Articles tagged “travelocity”

Expedia and Travelocity are now strategic partners, but they still will compete against each other to a certain extent. That's where Hotwire, an Expedia subsidiary, fits in. Hotwire is advertising to the world that its hotel deals are better than Travelocity's -- and, by extension, Expedia's. It's the travel industry. Get it?

Sabre has been an active acquirer over the years, but in 2013 it sold three businesses -- Travelocity Business, Holiday Autos and Zuji -- all at a loss. Sabre wanted to execute a successful IPO, and it had plenty of things to tidy up.

The social campaign is a boon to all involved: Travelocity builds brand awareness, ESPN's game coverage is promoted, and the college towns receive an unexpected boost in travel marketing.

Now that the Expedia-Travelocity agreement's implementation has begun, we can expect to hear about some of the financial benefits to Expedia during its upcoming Q4 earnings call. The agreement is being phased in, and the rollout is taking place somewhat faster than expected.

By bringing in former Continental chairman and CEO Larry Kellner as Sabre chairman, and installing Tom Klein as the new CEO, Sabre is signaling that it is readying a strategic move, possibly an IPO, in the near future. The Travelocity deal with Expedia, Travelocity divestments of zuji and Travelocity Business, and these layoffs may all be pieces of the puzzle.

The Travelocity-Expedia deal is widely seen as a way for Travelocity's parent, Sabre Holdings, to trim expenses before a possible IPO in 2014.

Expedia partnered with HomeAway on vacation rentals last week. One day it is going to partner with or acquire a sharing economy company built in the Airbnb mold, depending how the market shakes out. When you are as big as Expedia, you can afford to sit back and see how things shape up.

The hotel operators worry whether going green means sacrificing their service standards at times, and this study show it surely won't hurt. And there are bigger benefits beyond bookings, including energy savings and tax credits from local municipalities, among others.