Dennis Schaal

If the Blackfish documentary is hurting SeaWorld's attendance, the theme park operator would be pained to admit it.

The Momondo Group is in the early stages of pursuing a dual brand metasearch strategy with its Cheapflights and Momondo brands. Are they different enough from one another, and will they stand out sufficiently from their rivals to make a real go of it? Other players will be watching to see if any of this makes sense.

By providing both seat-back entertainment and stream abilities, United is playing both sides of the fence in hopes that one of them will pay off.

T-Mobile's unlimited data plan for international travelers is fantastic news for travelers and travel businesses. Now, if only T-Mobile's rivals would follow along.

It remains to be seen what Booking.com does with its new Villas.com and how heavily it gets promoted, but Booking.com clearly is committed to the vacation rental sector, and will likely make many more moves. HomeAway has to do much more to get its digital act together.

Was TripAdvisor's CEO Stephen Kaufer worth $39 million in 2013? That amount is a bit of an anomaly as it includes $38 million in stock options, and he won't be eligible for more until the Summer of 2017. Although there are complaints that TripAdvisor gives geographic growth a higher priority than short-term shareholder return, we don't see anyone complaining.

We bet Howard Johnson and Knights Inn, among others, are grooving about the fact that they are getting some national exposure and airtime right alongside Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. Business travelers taking leisure trips with their families may discover new Wyndham brands, and they will build up their loyalty points just the same if they can give them a try.

Concur still has only a minority stake in Cleartrip, but clearly Concur's $68.3 million total investment in Cleartrip shows that Concur considers Cleartrip and India as a strategic investment.

Every big chain needs a lifestyle brand, or so goes the thinking, but Hilton Worldwide will launch one this year with a twist, going after a broader market segment with a lower-priced brand.

Zipcar accounted for only about 3.6% of Avis Budget Group's revenue in the first quarter of 2014, but Zipcar is growing and the proverbial synergies appear to be kicking in.