Sean O'Neill

A fresh approach to online distribution will heat up the corporate housing sector. It will make it easier for property managers to distribute serviced properties and for travel managers to book them.

Tink Labs is a standout Hong Kong company in the hotel ecosystem. It attracted $170 million in funding to make its Handy loaner smartphones a free amenity in hotels worldwide. But we found some other companies that are also offering promising tools for hoteliers.

Choice talks a good game about its SkyTouch subsidiary. But signs point to continued heartache. Expect the franchisor to focus instead on the vacation rental software it gained by acquiring Dutch startup Maxxton plus its own reservation system.

The bar for success is higher than usual for these companies because of their unlikeliness: an online seller of cruise trips, a traditional "high street" travel agency, a network of freelance photographers, and a maker of eyewear that records 360-degree-video.

Change has not come as fast as a 2010 survey had predicted. This study offers a few reasons why, but misses a big one: The industry is in desperate need of loud champions of new techniques and strategies.

Egencia's ambitious growth will likely pressure two of the remaining global travel management companies to merge as a defensive move.

A cluster of comparatively under-the-radar startups have caught our notice: Two let travelers book specific cars on lots rather than broad vehicle categories (like "compact"), two are bringing metasearch to car rentals, and one is a hidden jewel of Hawaii's tech scene.

In the long-run, Expedia will have gained by acquiring Orbitz because of its brand recognition, effective loyalty program, and list of corporate deals. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is especially optimistic about taking Orbitz's private label functionality and bringing it to the flagship Expedia brand later this year.

This week, TravelTriangle, an India-based online marketplace for travelers and agents, receives a fresh round of funding that brings its total raised to $19.9 million, while Lola, Paul English's startup for giving travel agents technological superpowers, has added $10 million to its Series B.

We have the technology, as they used to say on TV's "The Six Million Dollar Man." We have the capability to make booking flights on mobile better than it was before. Better... stronger... faster. But short-sighted airline business strategies seem to be holding back the hot price-comparison companies of the hour -- Momondo, Kayak, and Skyscanner -- from offering direct, or instant, bookings of flights.