Dennis Schaal, Skift
Vrbo is benefiting from a ton of direct traffic because vacation rentals are having a moment, and competitors' paid marketing through Google fell off a cliff. The brand will likely get some sustainable benefit from the lift, but the dynamic can change in a heartbeat.
2 weeks ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Deep-pocketed Google clearly didn't appease suffering travel advertisers in any meaningful way because it didn't have to — it's Google. Don't look for Google to find religion in terms of being a more collaborative partner perhaps until regulators would take it down a peg.
2 weeks ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Google's travel ad chief said companies that aren't seeing enough advertising benefits with Google probably shouldn't spend as much as they are. Few big travel companies would drop out of Google knowing it might sabotage their businesses, but probably an increasing number are desperate for alternatives.
2 weeks ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Business travel is often dreaded by perpetual road warriors, but that’s not true for Valentina Frassi. Except when there's a pandemic, Frassi travels the world recording iconic scenes of major landmarks that most people can only dream of seeing.
1 month ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
GetYourGuide's Johannes Reck is underplaying the Google threat in tours and activities. Sure, Google has much larger priorities, but how much will it cost to build the GetYourGuide brand with Google controlling the airspace?
1 month ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
How do airline network planners determine where to restart routes when no one is flying after Covid-19 destroyed assumptions about consumer habits? Enter Google with its huge data set about consumer whims — maybe not the ultimate decider about airline flight schedules, but another factor to weigh.
2 months ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
New tools from Google Hotel Ads, Cendyn, DerbySoft, Triptease, SiteMinder, and others are making it easier for smaller hotel companies to woo travelers from metasearch brands.
2 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Booking Holdings may be calculating that partner memories aren't exceedingly long. On the other hand, with additional layoffs a possibility at flagship brand Booking.com, the parent company has its own problems to deal with.
2 months ago
Munsif Vengattil, Reuters
One more sign of how Google Maps aspires to be a superapp for travel.
2 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
The liability protections that online travel businesses such as Airbnb, Google and Tripadvisor enjoy under the Communications Decency Act could be collateral damage in President Trump's effort to go after Twitter and Google for what he views as "censorship" or biased coverage.
2 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Many companies won't reopen for business when coronavirus ebbs, but two that will definitely still be left standing will be Expedia Group and Airbnb. They could potentially find ways to cooperate in the face of bigger threats in the form of Google and Booking.com.
3 months ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Smaller online travel agencies try to make money by grabbing nickels and eurocent coins ahead of the steamrollers of global advertising behemoths. The underreported story of why China's largest travel company acquired a tiny Dutch travel group highlights the phenomenon.
3 months ago
