Digital Roundups

This week in digital news, Booking Holdings reveals solid progress in the realm of alternative accommodations, Airbnb sees swelling domestic markets in China and India, and car rental companies look for more ways to use smart technology to drive growth.

This week in digital news, marketers are still experimenting with different types of social media ads, and the United-Expedia standoff persists. Plus, we take a look at Travelport's strengths and weaknesses ahead of its plan to go private by June.

This week in digital news, TripAdvisor moves away from the crowded hotel booking scene, USA Today Travel suffered when it moved online, and travel advisors realize boomers may be the most lucrative customers.

This week in digital news, two booking sites agree to pull back on "pressure selling" while Expedia still struggles to move beyond its home market. Plus, Airbnb acquires event space booking service Gaest — but the move is unlikely to change the sector much.

This week in digital news, booking through Instagram might finally work, Airbnb buys Gaest in a bid to enter further into the meetings and events sector, and a "glamping" startup raises $115 million.

This week in digital news, Airbnb moves to offer more meeting spaces, esports are shaking up event participant engagement, and Travelstop expands into other languages.

This week in digital news, be sure to read our new deep dive on the innovations coming out of India's $2 billion online travel market, and what other players can learn from it about competition, pricing, and marketing.

This week in digital news, we have two stories on personal data. A new privacy report found that some travel apps including Kayak, TripAdvisor, and Skyscanner shared user data from their Android apps with Facebook. Then, an update on the massive Marriott data breach.

This week in digital news, Expedia is facing a lawsuit over its allegedly deceptive collection of fees with Reservations.com. And don't miss our 25 Travel Moments That Mattered in 2018, including Amadeus' purchase of TravelClick, Booking's investment in Didi, and more.

The big digital news this week was all about Travelport. One of the big three platforms for airline distribution is being taken private in an all-cash transaction valued at around $4.4 billion.