Expedia’s Acquisitions and 12 Other Digital Trends This Week

Every week we post hundreds of stories across various sectors in travel, connecting the dots across various global trends, and in these weekend posts we highlight the stories that tackle these trends. This one looks at top digital trends.

For all of our trends roundups, go here.

>>Messaging isn’t moving through the travel industry as fast as some would make you believe: 5 New Travel Startups Banking on Messaging and Artificial Intelligence

>>Given how crummy some airline websites are, it makes sense EasyJet is not looking to competitors for digital inspiration: For Web Redesign, EasyJet Looks To E-Commerce Firms for Inspiration

>>Savvy travel marketers understand that using virtual reality isn’t enough: Travel Marketers Aim for Compelling Virtual Reality Content

>>Trivago has been a growth juggernaut and now its investors hope to cash in: Expedia Hopes for Trivago IPO Before the End of 2016

>>Flight searches have never really “worked” on mobile. Virgin America’s new interface hopes to change that: Designing Flight Search for Mobile — Digital Marketing News This Week

>>Did Expedia finally bite off more than it can chew when it went on an acquisition tear? Expedia ‘Wobbled a Little Bit’ Because of Integration Strains

>>Letting travelers experience a property for a day with no strings attached is one of the best ways to create new and future guests: 5 New Travel Startups Helping Travelers Maximize Every Minute of Their Trips

>>Kudos to Icelandair for trying something new: You Can Now Book Icelandair Tickets on Facebook Messenger

>>Breaking up is hard to do, but when it comes to mergers, the stakes can be very high: Expedia Stumbled After Its Radical Approach to Integrating Orbitz

>>TripAdvisor needed to do something dramatic such as Instant Booking to adapt to the future: TripAdvisor Instant Booking Shows ‘Slight’ Improvement But It’s Still Ugly

>>TripAdvisor is seeing lots of success through its app in driving repeat bookers. The bottom line, though, is cheap hotel prices are key: TripAdvisor’s CEO Says That Apps Are the Key to Future Success

>>Priceline Group Interim CEO Jeffery Boyd is too much of a gentleman and a professional to get into a public shouting match: Priceline CEO to Hotels: We Can Offer Discounted Rates, Too

>>Skift has covered hundreds of travel startups to help readers understand emerging technology trends and venture capitalist interest: 2 Years of Travel Startups: Which Companies Survived and Died