Skift Take

This week in digital news, we looked at earnings from Booking Holdings and the company's adjusted growth expectations, plus a broad view of the future of metasearch.

Digital Travel News Weekly Roundup

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.

>>The online travel titan faces a reality check after years of extraordinary growth. Booking Holdings forecast that third-quarter growth in its accommodation room nights booked rate would be between 6 percent and 9 percent, well below the 20 percent range typical in the past: Booking Holdings Sacrifices Growth for Profit

>>Some hotel groups will be jealous of Booking Holdings’ ability to have one out of every two of its customers booking travel on its brand sites and apps without having to buy online ads to acquire them: Booking Holdings Says Half Its Customers Now Come Direct: Will It Be a Game Changer?

>>Much of the metasearch business is beyond the control of the metasearch companies themselves because their largest advertisers can switch things up five minutes ago. Just ask Trivago, and to a lesser extent, TripAdvisor. The best they can hope to do is to diversify their advertiser base and to keep plugging away: Is the Metasearch Model in Big Trouble?

>>In online travel, Google always gets a cut: RedAwning Deal With Google Gives Vacation Rental Managers Tools for Paid Search

>>After years of friction, Sabre and corporate travel giants American Express Global Business Travel, Carlson Wagonlit, and Flight Centre, have agreed to work together to test what new distribution methods might look like. Questions of who will pay what have been postponed: Sabre Agrees to Pilot New Technologies With American Airlines and Other Travel Giants

>>Given its new lofty valuation of more than $1 billion, Klook has become too expensive for most online travel companies to justify as an acquisition. But would a possible IPO within a few years be successful? Klook Raises $200 Million to Expand Activity Bookings

>>Calling all data scientists and engineers with experience at using machine learning. Expedia is hiring: Video: Expedia Faces Hiring Challenges as Its Tech Needs Shift

>>China’s travel startup scene is less well-covered in Western media due to the language barrier, but is nonetheless just as vibrant as the West’s: Investors Bet Millions More in China: Travel Startup Funding This Week

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Tags: digital, Travel Trends, trends roundups

Photo credit: Booking Holdings forecast that third-quarter growth in its accommodation room nights booked rate would be between 6 percent and 9 percent, well below the 20 percent range typical in the past. Bloomberg

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