Articles tagged “despegar”

In major hospitality news, Hyatt is in talks to acquire Playa Hotels & Resorts, Despegar has agreed to a $1.7 billion buyout by Prosus, and a Skift Research report suggests hotel websites could surpass OTAs by 2030 – or maybe not.

Years ago, it appeared as though Expedia Group would be a likely buyer of Despegar since Expedia had taken a significant minority stake in the company. But Expedia backed away, and now Prosus is claiming the prize.

With two partners having big B2B ambitions, something had to give.

Today's podcast looks at Hyatt’s purchased of Standard, what new loyalty branding deals look like, and Shakira’s role pitching Despegar.

Shakira has paved the way for other Latin America artists. Despegar hopes she can open more doors for the company, as well.

If this deals truly helps Despegar better focus on its core services — selling travel — then it would seem to make sense. In the process, Despegar gets leaner.

The industry is getting closer to the vision of the comprehensive digital travel agent, but it's still far away.

If you work for an online travel agency and suggested it open brick-and-mortar stores to bring customers online, you would get very quizzical looks, at the least. Let's see if it works in Argentina and Brazil for Despegar/Decolar.

Brazil is a huge market, as are airline tickets, for Despegar. A rival with an alleged Ponzi scheme for selling airline tickets wasn't really fair competition.

You probably won't see many credit card machines at Despegar's stores or booths in Argentina. But you will see travelers with cash.