Hotels vs. Online Travel Companies: Who Owns the Customer in the AI Era?
There's been a battle between online travel companies and hotels for decades. There will be no truce in the age of AI.
Dennis Schaal is Skift’s Founding Editor and Executive Editor. Dennis has been a reporter focusing on online travel and short-term rentals for more than two decades at Skift, Tnooz, USA Today, and Travel Weekly. He is well-known for tough one-on-one interviews on stage at Skift events, including with the CEOs and top execs of Expedia, Uber, Booking Holdings, Priceline, Kayak, Hopper, and more.
Online Travel Agency Flight Sales Jumped in May – Leisure and Corporate Bookings Fell
Online travel agencies have a tremendous marketing edge over leisure agencies, and corporate travel agencies might be feeling the pinch of macro uncertainties.
Expedia Makes Gains as Google Hotels Is Increasingly ‘Bruised’
Google Hotels is still strong, but weakened by the Digital Markets Act — and Google's own AI Overviews. Agentic AI may one day make the changes we've seen to date under the DMA a mere footnote in the evolution of travel search.
Skiplagged Ordered to Pay $9.4 Million to American Airlines – ‘They Want to Take Us Down,’ CEO Says
It's probably not the only issue at play, but if Skiplagged wasn't issuing hidden-city tickets, it might be a lot easier to get American's permission to use the airline's logo.
Airbnb Partners With Club World Cup 2025 on Experiences and ‘Alternative Accommodations’
Airbnb is trying to use any excitement surrounding the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 to give a higher profile to its experiences business. As with the Olympics last year in France, Airbnb is using sports celebrities to carry the torch.
Los Angeles Immigration Protests Spur Some Travelers to Change Plans
International tourists viewing the headlines from Los Angeles and other big U.S. cities may decide to skip the hassle and vacation elsewhere. The U.S. keeps giving tourists reasons to not visit.
Airbnb Accused of Poaching Tour Guides From Rival Platforms to Grow Experiences
Whether the poaching attempts were a rogue or not, it's clear that Airbnb is going all-out to compete in its new experiences business.
Brand USA Funding Would Be Slashed by 80% in Senate Republican Proposal
Ever since its creation in 2010 to be the country's destination marketing organization, Brand USA has faced potential cuts and even threats of elimination.
Booking Holdings Hedges Google Disruption, Wants to ‘Be Close’ to AI Hyperscalers
Keep your friends close and their disrupters closer.
Amex GBT, Amadeus: AI Usage is Getting Cheaper, Voice May Be a Gamechanger
Generative AI is becoming more accessible in several ways: At large businesses, costs per transaction are falling, and voice-to-voice interactions may provide an ease of use that brings AI to the masses.