Dennis Schaal, Skift
There's a ton of pressure on Booking.com's new chief marketing officer, especially given the fact that his boss said a few months ago that the brand's creative hasn't been up to par. The company wants to lean into brand marketing, but that means there has to be some stellar advertising to lean into. See the challenge?
2 days ago
Danielle Hyams, Skift
This week in digital news, Expedia Chairman Barry Diller led an eventful earnings call during which he tore into the company's work-life balance and bloat, but also admitted he was just beginning to understand the business. Plus, Skift Research explores Google's far-reaching impact on the travel industry.
6 days ago
Xinyi Liang-Pholsena, Skift
For many players in Asia’s tours and activities space, dealing with mounting coronavirus cancellations is proving to be a pain point without the aid of robust technology systems in place. This crisis will be a sharp reminder that digitalization is the way to go.
1 week ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
The straight talk from Diller and Kern will likely delight Wall Street and rankle former management and current employees. Employees will have to buy into the new vision if there's any hope it will become reality.
1 week ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
When Tripadvisor first started diversifying away from its hotel-auction business several years ago, it was mostly aspirational because its experiences and dining businesses were relatively small. Now there is a bit of revenue meat on those bones. Still, meaningful profits will be slow going in this competitive climate.
1 week ago
Lauren Ward, Skift
Event planners can expect increasingly aggressive pitches from hotels as group bookings decline and the threat of coronavirus continues to loom. The new year is already taking some unique turns.
1 week ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Trivago CEO Axel Hefer said the company will focus on those things it can control. But the issue for Trivago and some competitors is that there is so much they can't control, including Google's incursions, the rise of Airbnb, and the whims of major online travel agency advertisers when they cut their metasearch spend.
1 week ago
Lauren Ward, Skift
A predicted dip in group bookings is making hotels more aggressive on bookings, with future uncertainty compounded by coronavirus and the 2020 election.
1 week ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Longtime leader and co-founder Deep Kalra will remain critical at the company in a newly created role of executive chairman. The change in job titles is a reward for co-founder Rajesh Magow's years of work leading the India business. Both executives have pushed hard on a subscription model, one of Skift's Megatrends for 2020.
2 weeks ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Google has argued for years that its boxed-up and featured hotel, flight, and restaurant results are highlighted because they provide users with the "best answers." But in Europe, regulators may have pushed Google to acquiesce, offering its competitors some air time in its featured results by testing direct links.
2 weeks ago
Danielle Hyams, Skift
This week in digital news, Google's dominance in the online booking realm is creating an environment where competing travel retailers gravitate toward tactics that pressure consumers into making purchases as opposed to building brand loyalty. Plus, how being a controlled shareholder company has caused problems at Tripadvisor.
2 weeks ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Question: At Tripadvisor, as a controlled company, what mechanisms did minority shareholders have to pressure Chairman Greg Maffei to make dramatic changes? Answer: Relatively few.
2 weeks ago
