Jason Clampet

The tourism industry is starting to bounce back after Covid; for the big hotel brands, growth is on the agenda.

Hotels like that online travel agencies sell their rooms, but they'd much rather sell the rooms themselves -- especially as consolidation has given giants like Expedia more power over negotiating prices.

Marriott gets a bit of flash, while Starwood gets some leadership (again) that's interested in innovation.

A summer influx of refugees would have devastated an already fragile Greek economy, but the offseason unrest will have an still unknown impact for the coming months.

This is the best of both worlds for independent hotels: Keep your freedom, but get access to the a broader network. And Starwood can boast more destinations with little effort.

Truly a five star and all-thumbs up performance.

An in-depth look at the trends that are driving booking via smartphones and tablets, the challenges holding the market back, and strategies for businesses in the travel and hospitality industries.

We couldn't agree more.

As we've said before, HotelTonight was facing tough challenges from hotel brands and better funded online booking sites that have their own design on the last-minute booking space.

Expedia's purchase of HomeAway sets the stage for big moves in the online booking sector.