Expedia Faces Headwinds in Short-Term Rentals and 5 Other Digital Trends this Week

Expedia Faces Stiff Headwinds in Rebranded Short-Term Rental Business: When Expedia announced the acquisition of HomeAway in 2015, then-CFO Mark Okerstrom called it “a huge opportunity on a go-forward basis.” Today, it still is, but now-CEO Okerstrom said the short-term rental business must strive to gain “harder yards.” The ground game is tougher than anyone realized.

Google Hotels Prompts Trivago to Increase Advertising in 50 Global Markets: Google is eating the world. When metasearch sites such as Trivago see a strategic benefit in increasing their advertising in Google metasearch, it’s not only enough to make your head spin, but it’s ominous from a competitive standpoint, as well.

IHG Sees Room for Improvement in Hotel Revenue Management: InterContinental Hotels Group aims to use its new reservations system from Amadeus to set and shift rates based on customer preferences and spending habits. But the move will eventually force the company to throw away its rulebook on how to maximize revenue.

Eventbrite’s Slow Ticketfly Integration Leads to Growing Losses: Eventbrite is getting slammed by investors as costs mount from integrating Ticketfly. The company’s core ticketing business is strong, though. It needs to bring new event technology products to market once the Ticketfly quagmire ends.

Masabi Raises $20 Million for Ticketing Tech: Travel Startup Funding This Week: Masabi enables cities, such as Denver and Sydney, to sell tickets on public transit via the mobile apps of travel companies like Uber. Meanwhile, Elenium disrupts airport self check-in, Pana pivots into corporate travel, and Sweetguest surfs the growth in management services for vacation rentals.

Uber Didn’t Listen Enough to Cities, a Top European Exec Concedes: Uber has tried hard to change its image in recent years, but has it worked?