaseMyTrip announced this week that it has acquired a 55 percent stake in hotel booking marketplace cheQin, owned by Gleego Innovations, for around $370,000.

Three travel tech startups have raised $9.3 million in the past week.

Microsoft took over tech headlines last week when it said that its search engine, Bing, is being relaunched in partnership with generative artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.

Travel search volume in the Asia Pacific region rose over 50 percent year over year in the fourth quarter last year, according to Expedia Group. The region’s strong performance led global travel search volume, which rose by 10 percent year over year.

Travelsoft, a company that offers software products focused on travel bookings, has added a third brand to its portfolio.

Roch Ventures, a €150 million ($160.2 million) fund for travel tech startups in Europe and Israel, has made its first investment. 

Four travel tech startups raised $29 million in venture capital this week. 

Google has taken inspiration from the social media story format in a new tool to help travelers browse hotels. 

Thanks to record booking revenue ahead of this year’s summer travel, German vacation rental marketplace HomeToGo is looking at breaking even in 2023.

Rezdy and Checkfront have merged and now Regiondo may be for sale, a potential sign of consolidation in the market for reservation technology software for the distribution of tours and experiences.

You may have heard the term “junk fees” a lot these days. They are these hidden fees across many industries: cable, finance, banking and particularly, the travel industry – airlines and hotels. Since last year, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has done many press conferences about the issue. President Biden brought it up in his State of Union speech.

All travel suppliers want consumers to book direct, making their reservations on the company’s website, via the company’s smartphone app, or by phone through the company’s reservations center. Direct booking means the airlines and hotels pay no commissions to intermediaries, so the full price of the flight or room night flows to the provider, not to Expedia or a Main Street travel agent.

Uber is known, and mostly loved, for its on-demand ridesharing service. Need a lift? Launch the Uber app on your smartphone, and within minutes a car and driver will be idling at the curb, at your service.

When it comes to deciding where to go on vacation, cruising can be a very divisive topic. Often the reasons why people love cruises (the never-ending buffets, the organized activities, the family-friendly options) are the same reasons non-cruisers avoid them. But with the announcement of Virgin Voyages, a new adults-only cruise line from Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, cruising is about to change.

It’s Prime Day, and travel website Priceline teamed up with Amazon to bring travelers deals on hotels in time for a late summer getaway.