Dennis Schaal

Whether Bing Travel/Farecast could have made it and competed just based on the flight prediction differentiator is open to debate, but Microsoft Bing never even gave it a try.

There are several models for making travel booking easier on mobile devices, and Google Wallet is certainly gaining ground. The problem may be, though, that it makes Google even more powerful in the process.

Critics who blast the negativity of reviews on TripAdvisor may be surprised that the average review rating is 4.12 out of 5. But some hoteliers say a property's ranking in the pecking order in any given city is even more important.

We know a few travel agents who have surreptitiously sneaked a peak at some user reviews of hotels on TripAdvisor, but Sabre partnering with TripAdvisor to bring user-generated content about airline seats and amenities to travel agents is bringing things to a whole new level.

We're not sure if these apps are something Hertz couldn't -- or wouldn't have -- cooked up on its own, but we like the idea of the whole thing.

Will Google be the comeback kid in travel after under-whelming the competition over the last couple of years? Google is slowly -- very slowly -- getting its act together as it tries to get its figurative hand in virtually everything.

The last thing cruise lines needed was the norovirus outbreaks of a few months ago. They have to find a different way to combat and communicate about the outbreaks because the public isn't buying the argument that these incidents are rare and not a major concern.

Despite the fact that the La Quinta IPO priced below the brand's intended range due to the overall tumble of the markets in recent days, investors are buying into La Quinta's growth story. With a CAGR of 18% from 2003 to 2013, there's little not to love.

Vancouver Airport hasn't found its footing yet in social media, and for an airport with so much to offer, that would be a sensible next step.

Sometimes corporate responsibility conflicts with the bottom line, and Starwood is going to find out if its ban on shark fin will create a problem for it in Asia. Kudos to Starwood for taking this step.