Business Travelers Consider Biometrics and 12 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.

>>Learn how we’re getting our Skift Global Forum attendees involved in the action with a new interactive Q&A tool: Skift Global Forum’s Mobile App Is Live + New Q&A Tool

>>Priceline’s growth over the past decade is nothing short of remarkable. In this report, we answer, a simple, but important question — Where do we go from here? New Skift Research Report: A Deep Dive Into Priceline’s Competitive Position in Travel 2017

>>The hardware and evolving software on the iPhone removed friction for travelers in immeasurable ways. It also created friction. The iPhone beckons us whenever we have an idle moment, forcing us to miss some of the things that make travel, particularly solo travel, so beautiful: How the iPhone Changed the Way We Travel for Better or Worse

>>If the eyes are the windows to the soul, your face may be your ticket to your next event. Thanks to improvements in facial recognition technology, meeting and event planners have access to a whole slew of tools to make their conferences and events more interactive, engaging and secure: How Facial Recognition Is Shaping the Future of Conferences

>>As with all advancements in technology, we need to ask ourselves: Is facial recognition software a good thing? And what are the potential consequences? Face Value: The Rise of Facial Recognition Event Software — Meetings Innovation Report

>>Skift Global Forum is four years old, and now it’s a non-negotiable calendar appointment for serious travel companies: The Speakers at Skift Global Forum Are Just Amazing This Year

>>Our team of experts at Skift can talk Expedia news with the best — in fact, they are the best. Tune in for insight on Expedia’s history and future under new leadership: Skift Podcast: What to Expect From the New Expedia

>>This acqui-hire of Tel Aviv chatbot start-up Evature underlines the intense interest travel companies now have in natural-language search by text or voice — and for the technical talent that can make the magic happen: Booking.com Buys Evature for Its Chatbot Talent

>>Thomas Cook’s efforts to strip its hotel business back to its core exclusive sun and beach properties continues. The deal with Expedia seems more wide-ranging than the previous tie-up with Webjet, and chief executive Peter Fankhauser’s comments hint at a potential for a closer arrangement in the future: Thomas Cook and Expedia Reach Wide-Ranging Deal for Hotel Sourcing and Selling

>>Business travelers are embracing the increasing use of facial-recognition software and fingerprint reading at airports to speed lines, but privacy advocates raise concerns about the security of information and its potential use: Business Travelers Weigh Ease of Biometrics Against Privacy Concerns

>>New security technology will likely make things better for business travelers, but corporations need to pay attention to the potential safety and privacy ramifications of these solutions: Will Biometrics Simplify Business Travel? — Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report

>>Priceline’s acquisition of Momondo strengthens Kayak in regions where it had less market share, including the UK, Nordics, and Russia. Keeping Momondo out of the hands of a rival, or a potential one, also protects the Kayak brand and Priceline as a whole: Priceline Bought Momondo and That Was Far Different From Ctrip’s Skyscanner Acquisition

>>Lola’s pivot to business travel makes a lot of sense from a financial perspective. One has to wonder, however, whether the small company will be able to attract customers in the crowded corporate travel marketplace: Lola Pivots to Business Travel and Rebrands