Booking Sites

TripAdvisor’s Professional Content and 13 Other Digital Trends This Week

Sarah Enelow-Snyder, Skift

This week in digital news, we have two stories on developments at TripAdvisor. The long-trusted site is now leaning toward content created by professionals, and offering a personalized recommendation feed.

Booking Holdings’ Agoda Takes a Distinctive Approach on Short-Term Rentals

Dan Peltier, Skift

Expedia Believes Tech Is Key to Helping Travelers Plan the Perfect Vacation

Hannah Sampson , Skift

How can companies use technology to make the perfect recommendations for travelers? That's what everyone is trying to figure out.

Meituan’s Hong Kong IPO May Intensify Its Rivalry With Ctrip

Sean O'Neill, Skift

China's travel market is fast-growing enough that it could support a competitor to current leader Ctrip. That day may arrive soon, too, given that Meituan-Dianping is showing surprising traction in hotel booking.

MakeMyTrip and Despegar Make Localization a Key Competitive Advantage

Seth Borko, Skift Research

Does Expedia or Booking have the energy to launch their booking apps in four local Indian dialects? Maybe not, but MakeMyTrip does, and that local effort matters.

TripAdvisor CEO on Moving From User Reviews Toward Professional Content

Dennis Schaal, Skift

TripAdvisor will start showcasing content from long-dismissed professional reviewers so it can be more of a resource to visitors who aren't ready to book. Is nothing sacrosanct anymore?

Jail Time for Fake Reviews and 13 Other Digital Trends This Week

Sarah Enelow-Snyder, Skift

This week in digital news, a person who was paid to write fake hotel reviews on TripAdvisor received a nine-month prison sentence. Don't miss two more stories on what Apple's doing with push notifications and augmented reality.

10 Years Later: How the Travel Industry Came Back From the Financial Crisis

Seth Borko, Skift Research

The 10-year anniversary of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy reminds us that travel was ravaged along with other industries in the ensuing global recession. How the industry coped and rebounded is instructive for the next downturn.

Travel Could Gain From Apple’s Augmented Reality Push

Sean O'Neill, Skift

Of all travel companies, TripAdvisor has the most to gain by taking advantage of the expanding augmented reality functionality of iPhones and other devices. Overlaying rich hotel and restaurant reviews on real-world scenes could be widely popular. Will it act?

A Peddler of Fake Reviews on TripAdvisor Gets Jail Time

Sean O'Neill, Skift

TripAdvisor hopes that jail time will scare off the dishonest folks creating fake reviews. We hope so, too.

Skift Forum Preview: TripAdvisor CEO Shrugs Off Advertising Slump as a Blip

Dennis Schaal, Skift

Here's an unorthodox thought in business: TripAdvisor CEO Steve Kaufer knows that the company's value proposition for its customers can remain strong even when the financials face difficulties every once in a while. That's a truism that sometimes gets lost when pundits focus merely on stock price variations.

Apple’s New iPhone Push Notification Tweaks Could Help Travel Brands

Sean O'Neill, Skift

Despite the hype, Apple is merely playing catch-up to Android by rolling out new tools for fine-tuning app notifications. But it's still good news for the many users of business travel apps on Apple devices.