Dennis Schaal

Does Accor's new streamlined check-in process in practice as advertised? We're not sure, but it potentially is a great way to personalise service and make a lasting impression with the guest.

There were two interesting announcements from major travel sites April 28: TripAdvisor added Wendy Perrin, formerly of Conde Nast Traveler, as its travel advocate, and Yahoo Travel relaunched with an emphasis on editorial, but also very heavy on travel inspiration and sponsored content. TripAdvisor has one of the most well-rounded travel sites on earth, and Yahoo is being Yahoo.

It's all coming together for Hong Kong tourism: More lift from the airlines, new cruise facilities to as the public awakes to the possibilities of cruise vacations, and dramatic growth of the middle class.

Tourists from Switzerland, Australia and the United Kingdom have the largest vacation budgets, according to TripAdvisor's TripBarometer survey. U.S. travelers are fifth and Chinese travelers aren't in the top 10 on an individual basis.

HomeAway is not about to be another Booking.com, but Google is going to get a new and large global customer when the vacation rental site ramps up its search engine marketing, probably next year.

HomeAway's pay-per booking model is picking up steam, given the relatively large numbers of listings to date, but the vacation rental company is definitely in transition mode with lots of uncertainty about the outcome.

People love to search for tours and activities on their mobile phones while on vacation. TripAdvisor is going after this market, and could give the Viators and GetYourGuides formidable competition.

The lure of bag fees may be too much for JetBlue to resist, but it would take a big brand hit if it decides to do so. Coupled with the airline's new business class service, many passengers will wonder if the JetBlue they loved is gone forever.

Airlines have no trouble getting passengers to use Wi-Fi -- when it's offered for free. The brand benefits would be enormous if JetBlue kept it that way. Other airlines should consider doing likewise.

The Priceline Group is the dominant online player based on its scale, speed, search engine marketing strategy, and conversion skills, but perhaps its compensation policy should be added to the list of factors, as well.