Expedia News

While traditional tour operators might not offer the flexibility that Lastminute.com does with its package vacations, they do have an advantage in terms of exclusivity.

Going down the rabbit hole and considering the effect of a big tech crackdown in travel, Google and global distribution systems have perhaps the most to lose. It's likely, though, that few, if any, of Elizabeth Warren's proposed restrictions will ever become U.S. law.

Within months, Google has rolled out new features in flights and hotels that, we dare say, make it a convenient one-stop shop to book travel sans encumbrances. Given its dominance in search, hotels and online travel agencies are on another planet if they are not feeling wary.

We're pretty sure Hilton chief Chris Nassetta would disagree.

Will Airbnb stick to its boutique and independent-only stance on hotels? It could put it at a serious disadvantage when it comes to competitors like Booking or Expedia in the long run. But if Airbnb winds up offering a wider swath of hotels, it could boost its brand even further. Either way, it's guaranteed to be interesting. We'll get the popcorn ready.

The Argentine economic crisis continues to drag on Despegar, but the online travel agency's continuous investment in mobile is setting it up for long-term growth across the continent.

Arguments can be made for a number of sides, but the truth is there's no true winner or loser here, if we're being totally honest.

Traveloka is going after a slice of the Australian online travel market. That's brave. Even though the market is robust, the space is highly competitive. While Indonesia is popular among Australians, travelers still mainly prefer Bali, which is like their backyard. So what has Traveloka to offer?

The fact that Booking Holdings and Expedia Group are leaning away from TripAdvisor is a wake-up call for many metasearch sites. However, travelers still love to use the damn things for comparison shopping, so there's that.

Can these two giant global travel companies work out their differences? Surely consumers would prefer to keep searching for United fares on Expedia.