Booking Holdings

The vacation rental industry often touts the esprit de corps among industry lifers. Greeted with Booking.com ads for hosts at an Expedia partner conference in Sin City this week, Expedia officials weren't feeling that vibe.

Travel is roaring back. And with the return of business also comes with it an old set of challenges. “What’s our Google strategy” is once again a key question that every travel executive needs to be asking.

If you think Dara Khosrowshahi is going to toggle a switch and turn Uber into the next Expedia or Booking, then consider the years-long effort Booking Holdings is putting into building "the connected trip." Who's going to plan a vacation and start with a rideshare app?

With the search engine also publishing the methodology and framework for other travel sellers to adopt, there's a greater chance that carbon emissions data will eventually become standardized, and less confusing. But there's still a long way to go.

Booking.com is on track for a strong summer, but Carlo Olejniczak acknowledges his company faces fierce competition from rivals such as Airbnb. He explains his company's strategy in areas such as short-term rentals in the video.

The confidence of the hospitality sector in Indonesia seems to be getting stronger as the archipelago relaxes arrival restrictions. As hotly anticipated properties now announce opening dates, Indonesia is clearly emerging as a key market in Southeast Asia's hospitality ecosystem.

Outsiders figure out what's wrong with an industry and rightfully disrupt it. Then they learn that the disrupted industry does things a certain way for a reason. It doesn't mean Sonder's overall strategy is wrong, but that's a lesson it is learning.

Airbnb at times has seemed to lean more toward the rights of guests than hosts while smaller rival Vrbo has done the opposite, tilting toward hosts at some junctures to the disadvantage of guests. Although a host land grab recruitment slugfest is under way, it makes sense to try to carve out a middle ground.

A new type of travel corridor is emerging, particularly between France, Germany and the UK, as tourists stay close to home when booking their first international trips in a long time.

Just about every travel company — Sonder included — wants more direct bookings because of the lower costs and chance to build customer relationships. Still, Sonder may be at a growth stage where adding distribution channels can be an important hedge against over-reliance on the bigger ones.