In Hawaiian Paradise Park, a developer made a significant error by building a home on the wrong property—on land belonging to Anne Reynolds. Now, the developer is suing Reynolds, demanding through the court that she either pay for the value of the home or be forced to transfer her property to him to correct his
Hospitality
Global OTA Scrutiny and Airline Distribution Battles: This Week in Online Travel
This week’s Update features a variety of topics, including Italy’s newly announced investigation of Booking.com, American’s ongoing battle with ASTA and Qantas’ new TMC portal:
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- Italy Launches Investigation of Booking.com. Just weeks ago, Booking Holdings announced as part of its fourth quarterly earnings release that Spanish competition authorities were considering levying an unprecedented $530 million
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Regulatory Challenges for OTAs in Indonesia, Spotnana's Innovative Booking Tool, and OTA Marketing Records Shattered
This week’s Update features a variety of topics including the latest on Indonesia’s efforts to regulate OTAs, Spotnana’s new “event” travel booking tool and new record marketing spending by the largest OTAs (no surprise).
- Booking.com and Expedia May Face Indonesian Bans. As of this past week, several large OTAs (including Booking.com and Expedia) had still
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Google's DMA Compliance Controversy and the End of TripAdvisor Plus: This Week in Online Travel
This week’s Update offers two differing industry perspectives on Google’s DMA compliance efforts. We also update the status (demise) of TripAdvisor’s much criticized subscription program, TripAdvisor Plus. Enjoy.
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- Perspectives on Google’s Gatekeeper Efforts. This past week (March 7) saw D-Day arrive for those platforms designated as “gatekeepers” under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). On the
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Overview of Proposed Florida Employment Legislation for the 2024 Legislative Session
Proactive monitoring of the developing employment legislation and regulations is beneficial for businesses to defray the potential costs of substantial, unprepared operational adjustments that may be required to obtain compliance with employment legislation after its passage. There’s no better way to get a pulse on proposed employment legislation than traveling to Tallahassee and talking about…
Online Travel Update: Trip.com Soars with Strong Q4 and Yearly Results, Booking Holdings Releases Earnings and Legal Updates
Booking Holdings’ recent earnings release garnered much of the industry’s attention this past week for a variety of reasons, including legal. It will be interesting to watch how important changes to the legal landscape affect the company’s primary booking platform and its many supplier partners.
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- Trip.com Enjoys Strong Fourth Quarter and Year. Trip.com reported stellar
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Online Travel Update: TripAdvisor’s Potential Sale Dominates Headlines as Expedia’s CEO Departure Announcement Still Reverberates
TripAdvisor’s rumored sale garnered most of this past week’s headlines, though reaction to Expedia’s recent earnings release and in particular, Peter Kern’s announced departure, came in a close second. Salacious headlines out of Expedia’s HQ’s bathrooms featured prominently at the end of the week, but we won’t be “viewing” those stories; this is a family…
Online Travel Update: American Airlines Shifts Bookings Online, Hilton Settles "Junk Fee" Dispute and More
This week’s Update features a variety of stories, including updates on airlines’ continuing efforts to move away from traditional distribution systems (GDS) and a review of 2023’s booking trends. For those of you interested, I’ve also included the slides from my presentation at HEDNA in New Orleans last month.
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- American Seeks to Move All Bookings
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Online Travel Update: OTA Marketing Shift, Google's DMA and Wholesaler Woes Unveiled
With many in the industry getting their first look at Google’s proposed “DMA” changes to European Union search results, many of this past week’s industry headlines were focused on the proposed changes and the industry’s generally unfavorable response.
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- Increased Marketing Efforts by OTAs Result in Fewer Direct Bookings. In a report issued last week by
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Online Travel Update: Hawaiian and Sabre Settle Things, and European Regulators Seek Information on Booking.com
It was another slow week in the online travel industry as much of the industry’s attention was focused on this past week’s annual HEDNA Conference (in New Orleans) and preparation for the lodging industry’s first major conference of the year, ALIS.
- Hawaiian and Sabre Settle Things. Readers of our Update will recall that Sabre sued
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