Expedia Group's Peter Kern may or may not be correct in his claim that the trend toward long-term stays will eventually weaken to a considerable degree. On the other hand, his Vrbo vacation rental brand probably could have done more to capitalize on the trend.
So far this year, a dozen travel companies went public or made plans to do so. A couple of them may shine. But the odds are stacked against this year's IPOs, on average, over the long term. Find out why.
HotelPlanner found itself a niche in leisure-oriented hotel bookings for groups. It is bent on disrupting the call center model in travel, but will have to prove that its gig-economy customer services agents can develop travel expertise.
Stopping people under 21 years old from being able to effortlessly buy assault rifles is a societal decision. But it remains open for debate on how travel companies should treat a gun lobby that opposes such a move.
We're having a moment. In the wake of the Florida school shooting, travel companies are abandoning the National Rifle Association and its assault rifle advocacy. History would tell us that no substantial reforms will come out of this. But perhaps student and corporate pressure will make things different this time.
The group booking company is on an acquisition spree. Plus, other startups raise funding for booking platforms for serviced apartments, event spaces, and branded budget hotels, while one Indian booking site gets a new investor owner.