Raini Hamdi, Skift
Grab will hire an additional 1,000 tech employees in 2019, after doubling the number of software engineers, data scientists, and analysts it added this year to 2,000. A look at its next R&D hiring plan gives a few hints on what it is working on.
23 hours ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
This week, travel startups announced more than $114 million in funding, including WhyHotel, Oyo, Noken, and Wow Venue.
1 day ago
Seth Borko, Skift Research
Amazon's influence over travelers is likely to grow, and travel companies need to pay careful attention. Our limited edition e-book evaluates lessons, threats, and opportunities that Amazon presents for the travel industry.
4 days ago
BounceX + Skift
OTAs need to do a better job at identifying their customers and understanding why they’re abandoning their carts before booking. Relying on cookie-based technology to solve for this is no longer enough.
21 hours ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
To quote a smart venture capitalist, "Just because investment money is pouring in doesn’t mean all bets are good bets!” WhyHotel itself may be a well-run business, but the sudden rush of venture money into a full array of hospitality businesses does raise eyebrows overall.
4 days ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Expedia has dealt with a ton of distractions in recent years as it acquired Wotif, Travelocity, Orbitz Worldwide, and HomeAway, for example. CEO Mark Okerstrom wants to focus on the basics instead, and doesn't want to take bold steps into dining reservations or food delivery for now. On the other hand, Expedia is a very acquisitive company so never say never.
4 days ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
The early consensus is that Elliott Management put together a disappointing deal for investors. We cover the case for and against the deal here. But expect larger Travelport investors to consider resisting the deal or hope that a white knight acquirer rides in with a better offer.
4 days ago
Meghan Carty, Skift Research
Keeping visitors loyal is often a complex task for destinations. Understanding those travelers who are most likely to go back to places they’ve visited is a crucial component of this equation.
4 days ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
The long-predicted buyout of public-company Travelport has happened at a premium of about twice the market capitalization of the company. Expect a spinout of the company's eNett payments division and the proverbial "cost restructuring."
5 days ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
This year Lufthansa made a series of small moves that, when looked at together, reveal a doubling down on its multi-front strategy to pressure Amadeus, Travelport, and especially Sabre to conform more to its preferred airline distribution practices. Connect the dots, and it looks like a low-grade war.
5 days ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
It's a matter of probability that some companies will face cash crunches. It appears HotelQuickly has. But global travel search companies need to detect problems sooner. They must quickly put a pause on referring consumers to troubled companies before too many victims pile up.
6 days ago
Colin Bertram, Bloomberg
Quieter locales in Scotland, New Zealand, China, and Mexico lead Airbnb’s trending destinations for the coming year. Note that these statistics show gains in search interest from small base numbers and so they're somewhat misleading. Paris hasn't lost its status as a popular spot, for instance.
7 days ago