Deanna Ting

The direct booking wars are the true infinity war, at least in hospitality. In other words, don't expect a truce anytime soon.

What else could — or should — Wyndham buy this year? Or what new brands could it possibly add at this point?

You know the saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same"? When it comes to Airbnb's new endeavors in the accommodations space, it is certainly being inventive, but the company is also borrowing heavily from what hotels have been doing for centuries.

Carlson Rezidor hasn't taken advantage of its vast potential. This new name and strategy may help.

Anyone willing to bet that you may find your favorite "mass-produced" hotel chains on Airbnb in the not-too-distant future?

There's nothing better than a travel CEO, like Filip Boyen of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, who isn't afraid to speak his mind.

Wynn's departure has us thinking about another hotelier (a hotel brand, really) with much less success in the gaming industry, and even more proof of having committed assaults against women. But, alas, it's proving much tougher to get him to resign.

As we've noted before, as much as hotels and online travel agencies may not necessarily love one another, they certainly need each other. Their current love-hate relationship will certainly change, however, if and when other players like Airbnb or Google become bigger players in the hotel booking space.

When it comes to Wyndham finally offering loyalty program members discounted rates, it's always better late than never, right?

In Airbnb's battle of Silicon Valley versus Wall Street, it appears that Silicon Valley has won this fight — for now.