Dennis Schaal

Westin is trying to carve out some brand differentiation with a $15 million campaign well-being campaign. It's local and trendy, and probably something for the brand to feel good about.

Alliances are shifting in online travel as Orbitz cozies up to TripAdvisor after several years of bad blood between Kayak and Orbitz. TripAdvisor may have found a partner in Orbitz for help in booking hotels directly within TripAdvisor's mobile apps.

International traffic, whether by U.S. domestic carriers or foreign airlines flying into and out of the U.S., was the biggest gainer in the annual BTS passenger roundup.

Momondo's new Friend Compass in its mobile apps almost turns flight search into a game as travelers can view how much it costs to fly to the current locations of their Facebook friends. Hey, it's a new twist on social travel.

Online travel agencies, hotel booking sites and metasearch players in Russia will survive the turmoil in Ukraine and Crimea, but the ruble crisis will take its toll.

We didn't get to fully assess the Routehappy integration into the Priceline iOS app since it is doing so on a test basis, but if it is truly transparent and enables flyers to view ratings, warts and all, then this should be interesting.

Is Thoma Bravo overpaying for TravelClick? It is a legitimate question considering that the initial sale process gave way to an auction, and we hear other suitors were rolling their eyes at an $800 million price tag. And does transitioning from the grip of one private equity firm to another really put TravelClick in a stronger competitive position?

Priceline could execute an expensive acquisition of HomeAway if it wants to, and is in a better position to do so than Expedia or any other travel brand.

This joint venture sets up a whole new dynamic for American Express Global Business Travel, which can trim its exposure and take advantage of a funding infusion.

Kayak prides itself on doing things differently, and its book-on-Kayak vacation package recommendations may provide some additional savings. However, many travelers will be turned off by having to book them in two separate transactions.