Vrbo Vacation Rentals Added to Expedia B2B Network
Adding vacation rentals to Expedia Group's B2B partner network is progress, but it's amazing that it took so long when you consider how mainstream these properties have become.
Dennis Schaal is Skift’s Founding Editor and Executive Editor. Dennis has been a reporter focusing on online travel and short-term rentals for more than two decades at Skift, Tnooz, USA Today, and Travel Weekly. He is well-known for tough one-on-one interviews on stage at Skift events, including with the CEOs and top execs of Expedia, Uber, Booking Holdings, Priceline, Kayak, Hopper, and more.
Airbnb Debuts First Ad for Services: ‘Now You Can Airbnb More Than an Airbnb’
In addition to launching a new Airbnb Services business, the company's new strategy is to lean heavily into social media advertising.
The B2B Battleground: Expedia, Booking and Hopper Are Redefining Online Travel’s Quiet Money Machine
If online travel agencies want to go to where people are booking travel, they are going to have to make the B2B game an integral part of their businesses. Otherwise, they'll be handing those potential customers to competitors.
Booking Holdings Bets on Agentic AI to Challenge Big Tech
Booking thinks its future agentic AI experience would be able to out-personalize the ChatGPTs and Geminis. Maybe that's so. But the LLMs will have a helluva lot of customer data, as well.
Airbnb’s Brian Chesky: AI Opens New Markets, ‘Everything Is Now Back on the Table’
Airbnb's Brian Chesky said the emergence of native AI apps — there currently aren't any in travel — changes the ballgame, and the company can consider entering new businesses that it previously thought were off limits.
Inspirato Considers Rival Bid From Exclusive Resorts
At an infinitesimal fraction of the scale, an Inspirato-Buyerlink reverse merger, with both entities controlled and operated by Payam Zamani, would be something akin to Musk's Tesla going out and making a deal to acquire his AI startup xAI. Neither would be a good look.
Apple Rolls Out Live Translation on AirPods
This is an early iteration of live translation. It will certainly take awhile before the kinks are resolved and there is a wider rollout.
Brand USA Lays Off 15% of Staff, Shuts Down Streaming Service: Scoop
Brand USA's downsizing was almost inevitable after Congress torpedoed its funding this summer. Whether it can be effective in promoting tourism given the U.S. political climate remains to be seen.
Google Keeps Its Grip on Travel Search After Antitrust Ruling
The judge's order in the Google antitrust case was a huge letdown for travel businesses that have tried to force changes to the way Google displays travel search results.
Vrbo Cracks Down on Bad Hosts: 100% Penalty for Stranding Guests
Both Vrbo and Airbnb have been removing listings and taking other actions against malicious hosts or those who are clueless about hospitality. Vrbo's new policy should be seen in that context.