Articles tagged “metasearch”

We've been skeptics of Hopper since Skift's launch. They've been proving us wrong lately, and that's OK.

Informed consumer choice could help defuse the carbon bomb. But it'll take many actions to respond to the climate emergency.

Who knew that 2021 would be the year of travel IPOs?

Trivago is stepping into an arena where many companies before it have failed, namely travel inspiration presented considerably before people would be ready to book. If it succeeds, Trivago would be breaking relatively new ground among metasearch competitors.

In what could be the travel industry’s most drawn-out launch of a booking tool, the final version will appeal to many small companies — but it could have offered so much more.

Some analysts believe the online booking giants of Europe, the U.S., and China will sweep the world. Call it "travel giant triumphalism." But Russia may prove a treacherous market for foreign brands, opening a gap for local players.

Google's retreat in tours and activities booking services doesn't mean Google is becoming less powerful in travel. It's part of Google's strategy to wrangle consistency across its products in offering a combination of advertisements and free listings to gain an even wider audience.

Who said investors no longer want to bet on consumer-facing travel startups that compete with Google? HomeToGo is in talks to go public via a blank-check company owned by Lakestar. It'll be an approximately $1.2 billion deal, sources tell Skift.

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.

Kayak and Life House have joined forces to launch Kayak's first foray into the hospitality industry. The concept is a good one, but to be successful, the kinks in technology and customer service still need to be worked out, as Skift learned firsthand.