Skift Take

This week in digital news, Booking Holdings reveals solid progress in the realm of alternative accommodations, Airbnb sees swelling domestic markets in China and India, and car rental companies look for more ways to use smart technology to drive growth.

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.

Booking and Airbnb Are Now in a Homesharing Dead Heat: Airbnb has dominated the discussion of alternative accommodations, but it appears as though Booking Holdings’ apartment-rental business may be in a dead heat with its competitor. Airbnb’s perceived lead may not be as great as many observers believe.

Airbnb Has Big Plans for China and India: Airbnb projects at least 40 percent of its business will be from emerging markets by 2030, with Asian markets such as China and India driving the growth. The homesharing giant is building the foundations and investing big-time in its Asian future.

Avis, Hertz Chart Future After Yet Another Comeback: Car rental companies are looking to become transportation networking companies like Uber and Lyft, while also renting cars to drivers of those ridesharing services. But first, they need to bring their core business back on track.

TripAdvisor Sees Booking Site Spending Hit 4-Year Low: The fact that Booking Holdings and Expedia Group are leaning away from TripAdvisor is a wake-up call for many metasearch sites. However, travelers still love to use the damn things for comparison shopping, so there’s that.

Kayak Fires More Than 50 As It Eliminates Brand Marketing in London and Berlin: Kayak is looking to get leaner and more efficient. The restructuring, though, doesn’t exactly mesh with the upbeat picture about the metasearch company that parent Booking Holdings described during its fourth-quarter earnings call this week.

Convene Co-Founder Sees Sweet Spot Between Co-Working and Events: Bringing hospitality into the office experience is an elegant way to provide a better experience for workers.

Hotel App Six Travel Claims to Measure the Real Influence of Influencers: Hotels and other brands would welcome a tool that enables them to accurately tally the number of bookings that can be directly attributed to various influencers. But it remains to be seen how effectively Six Travel can deliver on its promises.

What Venture Capital Likes in Travel Startups: New Skift Research. Analyzing startups helps us understand what the future of travel holds. The latest generation of startups promises innovation across many facets of travel: hospitality, tours, airlines, business travel, and more.

Home-Based Travel Advisors Use These Tricks for Sanity and Productivity: Running a home-based travel agency is not without its challenges, including isolation, getting motivated, and keeping work and personal life from colliding. Fortunately, there is plenty of support, including from industry peers, to help the process.

Standard Hotels Spins Off One Night Booking App: Travel Startup Funding This Week. It’s not clear there’s enough market demand for a mobile app that books only independent and boutique properties. But some hoteliers might welcome the new app One Night if it can bring down its distribution costs, even marginally.

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Tags: digital, Travel Trends, trends roundups

Photo credit: Chalet Cerisier in Chamonix, France. Booking Holdings' apartment rental business is starting to catch up with Airbnb. Booking.com

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