Priceline Group’s New CEO and 11 Other Digital Trends This Week

Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines digital trends.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

>>Tune in to hear how Paul English is rethinking the tools that travel agents use: Skift Backstage Podcast: Lola CEO on Why Messaging Matters

>>Sometimes, being bigger really can be better. Or at least that’s what Marriott is telling itself: Expedia and Priceline Can Expect Tougher Negotiations With Marriott the Next Time They Meet

>>As TripAdvisor evolves into more of a booking site than it is today, it makes total sense over the long term for it to get increasingly interested in corporate travel: TripAdvisor Leads $5.2 Million Traxo Funding in Business Travel Push

>>Google has fought and annoyed TripAdvisor and Yelp for years when it comes to user reviews: Are Google Reviews Poised to Beat TripAdvisor at Its Own Game?

>>These five startups take problems that reduce the convenience factor and show how simplifying the small details of a trip goes a long way: 5 New Travel Startups Keeping Convenience at the Core of Every Trip

>>Tune in to hear Booking.com CEO Gillian Tans talk about how the company is trying to build products that meet higher consumer expectations: Skift Backstage Podcast: Booking.com CEO on Taking a Mobile-First Approach

>>Despite hotels’ best efforts to push loyalty and direct bookings, hotel marketers can’t assume an “if you build it they will come” mentality toward their own websites: What Hotel CMOs Need to Know About Google, Metasearch and Reddit

>>Trivago is saturating certain markets with TV advertising. Google Trends data suggest this may not be as effective as the company wants investors to surmise: Are Trivago’s Brand Awareness Numbers Inflated?

>>Is there a big enough market for travelers to track flights through push notifications and wait weeks or months to buy instead of going to a website and entering their itinerary details? Contrarian Flight-App Hopper Attracts $61 Million in Series C Financing

>>TripAdvisor’s investment into Traxo isn’t a huge surprise when you consider the challenge of itinerary management for consumer travel companies selling a variety of different products in one place: TripAdvisor Wants Corporate Tools for Consumers — Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report

>>Is it purely coincidence that the Priceline Group announces its CEO pick after eight months of looking, hours before Expedia’s Trivago is slated to price its IPO? Probably not: Priceline Group’s New CEO Is Veteran Merger Guru Glenn Fogel

>>As more online consumers choose to avoid advertising using ad blocking tools, it’s raising some difficult questions about how travel companies should proceed: The Ad Blocking Dilemma for Travel Brands — Digital Travel Marketing News