Google’s EU Fine and 10 Other Digital Trends This Week

>>With another multibillion dollar fine handed down, we might be getting nearer to the European Commission taking a closer look at Google’s travel products: $5 Billion EU Fine Against Google Brings Travel Back Into the Spotlight

>>Tune in for an expert take on how Amazon has already dabbled in travel and how the retail giant might return: Skift Podcast: The Amazon Factor in Travel

>>Lola has struggled to catch on as it now pivots to provide travel management tools to small companies. Mobile booking through travel agents never broke through and it’s hard to see a path forward for Lola in the extremely crowded market for managing small group travel: Lola Pivots to Travel Management With New CEO

>>The travel technology giant has bowed to investor and airline demands for a management team more focused on software solutions that help with the retailing, distribution, and fulfillment of travel as an end-to-end journey, not just siloed by function: Sabre Blends Distribution Network and Airline Units Under New Leadership

>>TripActions is investing big in customer service unlike many other players breaking into corporate travel. The truth is that it’s hard to land larger customers unless you can service their travelers wherever they are, no matter how cool your app is: TripActions Expands Globally With a Focus on Service

>>TripActions and Lola have been two of the most interesting players in the business travel ecosystem in recent years. Both their moves this week show how important it is for smaller companies to be able to acquire customers and service larger organizations effectively: Big Changes at Lola and TripActions

>>Aventri may sound kind of like an Italian resort town, but it does stand out among other event technology brands. It’s hard to brand a platform that offers a suite of services in a sector defined by individual product offerings. We’ll see how this works out, and what companies Aventri acquires in coming years: Etouches Rebrands for Fresh Start in Crowded Event Tech Ecosystem

>>The acquisitions of Active Hotels and Bookings B.V., which led to the creation of Booking.com, transformed parent company Priceline.com, and online travel history. Take a look at Priceline’s fourth quarter of 2005 financial results, and you’ll be able to see the journey in process: Oral History: Booking.com Catapulted Priceline From an Also-Ran to First

>>Travel is full of discovery — sometimes not for the better. The CMO of Booking.com explains how the company is trying to ease some of those unhappy surprises: How Booking Is Trying to Solve Travel’s Pain Points

>>An arms race is on in the event technology sector as established players look to take on Cvent while embracing emerging technologies. This is good news for meeting planners and other event professionals, bringing an array of choices to a sector that is consolidated at the top: Evolving to Meet Event Planner Needs

>>If he were around today, Gordon Gekko of the movie Wall Street would probably say, “Cheap money is good.” A combination of factors has made it relatively more easy to obtain funding for startups in many countries: Secret Escapes Raises $67 Million: Travel Startup Funding This Week