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Google's key priorities are artificial intelligence, retail, and YouTube. Travel is still an important vertical — it's just not a top focus.
Dennis Schaal | 2 months ago
Hotels
Despite the challenges, expanding in the Asia Pacific region can offer significant growth opportunities for a hotel chain like Hilton. Travel companies are continuously investing in the region due to its rapidly growing middle-class population and increasing tourism.
Peden Doma Bhutia | 2 months ago
Alphabet officials didn't mention ChatGPT, Bing or Microsoft during the company's first quarter earnings call. But like modern-day bards, they gave an impassioned defense of their abilities to meet the artificial intelligence challenge.
Dennis Schaal | 5 months ago
Paying Google to increase direct bookings seems like a contradiction in terms unless it is for brand advertising on YouTube that truly brings guests direct to the hotel website for the next trip.
Dennis Schaal | 7 months ago
This reporter managed to include Kourtney Kardashian's Insta in this story about travel tech. #winning #socialmedia #thinkfluencer
Sean O'Neill, Skift | 2 years ago
Trivago is changing its brand marketing approach to abolish the Mr. and Ms. Trivago cult of personality. Instead Trivago is trying to establish deep emotional connections with viewers. TV will still be important despite the digital surge in consumer preferences, and in Trivago's calculations, YouTube is not a particularly effective option.
Dennis Schaal, Skift | 2 years ago
It's never any fun when companies are reluctant to speak ill of competitors. But, when it comes to wooing hosts, little Vrbo believes it needs to explicitly tell hosts what it can do that giant Airbnb can't. The pitch may be useful in attracting a segment of hosts.
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.
Airbnb is trying to win on brand with a reduced reliance on Google while the smaller Vrbo embraced YouTube big-time, and will spend, spend, spend to advantage.
Google's advertising revenue and profits skyrocketed during the fourth quarter — although travel industry spend didn't drive the results. As with other industries, travel advertisers will likely flock to YouTube for brand promotions when demand returns.
Dennis Schaal, Skift | 3 years ago
