Priceline sees ‘virtual travel agents’ as the future of travel Priceline Executive Vice President Glenn Fogel envisions a time in the not-so-distant future when booking a trip can be done with virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and a simple voice command. Source: Hotel Marketing Priceline sees ‘virtual travel agents’ as the future of travel
Expedia and Priceline can expect tougher negotiations with Marriott If Expedia and Priceline thought Marriott was tough the last time they met to negotiate rates, just wait until the next time they meet. One of the things Marriott discovered was that its contracts with OTAs were better than the Starwood contracts – and that was before renegotiating its new portfolio of 6,000 properties. Source: Hotel Marketing Expedia and Priceline can expect tougher negotiations with Marriott
TripAdvisor invests in Traxo Travel data aggregator Traxo raised $5.2 million in a Series B financing round, led by TripAdvisor. The financing supports Traxo’s ongoing technology initiatives and further extends the company’s sales and marketing efforts. Source: Hotel Marketing TripAdvisor invests in Traxo
TUI Group doesn’t want to be known as tour operator anymore TUI’s desire to control more of the customer holiday experience sets it apart from many of its tour operator peers. Rather than just signing deals with hotel chains or selling cruise holidays, TUI wants a direct piece of the action. Source: Hotel Marketing TUI Group doesn’t want to be known as tour operator anymore