Articles tagged “hipmunk”

As happened with major online travel agencies, there will eventually be several winners in short-term rentals beyond Airbnb. But will these come from the independent property managers trying to build consumer brands, or will the larger players take them out as is customary?

In Skift's top travel stories this week, we looked at the future of cruising, the looming easing of travel restrictions for UK citizens, the Hipmunk co-founders launching a new flight-search tool, and Emirates seeking to revolutionize the way it distributes airfares.

A new business model shall set you free. That's the underpinning of Flight Penguin, with the former Hipmunk gang vowing to overturn the coziness between online travel players and their big-spending partners. Google, Kayak and Expedia have nothing to fear; they will hardly notice.

Regardless of the shape of the travel recovery, it's clear that travel startups will be behind the curve. Many investors were already wary of funding new travel companies, but now they'll have to worry whether the next pandemic will shut them down anew.

The expense technology sector has quickly become one to watch. Realistically, though, chipping away at SAP Concur's business is going to be difficult.

It isn't very unusual for a company like Hipmunk to get acquired and then to fade into oblivion in the clutches of a much larger corporation. That's the way it goes in the heartless mergers-and-acquisitions game.

Beyond automatically integrating travel booking with expenses, a lot is being done to give travel managers and financial departments more powerful tools to track spending. It also helps that these tools will eventually make the expense report process much easier for travelers.

Employees of smaller companies are business travelers too. Concur's latest strategy to go after unmanaged travelers shows how much potential exists for that segment.

Despite the initial denials, we always knew Concur would bring Hipmunk into business travel. It'll be interesting to see how the Hipmunk brand changes once it becomes known for more than just leisure travel.

Slim margins and complex technology have turned travel metasearch into a contact sport. Identifying the winners and losers in this space takes a keen understanding of the economics and mechanics that power these businesses. Luckily, we've produced the definitive resource for understanding and forecasting the trend lines.