Expedia on integrating HomeAway rentals into hotel searches Expedia plans to start testing the integration of HomeAway’s vacation rental inventory on its core OTA sites in the current quarter, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said during the company’s earnings call on Thursday. Source: Hotel Marketing Expedia on integrating HomeAway rentals into hotel searches
China’s Ctrip plans to compete in the U.S. against Expedia and Booking.com China’s Ctrip, already the globe’s second largest online travel agency by market cap behind the Priceline Group and ahead of Expedia, is working on a plan to sell trips from the U.S. to destinations around the world. Source: Hotel Marketing China’s Ctrip plans to compete in the U.S. against Expedia and Booking.com
IATA predicts airline distribution revolution by 2021 IATA is forecasting a fundamental overhaul of airline distribution within five years, shifting to what it calls an “active distribution” model. Carriers are expected to see around 45% of reservations coming through their own direct channels by 2021, up from 33% this year. Source: Hotel Marketing IATA predicts airline distribution revolution by 2021
Travel brands poised to grow exponentially with mobile marketing Some estimates say that by 2017, more than 30 percent of online travel bookings will be made on a smartphone. That is a huge portion of the market, and it is essential that travel brands adjust their mobile strategies to attract and hold customers’ attention. Source: Hotel Marketing Travel brands poised to grow exponentially with mobile marketing