Online Travel Agencies Battle Partners and 7 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.

>>A successful TripAdvisor transformation into ecommerce would go down as one of the smartest pivots in online travel history: TripAdvisor: Non-Hotel Revenue Could Reach One-Third of Total by 2020

>>Etraveli was sold for more than twice what it fetched just a year and a half ago. That's an impressive trajectory — and it looks like all parties are invested in continuing that kind of growth: Etraveli Gets New Owner in Push to Dominate European Online Booking

>>There is pomp and circumstance, and plenty of bluster, but most negotiations between online travel agencies, on the one hand, and hotels and airlines, on the other, eventually end up in signed contracts. That's because the two sides usually need each other, like it or not: A Timeline of Online Travel Agency Battles With Hotels and Airlines

>>As it gets easier to book on your phone, mobile could overtake traditional computer bookings as the most popular way U.S. travelers plan and book their trips: Mobile Travel Bookings Will Reach 40 Percent of Online Sales in 2017

>>TripAdvisor’s bold platform approach gives it a leg up on building deeper relationships with its customers, compared to single-use sites. On the other hand, relationships can be hard work and expensive: TripAdvisor in the Age of Platforms Tries the Full-Service Model

>>These fraudulent robocalls touting over-the-top and fraudulent travel deals are a scourge. Maybe a lot of them will stop now — but there are assuredly other scammers out there so travel brands, which are victims in addition to consumers, aren't home free yet: TripAdvisor’s Review Investigators Discover a Huge Travel-Robocall Scam

>>Smaller players in the expense management marketplace are gearing up to take on Concur despite Concur's commanding lead in the sector: A Corporate Expense Giant in the Making — Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report

>>Investors used to be skittish about hospitality-tech startups. But this week's multi-million dollar investment rounds in Keypr, Pillow, and Cloudbeds suggest that the lodging software sector is maturing and isn't just about hotels anymore: Keypr Unlocks $19 Million for Hotel Keyless Entry: Travel Startup Funding This Week