Short-term rentals could be the next frontier for sponsored listings. Hotels are difficult enough, but vacation rentals may be even more complex to get right.
A lot of behind-the-scenes work has taken place at Expedia Group under CEO Peter Kern over the past four years. Were the moves successful? That will depend on CEO-in-waiting Ariane Gorin.
EG Labs, which would provide a way for consumers to provide feedback for Expedia Group product betas, is itself a test. It seems as though an active feedback loop would provide more insights than merely observing user behavior.
Expedia Group should have most of the pieces in place at the end of the year to complete key elements of its transition. Then we'll have to see how well it executes on these new planks in reality.
Is Sonder a short-term rental operator of multi-unit apartments or a hotelier? Well, it's both, and the new collection is geared to help guests discover the difference.
In some ways, Expedia Group's potential narrowing of the take rate gap with Booking Holdings has a lot to do with Booking's strategic decisions — pushing more into the U.S. and expanding its lower-margin flights business.