Felice Maranz, Bloomberg
Worldpay is of the biggest players in processing cross-border payments, especially for travel companies. Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) will buy Worldpay in a $34 billion deal that will be one of the largest transactions yet in the fast-consolidating payments sector. But if the merger distracts Worldpay from expanding in emerging markets, rivals might steal share.
2 days ago
Nikki Ekstein, Bloomberg
It's often true that the best ideas or inventions for travel are those that originate outside the sector. Could this be one?
4 days ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Datalex, which provides tech to help power ticket booking on airline websites, is desperate for good news, which is why the company's words in the next few months should be treated with skepticism. That said, a lowered share price may make the vendor a takeover target.
7 days ago
Switchfly + Skift
Today’s consumer no longer thinks about loyalty solely in terms of points and miles. That’s created a growing opportunity for travel brands to rethink the strategies they use to build loyalty with travelers.
6 months ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
CEO Greg Mount persuasively says many independent hotel operators are overpaying for operational software that's inadequate. Red Lion is savvy to try to woo independent hoteliers by promising preferential commission rates with online travel agencies. Still, execution will be difficult.
1 week ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Points.com is still too dependent on its mainstay business of loyalty currency swaps for just a few major travel suppliers that are primarily in the U.S. Hopefully, its new cross-marketing deal with Amadeus will help.
2 weeks ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Amadeus has long talked about diversifying its business, branching out from distribution into software services for hotels, airlines, and airports. But 2019 looks like it will finally be the year that the new businesses gain nearly equal importance to the old ones.
3 weeks ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Travelport's latest earnings report is a chance to judge its performance since it went public in 2014. The answer is mixed: The company invested more than its rivals in its airline distribution business, which let it punch above its weight. But not everything on other matters panned out as well as it might have hoped.
4 weeks ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
It's well-known that Facebook and its sister brand Instagram have become hugely appealing destinations for marketers to spend money. But a global survey by travel tech firm Sojern suggests that a lot of trial-and-error is still going on as marketers attempt to master new tools.
4 weeks ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
A year ago the U.S. changed its corporate tax law. A look at the impact on travel tech giant Sabre may show, by example, the benefits to many U.S. businesses broadly. The reform appeared to give the company added financial flexibility in 2018.
1 month ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Customer-experience software companies Medallia, which is planning to go public this year, and Qualtrics, which SAP has just acquired for $8 billion, are receiving cash injections that should rev up their services. That's significant news for travel businesses that depend heavily on positive customer sentiment but increasingly face customer survey fatigue.
1 month ago
Isaac Carey, Skift
Feeling pigeonholed, the expense-tracking company is betting big on the Super Bowl to break free.
2 months ago