Articles tagged “gds”

Companies are spending less on travel. It remains to be seen if the downturn is just a blip on the radar or an indication of a coming downturn in the U.S. economy overall.

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Airlines are finally broadening the distribution of ancillaries and other specialized fare products. Business travelers who want to stretch their legs are the immediate beneficiaries.

Hotel loyalty programs are facing a period of dramatic change, driven by recent devaluations of member points and picky travelers that are less loyal than ever.

Clearstone Venture Partners claims that funding LeisureLink is a better investment than in Airbnb or HomeAway. That may be a frivolous boast but what's clear is that a lot of people are going to make a ton of money on the business and distribution side of the vacation rental and alternative lodging industry.

OYO Rooms founder believes that the future of travel is brands becoming their own distributors, which is, of course, every brand's dream. It may turn out to be true for super brands in isolated cases but it would be a very fragmented and unsatisfying user experience. There is a lot of convergence going on but the mammoth online travel agency sector isn't checking out anytime soon.

Hospitality solutions is a significant yet still relatively small portion of Sabre's business but it will trend upwards in coming years with acquisitions such as the one for Trust International. The travel agent business is still where Sabre makes 70 percent of its dough.

From hotel reviews, to pop-up advertising, metasearch, restaurants and now hotel bookings, TripAdvisor has gone through many incarnations. CEO Stephen Kaufer has driven many of the changes and plans to be around for quite some time longer to seize on a huge opportunity ahead.

Hotels have long placed lower rates on channels more advantageous to driving revenue. That some travel agents are finally wising up to the lack of rate parity is unlikely to change that.