Dennis Schaal

Kudos to La Quinta for its 2012 launch of LQ Instant Hold, which enables guests using smartphones to hold a room for up to four hours by just entering a phone number with no other inputting required. It's part of La Quinta's digital and mobile push, both of which appear to be working.

When even a company such as Booking.com -- which is obsessed with transactions -- launches an Inspire Me feature, you know a trend is afoot. This next generation of travel inspiration features have something that earlier pioneers didn't: they are integrated lockstep with bookings.

The big hotel chains may not yet mention Airbnb in their SEC filings, but you can be certain they are aware of Airbnb's growth and funding, and likely are lobbying for authorities to clamp down on the peer-to-peer sector.

Getting independent hotels that compete against one another and have various agendas to cooperate in a loyalty program such as Stash Hotel Rewards has its built-in challenges. However, despite the myriad obstacles, there is a market need for such a program.

As Carnival woos a new set of customers, it is actually encouraging that CEO Arnold Donald believes that Carnival is winning over people who have never cruised before as they constitute a huge target market.

The Expedia.com homepage redesign is trendy and artsy, with lots of open space and a search widget placed on top of an inspirational photo. Simplicity, photo-led search and responsive design are trending now -- until the next big thing comes along.

Carnival's recovery is proving to be a lot more protracted than expected as its cruise pricing remains stubbornly low. This is a real test for the new leadership in the form of newbie CEO Arnold Donald.

GuestLogix has some heavy-lifting ahead as it restructures to downplay its reliance on low-margin hardware sales for use in the onboard sale of ancillary services. The company has long-standing airline relationships, and new partnerships with in-flight entertainment companies such as Golden Eagle Entertainment, but it is going to be very tough going.

Gogo's partnership with Samsung is the kind that Wi-Fi providers cherish. There's no need to mail anything in, to present a coupon or enter a promotion code. Samsung tablet users just launch a browser and get directed right to a Gogo log-in page.

Among the sites with the most reviews of luxury brands, it is interesting that online travel agencies, such as Booking.com, Expedia.com and Hotels.com, which only accept reviews from verified guests, are among the leaders and are definitely making their presence felt.