Articles tagged “google”

Today's podcast looks at Google Wallet's latest rollout, labor controversy in New York City's hotels, and the rebound of Iceland's Blue Lagoon.

Google is making a big step toward a world where a physical wallet is obsolete. And it beat competitor Apple in announcing plans to enable a digital passport.

When Pichai’s Google changes an algorithm or advertising feature, it reverberates throughout the travel industry. Just ask Expedia, Tripadvisor, Kayak and Yelp.

In 2023, Booking and Expedia spent a combined $13 billion on marketing, with Booking demonstrating better efficiency and global reach. While both still invest heavily in Google, they're shifting towards alternative marketing strategies like price discounting and B2B channels.

Carrie Tharp, vice president of strategic industries for Google Cloud, said in April to expect a lot more AI projects in travel. Here's another.

Tripadvisor's flagship brand is declining, so that's why it's focusing on the next iteration of the company.

Booking Holdings and Expedia spend billions of dollars each year to have their websites prioritized within Google search results pages, so any overcharging would hit them hard.

One of the key remaining questions is whether Southwest will start offering its flights for bookings on online travel agencies. The betting here is that Southwest won't allow Expedia or Priceline to get on board.

Would Priceline or other big travel advertisers want a co-branded booking experience with Trivago to increase bookings? Maybe, but these advertisers would likely spar with Trivago on the details of the co-branding.

Today's podcast looks at Google's surprising pivot on cookies, industry leaders' disappointment in travel's use of AI, and why Turkish Airlines doesn't believe in premium economy.