Hilton Joins TripAdvisor Instant Booking and 4 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.

>>Hilton's decision to enroll in TripAdvisor Instant Booking while the chain is dedicating huge resources to convincing consumers to book direct on Hilton sites is an admission that it needs third-party distributors: TripAdvisor Holdout Hilton Joins Its Instant Booking Program

>>In 2008, Venere became Expedia's great hope in Europe to play catch-up and take on Booking.com's dominance. That dynamic never came to fruition: Expedia and TripAdvisor Separately Kill 2 Brands That Were Once Sister Companies

>>2017 will likely involve more learning and testing of messaging apps before brands fully understand what most travelers want when they rattle off a question: What Comes Next for U.S. Consumers, Travel Brands and Messaging in 2017?

>>We're putting a focus on travel technology at Skift, and to be the best we can be about it, we're bringing in one of the best in the business: Welcoming Sean O’Neill to Skift as Our First Travel Tech Editor

>>Between their digital advertising tools and deep knowledge of consumers, there's virtually no tech company on earth (other than Google) that can match Facebook and Instagram. The launch of Instagram's new "Stories" feature should make advertising competitor Snapchat very afraid: Instagram Launches Ads in Its Stories — Digital Travel Marketing News