Articles tagged “google”

There is a long lobbyist-filled journey ahead for this House committee-backed bill to cut Google Travel down to size. But it's an important step that was almost unthinkable a few years ago.

Familiar themes such as personalization, loyalty, omni-channel, and end-to-end experiences are still front of mind for travelers as the recovery begins, albeit with a refreshed focus. Access to real-time, accurate, and first-hand data needed to satisfy these demands — and others — is even more foundational for any travel or hospitality company post-Covid-19 than it was before.

In the long term, it's clear that Airbnb will revisit recalibrating its focus beyond stays and experiences, and will dabble in flights, hotels, and smart-home technology. It would be silly not to.

Google eventually will monetize its vacation rental listings, but paid advertisements in its Things To Do vertical will happen sooner. Conscientious objectors Airbnb, Expedia/Vrbo and Booking, which aren't participating with Google in vacation rentals for now, will likely have something to say about the shape of that money grab.

Which short-term rental companies and strategies are building momentum, and can they maintain it when a full travel recovery takes hold? The Skift Short-Term Rental and Outdoor Summit will feature executives who'll have much to say about these issues May 19, and beyond.

Trivago is changing its brand marketing approach to abolish the Mr. and Ms. Trivago cult of personality. Instead Trivago is trying to establish deep emotional connections with viewers. TV will still be important despite the digital surge in consumer preferences, and in Trivago's calculations, YouTube is not a particularly effective option.

The increased importance of YouTube doesn't bode well for travel advertisers seeking to reduce their reliance on sister brand Google. Pay Google for search ads or spend money on YouTube — it all ends up in the same place.

Relocating employees for work could be big business after the pandemic, if travel companies can handle the extra pressure governments and big organizations place on them.

The impact of Airbnb's new ad campaign seems to be underwhelming to date. But if the idea is to broaden awareness about hosting, Airbnb may be willing to play the long game.

In Skift's top travel stories this week, we highlighted 10 tactical travel learning in travel from a year of the pandemic, Vacasa's move to acquire Turnkey, an Amadeus partnership with Microsoft, and Delta's move to reactivate its pilots.